When hiring a painter and decorator for your home, you’ll want to learn about their training, any licenses or certifications they may have, the types of insurance they carry, and their past business reputation before you let them loose on your home.
What certifications must they need to work?
Although interior decorators and designers don’t always need certifications or licenses to work, they often show something about their education in the field. Of course, there are people who work as decorators who have simply developed a reputation among friends, family, and established clients for having a great sense of style, color, and style. However, many decorators seek training for a career in interior decorating for which they receive a certificate of completion.
Clients would do well to ask the decorator for information on training and previous work. They may want to see a portfolio of a decorator’s past work or request permission to visit past job sites to see how well the work was done and to learn from past clients how satisfactory they found the work.
Certified Interior Decorators International provides individual certifications and decorators with a professional membership. In Canada, they have something similar called the Canadian Decorators Association. These groups provide decorators with trade membership and a sort of government body for training certifications.
What is the difference between a designer and a decorator?
Decorators and designers are not interchangeable terms because interior designers often have some type of certification that demonstrates their expertise. You should keep in mind that decorators are limited in what they are allowed to do, so make sure they have the skills and training to do the job they are being considered for.
What to look for when hiring a painting contractor.
When you hire painters and decorators, you also need to make sure the painters are up to the task of doing the job. Most painting contractors will have started small with a simple one-man operation that may or may not specialize in interior or exterior painting work. Over time, a reputable painter can hire more workers and develop teams that also specialize. The main thing about a contractor is that he or she will likely be bonded and insured against damage and accidents. When you hire your painting contractor, ask about the bond and insurance. A good company will have both, because they want you to know that they care about doing a good job.
When hiring people to work for you, be careful with your trust and your money. You want to hire the best people to help make your house a home.