There are a lot of painters in Dallas–Fort Worth, and most of them will give you a free quote. Choosing between them comes down to a handful of checks that take less time than the walkthrough itself. Here are five, roughly in the order you will run into them.
1. Ask for a written, itemized proposal
A number on the back of a business card, a text message, or a verbal figure from the driveway is not a proposal. What you want is a document that lists every surface being painted and every surface left out, the prep on each, the number of coats, the product line and sheen, who moves the furniture and protects the floors, how cleanup is handled, the schedule, the payment terms, and the warranty.
That level of detail is not fussiness. It is the only way two quotes can be compared, and it is what you will point to if the finished job does not match what was promised. If a painter is reluctant to write it down before you sign, assume they will be reluctant to honor it afterward.
2. Verify insurance, not a license
Texas does not issue a state license for painting contractors, so "licensed and insured" on a truck door tells you less than it seems to. The part that matters is the insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you directly by the contractor’s agent, with you named as the certificate holder, showing general liability and workers’ compensation. A fresh certificate in your name confirms the policy is active today; a photocopy of someone’s policy does not.
If the company uses subcontractors, ask whose insurance covers the people on the ladder. Subcontracting is not a problem by itself, but you should know who is accountable before anyone is on your roof.
3. Get the warranty in writing
Ask how long the warranty runs, what it covers, what voids it, and how you make a claim. Peeling, blistering, and flaking are the usual covered failures. A warranty that excludes nearly everything in fine print is a marketing line, not a promise. Ask too whether it transfers with the house if you sell, because that is when a warranty is most often tested.
Alliance Painting puts a Lifetime Interior Warranty and a 5-Year Exterior Guarantee in writing on every proposal, and both transfer to the next owner. Whatever the painter you are considering offers, ask to see it in the same form.
4. Ask for recent, local references
Online reviews are useful for pattern-spotting: how a company responds when something goes wrong says more than any single rating. But a short list of recent projects near you is better. Ask for the address of an exterior painted in the last year or two that you can drive past, and for a homeowner who is willing to take a call. Look at the cut lines along the trim, the caulk at the windows, and how the fascia has held up on the sunny side, not just the color.
Third-party certifications help here as well, because they are harder to manufacture than a testimonial. Alliance Painting holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, carries a 4.9-star average from more than 600 Google reviews, and has received GuildQuality’s Guildmaster Award for Service Excellence each year from 2023 through 2026, which is based on surveyed customer feedback rather than an application.
5. Understand the product and the process
Ask for the exact paint line the painter intends to use on each surface, not just the store it comes from. Every manufacturer sells several tiers, and the quote should say which one you are getting and how many coats. Then ask about the process: who will be your point of contact while the crew is in the house, how you reach them, what time the crew arrives and leaves, how the house is protected while they work, and what happens at the end of each day.
Alliance Painting runs its projects through a project manager and its Contaminate-Free Painting system, which keeps your home clean and protected while the crew works. Whoever you hire, the answers to those questions should be specific and should come without hesitation.
Questions to bring to the walkthrough
- Can you send me the proposal with every surface, the prep, the coats, and the product line listed?
- Can your agent send me a certificate of insurance with my name on it?
- What does the warranty cover, for how long, and does it transfer?
- Is there a recent project nearby I can look at?
- Who is my contact during the job, and what does a typical day look like?
- If my house was built before 1978, how do you handle the old paint?
A painter who answers all six clearly is worth a close look, whatever the number on the quote. One who dodges two of them is telling you how the job will go.
The same five checks apply whether you are hiring for Interior Painting or Exterior Painting in Dallas, Fort Worth or Arlington, and Alliance Painting offers a free in-home estimate anywhere in the metroplex.