Check us out properly.

How to verify any painting contractor

This applies to us and to everyone else bidding your house. Four checks, about ten minutes total, and they will tell you more than any testimonial page ever could.

1. Get the insurance certificate from the insurer

Not a PDF the contractor emails you. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly by their insurance agent, with you listed as certificate holder. That is the only version that proves current coverage. If a contractor is uninsured and someone is injured on your property, that becomes your problem in ways most homeowners never anticipate.

2. Look up the EPA lead-safe firm certification

Mandatory for any paid work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978, which is roughly half of Madison. Firm certifications are public and searchable through the EPA, and Wisconsin's Department of Health Services maintains state certification information as well. Ask for the number and look it up. A contractor who reacts badly to being asked has told you something for free.

3. Ask to see work from five years ago

Any paint job looks good the week it is finished. The interesting question is what it looks like after four Wisconsin winters. A contractor with real local history can point you at older work, and that is worth considerably more than a portfolio of photographs taken the day the masking came down.

4. Compare the bids on scope, not on total

Build a grid: surfaces included, ceilings yes or no, prep described, number of coats, specific product line, warranty term, timeline, and whether the crew is employees or subcontractors. Most people discover halfway through that they are comparing three different jobs rather than three prices for the same job.

The full nine-question guide to hiring a painting contractor goes through all of it.