5 Traits of a Quality Painting Subcontractor

There are several factors to consider when looking to hire a painting subcontractor, and the quality of your sub will directly affect the quality of your projects. Hiring the right people can go a long way! Here are the 5 most important characteristics to look for when hiring quality painting subcontractors:

1. Professional Appearance

The first quality you want to look for in a subcontractor is a professional appearance. Yes, they are painters which is not a particularly clean job. However, if they take intentional care of themselves to maintain a professional appearance, they will do the same for your projects and your company.

What Makes a Professional Appearance

Clothes and hygiene are great places to start. A quality sub wears fresh clothes every day, not the same old dirty ones from yesterday. They also clean themselves regularly. You don’t want to be remembered as the company with the smelly painters! Again, this mindset of professionalism will reflect in a subcontractor’s work, so set this standard early on and seek out this quality while hiring.

2. Subcontractor Communication

The second and arguably most important quality separating a good subcontractor from a bad subcontractor is communication. Communication is vital because, for starters, the sub needs to have a clear understanding of the job. They need to know what is expected of them by you and the customer as far as scope of work and professionality. A good subcontractor will ask questions if they don’t understand something because they care about the job and want to make sure they get it done correctly. Open and willing communication from the sub will put any customer at ease. Should the customer have any sudden questions or changes, they should be able to address those with you or the subcontractor. Being able to communicate properly with your sub is also important for creating a lasting relationship with them.

3. Quality of Preparation

The third difference between a quality subcontractor and a mediocre one is preparation. A good subcontractor will have everything they need when they arrive at the job. The are able to show up to the site, look at the job and get straight to work. A sub with a lot of experience should pretty much have everything they need with them as far as tools and equipment for any job at any time. This will save your company time normally spent bringing them supplies and will keep the project on schedule.  

4. Painting Efficiency

The next characteristic to look for is efficiency. A good subcontractor takes the time to make sure prep work is done properly. Things like covering all items and scraping away all peeling paint are important steps. A good sub understands that by doing these things the right way, they save themselves time and clean up at the end of the job. This mindset should carry on throughout the rest of the project as well. This means keeping the desired timeline in mind and working towards reaching that goal without cutting corners. This will help meet the customers expectations of a true, professional paint job. 

5. Care for the Craft

The final quality of a good subcontractor is real carefulness for what they do. At the end of the project, a sub should take their time and ensure everything meets the customer’s expectations. They should not just leave the job site when the work order is complete. Looking for leftover trash, identifying touch-ups and seeking customer feedback are actions that really define a quality painting subcontractor. When they have done those things, they can leave feeling proud of their work and confident that they will be asked to return for future projects.