Hiring a painter sounds simple enough. A couple of quotes, a handshake, and you’re done. But anyone who’s dealt with peeling paint six months after a job or tried to chase up a tradie who’s since vanished knows it’s more complicated than that. In NSW, any residential painting work valued at over $5,000 requires the contractor to hold a licence through NSW Fair Trading. Miss that detail, and you can find yourself with no warranty, no legal recourse, and a job that doesn’t hold up.
George.Painting maintains a Contractor licence (331189C) with Service NSW, and we hold a $20 million public liability insurance policy for your peace of mind. We also provide building insurance where required. All of which is to say, we know what we’re talking about when we give you tips on the right questions to ask when you’re hiring a painter in New South Wales.
1. Are you licensed to do this work?
This is the first thing to ask, and a professional painter will have the answer ready without hesitation. In NSW, residential painting work over $5,000 requires a contractor licence issued by NSW Fair Trading, and it’s not optional or something you can waive by agreement. You can verify any licence for free at the NSW Fair Trading licence check. Just enter the painter’s name and confirm the licence is current and covers the right category of work.
Working with an unlicensed contractor above that threshold has real consequences:
- No access to the NSW Home Building Compensation Fund
- No statutory warranty protections
- Limited legal options if the work fails.
At George.Painting, the licence number is on the table from the start. As a third-generation business that’s been operating since 1972, having the right credentials is just part of how we operate.
2. Do you carry public liability insurance?
A contractor licence covers the right to do the work. Public liability insurance covers what happens if something goes wrong during it, like a ladder that takes out a fence panel. Without it, any claim for damages comes back to you as the property owner, because the contractor has nothing to draw on.
If the painter has employees on site, also ask about workers’ compensation. It’s a separate policy from public liability, and it covers crew members in the event of a workplace injury. Any legitimate operator will have these on file.
3. Can I have a written, itemised quote?
A verbal quote or a ballpark figure in a text message isn’t a quote. A proper written quote breaks out which surfaces are being painted, how many coats are included, what prep work is covered, the paint brand and sheen level specified, and any exclusions or assumptions the price is based on. Without that detail, you can’t compare quotes meaningfully. A lower number might just mean fewer coats or a cheaper product, and you have no document to refer to if a dispute arises about what was agreed.
George.Painting provides written quotes that detail exactly what’s covered to make sure there are no surprises halfway through the job.
4. How many coats are you quoting?
Single coat is a red flag. The industry standard for residential interior walls is two coats, and that number goes up for significant colour changes, fresh plaster, or feature walls with bold or dark tones. A painter cutting to one coat to sharpen a price is cutting the quality of the result at the same time.
When you ask, listen for a specific answer. “As many as it needs” isn’t one. George.Painting specifies the number of coats on every written quote. We don’t offer results that don’t hold up, and that’s not the kind of job we’re prepared to put our name to.
5. What brand and grade of paint are you using?
There’s a meaningful difference between trade-grade products and retail-grade alternatives in coverage, adhesion, durability and washability. A low quote can often reflect a lower-grade product. Recognised Australian trade brands include Dulux, Taubmans and Haymes. Within those brands, product lines vary, so it’s worth asking which line specifically is being used and what’s proposed for each surface. A painter who knows their products will explain the reasoning behind their recommendations rather than just naming a brand.
George.Painting is a Dulux Accredited painter, which means we’ve demonstrated competency in Dulux products and application techniques. It’s not something every painting business carries. For you, it means the right product is being matched to the right surface by someone who knows the system inside and out.
6. What does your prep process include?
Prep is where quality painting is won or lost, and it’s where cheap operators save the most time. Good prep covers filling and sanding cracks and holes, treating mould or mildew, cleaning surfaces of dirt and grease, priming bare timber or repaired areas, and protecting floors and fixtures with drop sheets before any paint goes on.
For Newcastle and Lake Macquarie homes near the coast, salt residue on exterior surfaces interferes with your new paint if it’s not properly washed off before work begins. It’s something a local painter knows how to deal with, and here at George.Painting, we treat prep as part of the job, not a box to tick before the real work starts. You can see it in how our finishes hold up over time, even under harsh UV and coastal conditions.
7. Can you provide references or examples of recent work?
An established painter with a track record in your area should be able to point you to recent work, past clients willing to take a call, or a gallery of completed projects. Online reviews are also a fair starting point. Just make sure you read what people actually say about prep quality, communication and how the job was managed, not just the star count.
Local experience makes a big difference. A painter who’s worked extensively in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie will know the building styles, surface conditions and coastal factors that affect how a job needs to be specified. Our project gallery is a good place to start, and you can see plenty of jobs we’ve completed across our community.
8. What’s the warranty on your workmanship?
A workmanship warranty is a painter putting their confidence in the result in writing. Ask what’s covered, for how long, and what the process is if something fails within the period. A warranty is only as good as the business behind it, which is worth keeping in mind when comparing a multi-decade local operator to someone who registered a trading name six months ago.
We back our work with a five-year workmanship warranty, which is only possible because we’re careful about prep, product selection and the number of coats from the start.
The Right Painter Won’t Dodge Any of These Questions
A professional painter with the right licence, the right insurance and a track record of quality work will have answers to all eight of these questions before you’ve finished asking. In fact, most should come up in the quote process without you needing to prompt at all.
If you’re in Newcastle or Lake Macquarie and want a quote from a team that ticks every box, our team is ready to help. Reach out for a quote today.
