Most homeowners hire painters the same way they pick a restaurant — they look at the price and hope for the best.

That works for lunch. It doesn't work when you're handing someone $8,000 and access to your home for a week. Here are the seven questions that separate a professional shop from a liability waiting to happen. If a contractor can't answer all seven on the spot, keep looking.

1. "What's your ROC license number?"

Arizona requires a Registrar of Contractors license for any painting job over $1,000. A real contractor has a number, knows it, and will give it to you without hesitation. Then you go to roc.az.gov and look it up.

You're checking three things: is the license active, has it ever been suspended, and how many complaints have been filed. No license means no bond, no recourse, and no accountability. Our ROC number is 360099. Everyone on your short list should be able to give you theirs in under 5 seconds.

2. "Are your painters employees or subcontractors? And are they all covered by your workers' comp?"

This is the question most homeowners don't know to ask. Here's why it matters: if a painter falls off a ladder on your property and he's a sub without workers' comp, you can be held liable. Your homeowner's insurance may or may not cover it. You may end up writing checks.

A real shop either has W-2 employees covered by their own workers' comp, or uses subs and requires proof of WC coverage. Ask for the certificate of insurance. A professional will send it over that day.

3. "What exact paint product and sheen are you quoting, and how many coats?"

"Sherwin-Williams" is not a product. It's a brand that sells 30 different exterior lines at 30 different price points, from $30 a gallon to $90 a gallon. The $30 product and the $90 product will not last the same amount of time.

The answer you want is specific: "Pittsburgh Paints Permanizer Exterior, satin sheen, two coats over all body, one coat touch-up on trim." If they can't give you that level of detail in writing, you have no idea what you're buying.

4. "What does your prep process actually look like?"

This is where the money is. On an exterior job, 50–70% of the labor is prep: pressure washing, scraping loose paint, sanding, caulking, masking, and repairing stucco cracks. Prep is what separates a 9-year paint job from a 2-year paint job.

A cheap quote is almost always a cheap quote because prep is getting skipped. Ask to see the prep scope in writing. If it says "prep as needed," that's marketing. Make them list it out.

5. "What's your warranty, and what does it actually cover?"

Most painters offer 1-year or 2-year warranties. Those are fine — they just mean the painter stands behind their prep work for long enough that you'll know if it was done right.

Our warranty is 9 years, labor and material. That means if the paint fails — peels, chips, cracks at the prep joints — we come back and redo it. Labor included. We can only do that because we do the prep right the first time.

When you ask about a warranty, ask two follow-ups: "What specifically is covered?" and "What voids it?" A real warranty is written, specific, and transferable if you sell the home. A fake warranty is a verbal promise and a handshake.

6. "Can I talk to 3 customers you painted for more than 5 years ago?"

Anyone can give you a reference from last month's job. The paint still looks perfect. What you want is a reference from 2019 or 2020. How does that paint look now? Did they ever come back for touch-ups? Did they honor the warranty?

Most painters can't answer this because most painters aren't around long enough. We've been in Phoenix since 2019 on the current brand, and our team has been painting the Valley for 25 years. Ask for the old references. If they can't produce them, ask why.

7. "What does your schedule actually look like, and who is my point of contact?"

A professional shop has a project manager, a start date, and a daily communication plan. You should know the name and phone of the person running your job. You should know when they show up each day and when they leave. You should get a text or call at the end of each day with status.

"We'll get started next week" and "I'll check in" is not a project management plan. That's how a 3-day job turns into a 9-day job with 4 callbacks.

The Short Version

Hiring a painter isn't about price. It's about risk. The lowest bid is almost always the highest risk — bad prep, unlicensed labor, no warranty, no accountability. Ask the seven questions. The right contractor will answer all of them in one conversation. The wrong one will dodge at least three.

Want to see how we answer all seven on your project? Request a free estimate or call (602) 888-1281. Bring a list. We'll walk you through every one of them.