How to choose a painting contractor in Atlanta without getting burned

CRBy Conrad Redmond, Painting Guides Editor. Updated September 2026

What a written quote should list

A quote you can hold a painter to names the work, not just the price. At a minimum it should list:

• Every surface in scope: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, siding, soffits, shutters.
• The prep on each: washing, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking, priming.
• Carpentry as its own line: rotted trim, sills or siding to replace.
• Product names and sheens, not just a brand.
• The number of coats.
• Who moves furniture, and how floors, plants and cars are protected.
• The start window and how weather delays are handled.

Questions worth asking

A few questions separate careful painters from quick ones. How will the siding be applied, sprayed only or sprayed and back-brushed? How long will the house dry after washing? What happens if the crew finds rot? Who is the contact on site each day? How are touch-ups handled at the end?

On older homes, ask how lead-safe work will be handled. Our guide to painting a pre-1978 home explains what the answer should include.

Licensing and insurance

Ask what licensing, if any, applies to the work being quoted, and ask for proof of insurance. Homeowners should confirm both before work begins, whoever the contractor is. For pre-1978 homes, lead-safe firm certification is a separate requirement for covered work.

Checking these takes a few minutes and protects you if something goes wrong on your property.

Red flags

Some signs predict problems before any work starts:

• A one-line price with no scope, products or coat count.
• No mention of washing, or painting the same day as washing.
• Promises to paint over soft or swollen wood.
• Pressure to sign the same day for a special price.
• A schedule that ignores weather, especially mid-summer or after rain.

Scheduling and communication

Ask how the job will be scheduled and who you will talk to. A good painter gives you a start window, explains how weather delays are handled on exterior work, and names one person you can call during the job. On interiors, ask which rooms will be out of use each day and how the house is left at night.

Ask how color decisions are handled, too. Sample patches on the actual wall, in your light, prevent most color regrets, and they should happen before the crew is scheduled rather than on the first morning.

At the end of the job

The last day should include a walk-through with you, in daylight, where anything you point at gets touched up before the final invoice. Leftover paint should be labeled with the room or surface and the color, so future touch-ups match. Furniture, outlet covers, shutters and hardware should be back where they started.

Comparing two quotes fairly

Lay the quotes side by side and line up the surfaces, prep, products and coats. If one includes rot repair and a second coat and the other does not, the difference in price is the difference in work. Our cost guides for exterior and interior painting give published Atlanta ranges to check both against.

The cheapest quote is often the one that will need repainting soonest. The right one is the quote that explains exactly what will be done to your house.

Questions readers ask