The Many Risks You Face Choosing the Low Bidder

There are 2 Types of Low Bidders on Painting Projects:

1. Contractors without the Experience to Bid Your Job Properly
2. Contractors who Know All the Shortcuts on Quality (and you won’t see them until it is too late)

Most homeowners only hire a painting contractor every 5 years or more.

Most people don’t have the experience to know if the contractor has the required skills to complete a quality painting project that will look good and last.

Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous contractors that will take advantage of the homeowner’s lack of experience. They only compete on price because they don’t expect to work for you again. We refer to them as “hit and run” painting contractors.

My name is Tony Vlachos and I don’t work that way. Since 1985, I have had a very specific goal:

Make every client a client for life.

You can’t meet that goal if you cut corners on quality.

I want every client to know that they have someone that they trust and respect and can turn to for all of their painting and carpentry projects.

The information on this page is provided to help homeowners avoid hiring a painting contractor that will frustrate you with poor quality.

How a Low Bidder
Compromises the Quality You Deserve

Listed below are different ways that unprofessional painting contractors keep their bid lower than professionals in the business. Don’t be fooled into getting stuck with shoddy work at a “fantastic” price!

Painting is only as good as the prep work.

An inferior paint job will start to show in as little as 30 days and you can bet the low bidder won’t have a warranty that you can enforce.

Here are the most common ways the low bidder will cut corners on quality to make more money at your expense:

  • Avoiding prep work that requires multiple coats of spackle so seams or other imperfections will show through
  • Hammering in nails or even worse hammer in screws and break the drywall – simply adding new drywall screws will secure the surface
  • Substituting caulking for tape and spackle on cracked seams in corners – the corners will start to show through very quickly
  • Using the cheapest caulk available even though it will dry out and split quickly – applying better caulk avoids this issue
  • Painting directly over drywall or bare wood without using a primer – this is the most important step in the process because when the paint starts to crack and blister every subsequent coat of paint will do the same thing
  • Using the lowest quality paint is very common with low bidders. They will show the label with the manufacturer’s name but neglect to tell you that it is their least expensive product – most paint manufacturers have two to five lines of paint and the quality differences can be substantial. Most average size rooms can be painted with two coats with just one gallon of paint. The best paint is just $20 more.
  • Skipping cleaning of the surface prior to painting – if the surface has any foreign substance such as mold, dust, nicotine and even hair spray the adhesion can be severely compromised.
  • Skipping caulking or filling nail holes in the trim – it just looks terrible.

The best way to get a more thorough job is to use light to brighten the room.

Color Your World has a unique system when working in your home, we simply use a lot of light (300 watt bulbs) so we can see the surface with a lot more clarity than without any light. Our approach is simple, if something doesn’t look right we fix it.

The Top Reasons to Eliminate Low Bidders

It can really be attractive to take the lowest bid on a painting project because “anyone can paint”. If their bid fits your budget it can be even more attractive. Unfortunately, choosing the low bidder almost never works out. Before you sign any proposal consider this information carefully.

  1. Many contractors will use a low bid as the place to start negotiating. Ethical contractors provide their best price up front and will include all the details on materials and methods.
  2. Bids that are 15% or more below other bids can’t be the same job. A 15% profit is a solid profit on a quality panting job so if their bid is 15% or more below other bids it would mean they are working for free. Of course, no one works for free so they will substitute lower quality materials or take short cuts in order to save labor costs to make money at the expense of quality.
  3. There are some “nice folks” that will give you a bid that is “fantastic”. If a bid seems a bit too good to be true, it is. Ask for 10 references for similar projects and call each one. You can also learn more on our references page.
  4. Many low bidders save money because they are not properly licensed and many don’t carry insurance or don’t carry enough insurance. This puts the homeowner at risk. And by not being licensed the contractor cheats the government and if they will do that they will just as likely cheat you.
  5. Effective April 22, 2010 all painting contractors and painters are required to be certified in Lead Safe Work Practices to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. If the contractor is not properly trained they will expose your family to unnecessary health risks. Ask for their Lead Safe License and check it at the EPA website.

There is a difference in quality painting jobs and it will be easy to see.

I have known Anthony for over 20 years. Over that time I have lived in three homes and he has been my “go to” guy in all of them. Painting, wallpaper, carpentry and power washing – everything he touches looks better after he’s done. He is honest and professional and I feel totally comfortable giving him my highest recommendation!

– Barbara M.

I will provide you with a list of over 100 clients who you can call to learn more about the way we conduct our business. I would like you to join our list of satisfied clients who enthusiastically refer my company to friends, family and business associates.

Please visit our testimonial page to read what our clients are saying about us. I welcome the opportunity to add you to our reference list of customers who will gladly take a call about our painting and carpentry services.

If you are interested in painting one room or several rooms, painting the exterior of your home, office or business, applying a special paint finish to your walls or ceilings or installing crown molding, baseboards or trim my crews have the experience you would expect from a painting contractor with over 30 years of experience. Please see our Services page for a complete list of all of our services.

If you’re looking for an honest, reputable and stable painting contractor with a proven track record of quality work, reliable service and a stellar business reputation, call today at (631) 427-2595 for a quote on exterior or interior painting.

Thanks for your time and we look forward to making you our next satisfied client.