Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find Frequently Asked Questions and Our Answers

Does my whole house need to be primed before being painted?

It is very rare that an entire house exterior or interior would require all surfaces to be primed.

Exterior Surfaces

After power washing and hand scraping, any bare areas will need to be primed. The amount of priming required is determined by several factors. If the home has been painted or stained on a regular maintenance cycle and is considered in good condition, spot priming those select areas of the home is all that would be required. If the home has not been maintained and is in poor condition, more extensive priming will be required to restore the home into good condition. 

Interior Surfaces

Priming is required when new drywall has been installed due to a wall or ceiling repair.
Specialty priming is required for sealing various surface stains such as water stains due to a leak.
A full prime is required when converting wood cabinets, trim or doors.
When painting over a fully saturated paint color, priming will be necessary for coverage.

Does all the existing old paint on my house need to be removed before it can be repainted?

No, not all the old paint needs to be removed. It is important to have any loose, peeling, or flaking paint removed prior to painting. Areas that are bare after this preparation process will be primed before being repainted.

Is there a difference between hand-brushed and sprayed paint?

Exterior Surfaces
Both spraying and brushing and rolling are excellent application methods for an exterior application. As a tool of application, a sprayer is a very good tool for exterior painting and staining, as long as the paint is put on at the proper spread rate (sq. ft./gallon). In general, spraying will provide a smoother appearance, after the surface has been properly prepared, sprayed paint will adhere as well as if paint applied by brush only. There are instances when certain substrates should be back-rolled or back-brushed if they are sprayed.
In general, all the tools including sprayers, brushes and rollers are necessary and have a purpose for proper application of paint or stain. Each of these tools when used together by a professional painter has the benefit of providing an outstanding application and long lasting result.

Interior Surfaces
For interior repaints, (which means every paint job after the first new construction paint job,) sprayers are not used. All paint is applied with rollers and brushes. A sprayer is only used during the construction of a home during the building process.

How much will it cost to paint my house?

We provide a detailed estimate for all interior or exterior painting /staining projects. We do not give generic square foot prices or “guess-estimations,” as they do not consider your home’s specific requirements or needs. A few of the factors considered and evaluated are the home’s unique specifications for preparation, size, and color change. Once the specifics of the project are determined we will provide a detailed document outlining the project specifics. Contact us today for a free, no obligation estimate.

How much money do we need to put down for a paint job?

For residential projects a deposit is not required. Payment is due upon completion. Cash, Check and Credit Card are accepted. A 12-month interest-free financing option is also available.

I have three estimates from three different painting contractors. The prices are so different I have no idea what to think of them. How do I determine the difference?

There are several factors that play a roll in pricing and the painting result. All these factors can add considerably to the cost of the job. Make sure you are getting what you pay for.

Does the estimate include supplies and materials?

Make sure that all supplies and material required to do your interior or exterior painting/staining job are included. The items include but are not limited to paint, primers, stain caulk, tarps, and drywall materials. These materials and supplies can add up quickly if not included.

What kind of paint/stain will be used?

They’re many different grades of paint. Cheaper grades of paint are formulated differently and result in a different quality result. These cheaper formulations are thinner and provide lesser coverage, therefore can require additional paint or primer to provide the coverage required. They are not wipeable or scrubbable, so general fingerprints, and general dirt cannot be removed. They do not provide a smooth application or appearance, and do not offer true color.

Higher grade paints give a thicker coverage, can contain antimicrobial agents that inhibit the growth of mold or mildew on the paint surface and can have stain-blocking technology to help hide old stains and allow new stains to be wiped clean with water. These higher-grade paint products allow a homeowner to maintain the condition of the walls and have a longer product result, therefore increasing the time between paint jobs.

Does the painting company carry worker’s compensation and general liability insurance?

In the state of Illinois worker’s compensation is very expensive and therefore there are painters who will not carry workers compensation. It is not uncommon for some painters to only carry liability or no insurance at all, which if there is any type of accident at the job site, transfers the financial liability to the homeowner.

To verify the painting company, you are considering is insure, the state of Illinois has a website you can visit to confirm the contractor insurance status http://www.iwcc.il.gov/insurance.htm

Does the painter provide references?

At CertaPro Painters of Fox Valley, we will provide a booklet of interior and exterior previous customers. Names, address and phone numbers are listed. For an exterior job this is a great tool as you can drive by many of our past exterior jobs and view the workmanship.

The reason we offer an extensive list of past satisfied customers is in hope our potential new customer will recognize a few names of this list from their neighborhood, school, church, or other local community involvement.

Does the painting company provide a written warranty on workmanship?

At CertaPro Painters of Fox Valley we offer a 2-year written warranty on all interior and exterior painting and staining. This provides you with peace of mind knowing that if we missed something during our final inspection you can call and schedule a warranty visit. A copy of our warranty is included in our estimate.

But keep in mind a warranty is only good if the company is still in business and for that reason understanding how long a company has serviced your local area becomes important.

I am not sure what paint colors to use. What help can CertaPro Painters provide.

CertaPro Painters of Fox Valley offers a complimentary in-home color consultation to any of our customers prior to a scheduled interior or exterior painting job. The designer will visit your home to create a color plan based on your vision and style. In addition to your personal style other factors considered in this plan will include permanent hard and soft goods. For an interior color plan item like kitchen cabinets, back splash, counter tops, flooring and furniture are evaluated for color to ensure the color plan works within color wheel principles. During an exterior color consultation, we are looking at anything on the house that is not being painted. This could include brick, or gutters and downspout.

Understanding the lighting in the home, both natural and artificial, are critical to how the paint will look and feel once applied. Other factors that are considered in a color plan have to do with paint saturation, and value.

Are there extra changes if I want more than 1 paint color?

Interior

No, it is not uncommon for customers to want a few different paint colors in various areas of the home. Some customers will want an accent wall flanking a fireplace or headboard wall. This is not considered and extra service.

Exterior

Generally, when painting or staining an entire house there is a siding color, trim color and accent color for shutter or doors. This is considered standard and does not constitute and extra service fee.

A contractor comes to paint my house and his employee falls off a ladder and gets hurt. Who pays for his injuries?

Contractors such as builders, painters or other tradespeople who work on or around your home are required by Illinois law to provide worker’s compensation insurance. Any injury or accident at a job site would be covered under that policy. If the contractor does not have coverage or has discontinued his policy to save on premiums, you would be next in line to pay for a worker’s injuries and/or disabilities that occurred on your property.

To verify whether a contractor has a Certificate of Liability which includes workman’s compensation you should request the contractor provide you with a COI at the time of estimate. Contact the insurance broker listed at the top of the COI and verify the insurance is active and in good standing. The state of Illinois also has a website you can visit to confirm the contractor you are considering for your home’s project is insured. http://www.iwcc.il.gov/insurance.htm

Does CertaPro Painters carry worker’s compensation and general liability insurance policies?

Yes, we are insured for both workers compensation and liability, and will provide a COI at time of estimate.