Looking for a painter but have no idea where to find one.

 

There are lots of online find-a-tradie service providers you can head to.  It's hard to know for sure which one is right for your project?  PaintAccess has done all the hard work for you. 

 

Here’s our run down of how these websites and services work and the kind of service to expect from them, so you can get the best painter to suit your needs.

 

Airtasker.com

Airtasker is an online and mobile marketplace that allows people and businesses to outsource common tasks to people in the local community.

It's FREE to post a task - there are no obligations or additional fees.  The person requiring the painting project posts the task with the dollar amount they are willing to pay. 

 

The people interested in doing the task send a reply with why they are the best person for the job and the poster assigns the painting project to the person they think will do the best job. 

 

You can see Airtaskers reviews for previous jobs they have undertaken. When you pay for the job, the money is held in escrow by Airtasker and funds released to the person doing the task when completed.  They have a customer service department to dispute work not being completed properly.

 

Jessybeats from Melbourne sums it up Airtasker perfectly - ‘It's for those jobs that you'd like to ask your dad to do - if you had one living nearby’ 

 

All taskers will have had their personal identification verified by Airtasker, but not all will be qualified, registered or insured. Workers with the Airtasker PRO badge have passed a higher level of verification, which includes an interview with an Airtasker community manager and a check of their personal ID, insurances and ABN.

 

Airtasker has public liability insurance of up to $20 million for third party property damage or personal injury claims, but this excludes services provided by security guards, child minders, builders, excavators, transporting/taxi services, driving instructors and currency conversion/money lending.

 

Our recommendation

Use for easy, painting projects or a painting project requiring a quick turn-around.  Post a detailed description of your project and specify if the project cost includes paint/tools/equipment.  Vet each tasker, ask to see previous painting work, and have them specify how they will be completing the painting project. 

 

What others have said about Airtasker on ProductReview:

‘I found the platform very easy to use, like the fact there are no cash transactions, the guys that accepted the job were awesome and releasing payment was very easy, well done Airtasker.’ Fran, Sydney NSW

 

‘Airtasker does not allow people wanting work done on the house or in their yards to get a quote before assigning the task to a tradesperson. This is a massive issue because to get an exact quote tradies usually need to come to the property first to inspect the yard or house. It is not always possible to give enough info or photos via the app…’ Achie, East Queensland QLD

 

‘I listed my first project on airtasker, a painter. The job was completed and the next day, all the putty just peeled off. I tried to contact airtasker to see where I stand but was unable to contact them. I would not recommend this app, far better & more reliable to search for a tradie. I’m $500 out of pocket and totally back at square one again. Waste of money, waste of time.’ Cody, South East Queensland QLD

 

  Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 674, as at July 2019

 

Gumtree.com.au

Free to post a painting project, but like Airtasker, you do not know if the painter has experience, nor the quality of the equipment/tools to complete the job.  There are no reviews to read to see the quality of the work and the lack of support if the project goes wrong.  Payment is arranged between the painter and yourself.

 

Our recommendation

Simple discretion and fair judgement will work here.  Do plenty of checks before engaging anyone in the project.  Ask to see licenses, insurances, references, or photos of previous projects.  Visit previous clients projects to see the quality of their work.

 

Be specific about the job details to minimise miscommunication and get a copy of the detailed quote in case you need to go back to them.  We recommend you project manage the job closely.

 

Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 16, as at July 2019

 

ServiceSeeking.com.au

This website is a tradie heaven – they claim to have over 13,000 painters listed.  Simply post your project (free of charge) and you will receive quotes from painters for your job. 

 

You are also able to search painting companies and painters listed on the website with their reviews and request a quote directly from the businesses you like.  They use filters such as number of reviews, highest rating, and pro businesses to narrow your field.

 

All businesses listed on the website have had their identity checked, ensured their ABN is valid and have completed an online declaration that they are licensed to do the work they are quoting on.  To maintain integrity for their service, ServiceSeeking has introduced a "two complaints and you're out" policy.

 Businesses marked 'Certified' have completed a free online training course which teaches them how to quote, follow up and respond to customer needs.

 

ServiceSeeking does not offer public liability insurance to its users. You will need to check that the business you are hiring has the appropriate insurance.

 

Our recommendation

It is easy to find painters and you can ask them to contact you directly or provide a quote, depending on what stage you are at on your project. 

 

Complete due diligence and further checks before engaging on a company for your painting project.

 

What others have said about Serviceseeking on ProductReview:

‘Posted a job for painting our apartment and received quotes within minutes. All contractors were very professional and polite. We chose Jafar from Planet Painting who did an amazing job at a reasonable price. Will definitely use Service Seeking again for other jobs around the house.’ Anup, Sydney NSW

 

‘Posted a quote request to re-surface bath tub and tiles, which means painting, not tiling. Got contacted by about 16-17 tradies. Most of them were tilers that do not offer re-surfacing. Some asked me for details and never got back to me with price. Only got one proper quote out of this.’

