Driving through Newton as I do each Wednesday morning around 8:30 can occasionally feel like navigating a boogie board through a sea of white vans, some well-appointed, others not: it's not unusual for my merge onto Route 9 to be subject to several residential painters, a contractor or two, a plumber, an electrician, and the like.  All vans, all right lane drivers.  And me in my little Toyota, waiting...

For the self-starter interested in hiring a house painter of any stripe, I imagine the decision process might feel similarly intimidating.  So many outfits, so many advertisements, so many prices.

Immodestly, we'll point to our testimonials as bona fides for our service; to the greater point, we're of the opinion that a testimonial from a trusted corner is worth its weight in gold, and solicitation of such is a far better first step for the self-starter than a trip through Google, Big Yellow, or the like.

Ask a friend, ask a neighbor, ask a colleague: who have you used, would you use them again, and why?  The converse is worth asking as well: who won't you consider again, and why not?