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Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Painter in Jacksonville

While including painting in your home renovation checklist will help improve your home's curb appeal and speed up its sales in Jacksonville, it is best to leave your painting job to certified professionals. Note, that Jacksonville has the highest population of homes built before 1978 in Florida with lead-based paints. Painting such homes by yourself may expose you and your household to the risk of lead contamination. However, top painters in Jacksonville are well-equipped to deal with such hazards and help you complete your job effectively. Before you settle for a painter in the city, it is always in your best interest to ask the following questions to confirm the professional competency:

Are You Licensed to Practice as a Painter in Jacksonville?

Anyone who intends to perform general home improvement and construction work, including interior and exterior painting, must hold a general contractor license issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). While there are no specific licensing requirements for painters in Florida, it is an offense to carry out any form of home improvement, remodeling, or construction work anywhere in the state, including Jacksonville, without an appropriate contractor license.

Operating without a contractor license attracts a cease and desist order and a possible administrative fine of $5,000 for both the unlicensed professional and the resident who engages this professional. Therefore, you should always confirm whether the painter you intend to hire has obtained a license to do your work. You can confirm if your painter is licensed as a general contractor by utilizing the DBPR's licensee search tool.

There are currently two types of general contractor licenses issued by the DBPR. The two types of general contractor licenses issued by the DBPR are certified general contractor licenses and registered general contractor licenses. A certified general contractor license allows its holder to work in any jurisdiction in the state without an obligation to fulfill the competency requirements of that jurisdiction. On the other hand, a registered general contractor license limits its holder to work in the jurisdiction for which the license was issued.

To obtain a certified general contractor license, applicants must be no less than 18 years old and have passed a state-approved examination. Applicants must also have at least four years of experience, submit a personal credit report, and provide proof of insurance coverage. Likewise, to obtain a registered general contractor license, applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Furthermore, applicants are required to provide a certificate of competency from a local licensing authority where applicable, submit a personal credit report, and provide proof of insurance coverage. For more information concerning the requirements for obtaining a general contractor license in Florida, contact the DBPR's Customer Contact Center at (850) 487-1395.

In addition to a general contractor license, Jacksonville painters are required to obtain professional certifications to be eligible to perform specific painting jobs in the city. For example, painters who provide industrial services may need to be certified by reputable professional associations like the Association for Materials Protection and Performance.

Likewise, painters who intend to carry out painting in a home, childcare facility, or school that was built before 1978 must be certified per the requirements of the lead, renovation, repair, and painting rule. You can confirm your painter has certification by calling the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at (800) 424-5323.

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Other Painters in Jacksonville?

The hourly cost of hiring a painter in Jacksonville is often influenced by factors like the size of the area that will be painted, the complexity of the painting design, the type of tools that will be used to do the job, the type and quantity of paint required to complete the job, and the amount of time it will take to do the job. Considering the several factors that determine what a painter will charge to do your job, you should not expect each painter to charge the same price for a painting job. As such, it is always good to get estimates from different painters. This will ensure that you do not pay more than the average market price for the job.

A painter in Jacksonville earns an annual average wage of $36,640. The table below provides the hourly mean wage of painters in Jacksonville and compares this with the wages of painters in other parts of Florida and several other major cities in the United States:

Jacksonville Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$17.62
Florida Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$18.12
New York City Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$28.06
Chicago Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$29.15
Dallas Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$18.75
Seattle Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$24.24
Detroit Painters Mean Hourly Wage
$22.48
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Kind of Painting Services Do You Offer?

Homeowners and property owners can get a variety of painting services from professional painters in Jacksonville. Some of these services include interior and exterior painting services, wallpaper repair, plaster and drywall repair, power washing, staining, metal door painting, cabinet painting, and basement painting. These different painting services are broadly categorized into three groups: new work painting, repair, and maintenance painting. New work painting focuses on newly built structures, while maintenance painting focuses on repainting old structures or buildings.

