Bids that can be compared
The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management lists Waterbury in the Naugatuck Valley planning region and the Naugatuck Valley council of governments. Wherever a house sits, the hardest part of hiring a painter often isn't finding one; it's making sense of bids that describe the same job in different ways. One lists every surface, another gives a single line. One includes repairs, another says "extra as found." This page is about getting bids you can lay side by side.
Describe the job the same way to everyone
Before anyone visits, write down what you want done. Be specific:
- which rooms, or which sides of the exterior;
- which surfaces in each: ceilings, walls, trim, doors, windows, closets, railings;
- color changes, and roughly how dramatic;
- any known problems, like water stains, peeling, cracked plaster or soft wood;
- when you'd like the work done, and any deadline.
Give the same list to each painter. If one suggests something different, such as adding primer or leaving out a wall, ask for it as a separate option rather than letting it change the base bid.
What a comparable bid contains
Line items
The best bids break the work into parts: surfaces, prep, primer, finish coats, repairs. A one-line bid can be fine from someone you know, but it's hard to compare and hard to hold anyone to.
Products
Brand, product line, sheen and color for each surface. Products in different classes behave differently; a cheaper line may need more coats or wear sooner. Our paint sheens guide helps you read the sheen choices.
Allowances and exclusions
Some bids include an allowance for repairs, like a set number of hours or boards. Others exclude repairs entirely and price them later. Neither is wrong, but you need to know which you're getting. Look for exclusions such as moving furniture, removing fixtures, or painting closets.
Schedule
A start date, an estimate of how long the work will take, and how weather or delays are handled.
Change orders
Surprises happen: soft wood behind a gutter, cracks that open once old paint is scraped. A good bid explains how changes are handled. Ideally the painter stops, shows you, prices the extra work in writing, and waits for your approval. Ask how they handle it before you sign.
Deposits and payment
Ask how much is due at signing, what triggers each later payment, and what's held until the final walk-through. Payments tied to finished work protect both sides. Be cautious about paying most of the price before the work begins.
What Connecticut's consumer protection office says
According to Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection, home improvement contractor registration is required for work on residential property, and its list of home improvement includes painting; contracts under $200 are excluded. The card below links to the department's page. You can ask each painter about their registration as part of comparing bids.
Lead-safe work on older paint
EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule says anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If your house was built before 1978, look for how each bid describes containment and cleanup during scraping and sanding. Lead-safe work takes time, and bids that leave it out aren't describing the same job.
Reading the price gap
If one bid is much lower, look for what's missing:
- fewer coats, or no primer;
- less prep, described vaguely;
- surfaces left out, like ceilings or trim;
- repairs excluded;
- a cheaper product class.
If one bid is much higher, ask what it includes that the others don't. Sometimes it's more thorough prep that will make the job last longer. Our pricing guide explains the cost drivers, and our interior and exterior painting pages describe what proper prep looks like.
Before you sign
Get the final scope, products, schedule, payment terms and change-order process in writing, and keep a copy.