Hiring GuidesHiring a house painter
How to evaluate painters, what belongs in a painting contract, and when hiring out beats doing it yourself.
By Elijah Canfield, Founder, Hire Best Pros · Updated August 26, 2026
Elijah Canfield is the founder of Hire Best Pros. He writes and edits the site's consumer guides, with a focus on how home service and moving projects are priced, scoped and compared.
Check insurance and any licensing your state requires, then judge the painter on the specificity of their estimate. A good painter tells you exactly what preparation they will do, what product they will use, how many coats, and what happens if they find damage. Get it in writing, agree a payment schedule tied to progress, and keep the final payment until the walkthrough is done.
Verify
- General liability insurance and workers compensation
- Any contractor licence or registration your state or city requires
- Lead safe certification for work on pre 1978 homes
- A business you can locate and contact after the job
What the estimate should say
- Exact surfaces included, room by room or elevation by elevation
- Preparation steps in detail
- Product name, line and sheen, plus the number of coats
- Protection, masking and cleanup responsibilities
- Start and finish window, and weather contingency for exterior work
- Payment schedule and warranty
Ready to compare painters?
Start a painting requestDoing it yourself versus hiring
A single interior room with sound walls is a reasonable homeowner project. Exterior work, high ceilings, stairwells, heavy repair work, spraying and anything requiring ladders or scaffolding is where hiring usually wins, because the risk and the finish quality both change sharply with height and preparation.
Before final payment
- Walk the job in daylight, looking along the wall rather than straight at it
- Check cut lines at ceilings, trim and switch plates
- Check that hardware, fixtures and landscaping were reinstated
- Confirm you have leftover paint labelled by room and the warranty in writing
Common questions
- Does Hire Best Pros vet painters?
- No. We connect you with professionals. Confirm insurance, licensing and references independently before you hire.
- How much deposit is normal?
- A modest deposit for materials is common. A large upfront payment before any work begins is worth questioning, and payments tied to progress protect both sides.