Choosing a commercial painter is a procurement decision, not a coin flip on price. The cheapest bid usually costs more by the time the change orders land. This is a vetting checklist for facility and property managers in the Seattle area, the things to verify before you ever request a bid.
Verify the basics
These are non-negotiable. Skip them and you are exposed if something goes wrong:
- License. A current contractor’s license in good standing.
- Bonding. A contractor bond protects you if the work is not completed or paid out.
- General liability insurance. Covers property damage on your site.
- Workers comp. Covers their crew, so an injury on your property is not your liability.
- A safety program. Commercial sites carry real safety obligations. A contractor with a documented safety program is a different operation than one without.
Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts, every time, on every job.
Look at relevant experience
Residential and commercial painting are different disciplines. A great house painter may not know how to phase work around an occupied building or coat an industrial floor. Look for:
- Commercial track record, not just homes.
- Experience with your building type, office, retail, restaurant, HOA or multifamily, medical, or industrial.
- References you can actually call from comparable commercial projects.
- A project gallery showing the kind of work you need done.
If you run multifamily or community property, a contractor who also handles HOA and multifamily painting understands resident coordination, which is half the battle.
How they scope and price
This is the real differentiator. Two bids that look far apart on price are often not bidding the same work.
- A detailed written scope spells out surfaces, prep, coatings, coats, and exclusions. Vague bids hide gaps.
- Honest pricing up front means the number you sign is close to the number you pay.
- The change-order red flag. Underbidding to win the job, then recovering margin through change orders and overages, is the oldest trick in the trade. A low number with a thin scope is a warning, not a deal.
Comparing bids and not sure they match? We provide a detailed written scope so you can compare apples to apples, no surprise change orders. Call (206) 250-9193 or request a free estimate.
Scheduling around your operation
For a commercial space, the disruption usually costs more than the paint. A capable contractor protects your hours:
- After-hours and weekend work so your space is empty when crews are on site.
- Phased scheduling by zone so an occupied building keeps running through the project.
- A clear communication cadence so you always know what is happening and when.
- A single point of contact, a named superintendent or project manager, instead of a rotating cast.
Warranty and follow-up
A contractor who stands behind the work offers a workmanship warranty and follows up after completion. The warranty signals confidence in the prep and the finish, the parts you cannot see once the job is done. Ask what it covers and for how long.
The vetting checklist
Ask every bidder:
- Are you licensed, bonded, and insured? Can I see a certificate?
- Do you have a documented safety program?
- Can you share commercial references for my building type?
- What does your written scope include, and what is excluded?
- Can you work after hours or in phases to keep us operating?
- Who is my single point of contact?
- What does your workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?
The Pacific Northwest angle
Commercial exterior work in the Seattle area is weather-gated. A contractor who knows the regional dry-weather window and plans around it avoids stalled jobs and rain delays. Local references you can actually visit, plus familiarity with permit and HOA coordination, matter more than a national franchise name on a truck.
How Hedlund does it
We are built around the things this checklist asks for. As a licensed, bonded, and insured Seattle-area contractor, we carry the credentials a facility manager should verify, including Master Builders Association membership and a documented safety program. We work to a detailed written scope so there are no surprise change orders, schedule around your operation with a named superintendent and daily communication, and back every project with a 10-year workmanship warranty.
What our clients say
“Very happy with the interior painting at our office. With the office open 2 of the 3 days the workers were professional arrived on time and kept to the schedule we had agreed on.” Snohomish Auto Licensing, 5 stars (Google)
