When hiring a painter and decorator for your home, you’ll want to find out about their training, any licenses or certifications they may have, what types of insurance they have, and their past business reputations before you let them loose on your home.
What certifications should 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 keen sense of style, color, and flair. Many decorators, however, 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 about training and previous work. They may want to ask to see a portfolio of a decorator’s past work or request permission to visit past job sites to see how well the job was done and learn from past clients how satisfying 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 a business 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 be aware that decorators are limited in what they are allowed to do, so make sure they have the skills and training to do the job for which they are being considered.
What to look for when hiring a painting contractor.
When you hire painters and decorators, you also need to make sure that the painters are up to the task of getting the job done. Most painting contractors will have started small with a simple one man operation who may or may not specialize in interior or exterior painting jobs. Over time, a reputable painter can hire more workers and develop teams that specialize as well. The main thing about a contractor is that he or she will likely be bound and insured against damage and accident. 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 you hire 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.