Before you hire a painter near you, endeavor to find out if the painter is competent and qualified to do the job. For example, if your home was built before 1978, the painter must be certified by the EPA to protect you and your family from possible lead poisoning. In addition to ensuring that the painter you intend to hire is qualified, you should also confirm if they have the required tools to do the job, as most painting jobs require specialized equipment.

Having confirmed that the painter is competent and qualified to handle your project, you should also research the cost of the particular painting service you need. Listed below are cost estimates of common painting services in Jacksonville:

Exterior house painting or staining (per square foot)
$1 - $3.35
Interior house painting or staining (per square foot)
$1.10 - $2.63
Paint removal (per square foot)
$1 - $2.5
Faux painting (per square foot [for basic textures])
$2.99 - $6.55
Texture painting (per hour)
$28 - $50.00

Do You Carry the Necessary Insurance Policy for Painters in Jacksonville?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 1,600 work-related injuries among painters in 2020 alone. As a homeowner, you should always understand that work accidents may occur at any time during your painting job. As such, hiring a painter who is insured not only prepares you for unforeseen circumstances but also gives you peace of mind by making sure that you are not responsible for the financial burdens that may result from work accidents that occur during your work.

While Jacksonville painters are not required by law to maintain general liability insurance, painters who are licensed and working as general contractors are typically required to maintain general liability insurance per the requirements of the DBPR. When considering hiring a painter, confirming if the individual is insured is always good. You can do this by asking the painter to provide proof of insurance coverage containing their full name, address, the limit of the insurance policy, and the name and contact information of the insurance company responsible for the insurance policy. Lastly, you should always contact the insurance company to verify the painter's insurance coverage details.

How to File a Complaint Against a Bad Painter in Jacksonville

Before you hire anyone to carry out home improvement or construction work, including interior and exterior painting in your building or property, make sure that you evaluate the individual thoroughly. This will not only help you avoid incompetent contractors but also unscrupulous individuals who are looking for unsuspecting citizens to defraud.

It is estimated that home improvement and construction-work-related complaints are the second most reported consumer complaints in the country, and this is largely a result of the activities of fraudulent and dishonest contractors. This conclusion was reached after compiling consumer complaints that appeared most in the country's different state and local agencies, including agencies in Jacksonville. For example, a contractor was arrested for defrauding a homeowner for home repair fraud exceeding $1,000 in April 2021.

Further investigation of the matter revealed that several complaints have been registered against the contractor, including work not completed and clients receiving nothing in return for deposits made. These complaints were made on Better Business Bureau, of which the contractor was unaccredited. While you can not stop individuals from deciding to be fraudulent, you can always take proactive steps to ensure that you do not fall victim to unscrupulous individuals posing as painters. These steps include:

  • Always hire a painter near you and ensure that the individual has a physical business location.
  • Do not hire anyone because they showed up in front of your door to ask for the job.
  • Use third-party websites like Better Business Bureau to find out if complaints have been filed against the painter you want to hire
  • Always hire licensed and certified painters. You can confirm if your painter is licensed as a general contractor by utilizing the DBPR's licensee search tool. You can also confirm if the painter is certified to perform lead-safe services by calling the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at (800) 424-5323
  • Request at least three references and make sure it contains contact information of past clients that you can reach out to confirm the painter's competency and level of professionalism.
  • Get a written contract and ensure it contains details of the work, the total cost, and the due date for completion.
  • Do not make full payment until you have inspected the work to your satisfaction.
  • Avoid painters who insist on only cash payment.
  • Always keep records of relevant construction documents even after the work has been completed.

If you suspect a home improvement scam in Jacksonville, you can report it to the city's Office of Consumer Affairs online or by calling (904) 630 - 2489. However, reporting a home improvement scam incident to the city's Office of Consumer Affairs does not guarantee that you will be fully compensated for what you lost to the contractor. If you seek to recover your money from the contractor, you can consult your attorney and file a legal action against the contractor at the Duval County Courthouse.