 

‘No options to choose method of contact: got SMS, emails, messages via website and some calls all at the same time. Had to spend time filtering out the doubled up ones.’ SydRuss, Sydney NSW

 

Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 2340, as at July 2019

 

Oneflare.com.au

Very similar to Service Seeking, offering many painters.  Post your project online (almost 9k projects are posted every week) and up to three quotes will be sent to you with a link to the business profile within 24 hours. 

 

If you want to look at the painters and painting companies listed on oneflare before posting your project, scroll to the bottom of the web page and select painters as the category.

 

When you receive quotes from painters, some may have a Verified Badge – a business with a logo, description, ABN and valid Public Liability Insurance. 

 

If you chose a painter with a Home Care Guarantee Badge you will get up to $500 cover on your project for any negligence or damage.  Other insurances will need to be provided by the painter/business.

 

Each business listing pays to receive projects to quote on, so they are super keen for the business.

 

Our recommendation

It is easy to get quick quotes for your project.  Loved the quoting tool at the bottom of the page so you can get an estimate of how much a project would cost before you start.

 

What others have said about oneflare on ProductReview:

‘Very happy with quick response and great workers. Know where to look if I need any work done.  I had responses from two other painters on the same day but chose the first -Marc Speakes and glad I did.’ Sol W, Perth WA

 

‘I find Oneflare to be an excellent site to put up jobs and receive quotes within the hour sometimes sooner. There are some jobs that I haven't received quotes on yet but I find if repost I will get a quote.’  Bak, Greater Melbourne VIC

 

 Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 1394, as at July 2019

 

TRUELOCAL.com.au

Just as the name says, this website helps you find a local painter.  It is easy to see all details about the company, complete with phone numbers, addresses, lists of services offered and links to website if they have one.  Listings can also provide photos of projects so you can see the quality of their work.  Painters and painting companies can list for free or pay extra for sponsored or boosted listings offering more features.

 

Customers can post reviews about a business on TrueLocal.  TrueLocal claim they check and authenticate each review by the team to stop owners from entering their own rogue reviews.

 

Our recommendation

A good source of local only painters and painting companies.  You will need to spend time researching the painters listed, then wait for each one of them to get back to you.  As always, complete due diligence and further checks before engaging on a company for your painting project.

 

 Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 1140, as at July 2019

 

Hipages.com.au

A popular website to find qualified tradesman.  Post your project on the website and you will receive 3 quotes – so you aren’t being inundated with quotes.  Each tradesman/ company pay a fee to list on the site and can pay more to receive more leads.  However, hipages do charge more than other find-a-tradie websites to list, so this may be reflected in higher quotes. 

 

Payment can be made directly to the painter or you can use the payment platform on the hipages app.  Customers can post reviews of their experiences but after some research, customers to the site have noted that there are no bad reviews posted.  However, hipages claim that a business with too many complaints are contacted by the Trust & Quality team for mediation.

 

Hipages review and check the qualifications of all listings registered.  They do not offer insurance for jobs.

 

Our recommendation

Be specific about all aspects of your project, set your expectations, get detailed quotes including whether the paint/equipment is included in the price, ask for references, or photos of previous projects.

 

What others have said about hipages on ProductReview:

‘Painter quick to respond. Gave a Good quote. Came very quickly. The Job was Well done and I am entirely satisfied. Only a small area to paint but done professionally.’ Mehdi Mohammat, Sydney Surrounds NSW

 

‘Ilya Glikman has just finished painting our apartment. It was looking tired and run-down but now glows with a sparkling freshness. His painters, especially Alex, were both professional and easy to have in my house.’ Pam Menzies

 

‘Keegan and team at Ultimate painting Co have done great work on repainting our place in Ballan.  Their work is very neat and the finish is nice beyond our expectations.  In addition they were time efficient, competitively priced, friendly, professional and reliable.’ Brett Adams

 

 Australian rank on similiarweb.com is 1170, as at July 2019

 

What’s the key takeaway of find-a-tradie websites?

When using any find-a-tradie website, PaintAccess recommends you complete your due diligence, regardless of the size of your painting project. 

 

Take the time to research and check licenses and references carefully.

 

Provide detailed project descriptions to the business, outlining exactly what the project entails and your expectations for the painter.  Show them photos of the project if applicable, as this will help explain the job especially when discussing over the phone, texting or email.

 

Be wary of a painter that pressures you in accepting his quote.

 

Don’t pay up front, make small progress payments but leave enough at the end to finalise the job.

 

 

What advice do you have for others looking for a painter?  We'd love to hear form you.  Leave your suggestion in the comment section below.

 

Decided to complete your painting project yourself?  Check out our great range of painting accessories online – we have everything you need to make the task easy!