5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Painter in Park City

Park City is a unique market. The homes are high-value, the expectations are high, and there's no shortage of painting contractors willing to bid on jobs here. But the range in quality, professionalism, and results is enormous. We've repainted a lot of work done by other contractors, and the same issues come up again and again — issues that a few simple questions upfront would have revealed.

Whether you're considering hiring us or anyone else in the Park City, Deer Valley, or Summit County area, here are the five questions to ask every contractor before signing anything.

1. Are You Licensed and Insured in Utah?

A Utah painting contractor license requires passing a trade exam, carrying general liability insurance (minimum $500,000 for most residential work), and maintaining workers' compensation for employees. If a contractor can't show you a current Utah contractor license number and proof of insurance on request, walk away.

Why it matters: if an uninsured worker is injured on your property, you could be liable. If an uninsured contractor damages your home, you have no recourse beyond a lawsuit. In Park City's high-value home market, this is not a risk worth taking.

2. Who Actually Does the Work?

Some painting contractors are primarily salespeople. They bid the job, collect a deposit, and subcontract the actual work to a crew they may have never worked with before. Ask directly: "Will your own employees be doing this work, or do you use subcontractors?" A quality contractor has a consistent crew they've worked with for years. At Park City Paint Crew, Thomas Nutting is on every job. The person you talk to is the person running your project.

3. Can I See References from Comparable Jobs in Park City?

A contractor who's done great work on tract homes in the Salt Lake Valley may not have the experience to handle a 6,000-square-foot timber-frame home in Deer Valley. Ask for references from projects similar in scope and type to yours, specifically in Park City and Summit County. Mountain homes have unique challenges — high ceilings, complex rooflines, specialty finishes, cedar and log substrates — that require specific experience. And actually call the references.

4. What Products Are You Using and Why?

A knowledgeable contractor should be able to tell you exactly what products they're using — brand, product line, sheen level — and explain why those products are appropriate for the specific surfaces and conditions. In Park City's high-UV, high-altitude environment, product selection matters enormously for longevity. If a contractor says "whatever you want" or can't articulate why they're using a specific product, that's a red flag.

5. What Does Your Prep Process Look Like?

This is the question most homeowners forget, and it's arguably the most important one. Professional prep work — cleaning, scraping, sanding, caulking, priming — typically represents 60–70% of the total labor on a quality exterior paint job. It's also the easiest part to skip if a contractor is trying to cut costs. A low bid almost always means less prep. Ask specifically: "How do you handle existing peeling paint? What primer do you use on bare wood? How do you address caulking gaps?"

One More Thing

Get everything in writing before work starts. A professional painting contract should include specific products, number of coats, areas to be painted, what's excluded, timeline, payment schedule, and warranty terms. Verbal agreements have no place on a significant painting investment.

If you'd like to ask us any of these questions — or all of them — we welcome it. Call Thomas Nutting directly at 435-659-1101 or request a free estimate below.