—Include important details in the contract, such as how much wall preparation is included, how many coats will be applied, what brand of paint will be used, how much extra wall repairs and coats of paint will cost and when the job will be done.
—Be aware of tactics used by disreputable painters, which include using cheap paint while charging for such premium brands, watering down paint, using old paint and low-balling estimates in order to charge more later.
Angie Hicks is the founder of Angie’s List, a resource for local consumer reviews on everything from home repair to health care.
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