Should I hire a professional painter?
A question many homeowners ask themselves is whether they should tackle their next painting project themselves or whether to hire a professional. And it makes sense – unlike a lot of other remodeling projects, painting is something that a lot of people may have done before or would like to try themselves. It’s creative and can be a fun opportunity for some DIY! On the flip side, painting can also be a lot more involved and tedious then it seems. Here are some things to consider:
A high-quality, lasting paint job is at least 70% prep work. The vast majority of painting work happens before any color hits the wall! If you’ve ever painted a room and wondered why it didn’t look as great as you’d hoped, it was probably because the walls needed some more attention before painting them. Holes, bumps, cracks, nail pops, and any imperfections need to be identified and repaired, which involves spackling and sanding them till smooth. In some cases, you will need to prime before painting. It helps to have an eye for identifying imperfections and repairing them can be tedious work, but it is well worth all the time and effort! The prep work, or lack thereof, truly makes or breaks the paint job. If you feel ready to tackle the prep work that is needed for a great paint job, then go for it! Otherwise, you may want to hire someone.
Paint can get messy! If you’re not used to working with paint day in and day out, paint can splatter and drip where you don’t want it, especially when painting ceilings! A professional is going to be skilled enough that any splattering will be minimal to non-existent. And they add in an extra layer of protection – drop cloths on your floors and plastic protection on appliances, built-ins, and furniture to keep the job neat! If you’re planning on replacing the floors anyway or this is a new house and you have not moved in furniture yet, this can be less of a concern!
Do you want the paint job to be perfect? The most nerve-wracking part of painting for many people is painting along with an edge that doesn’t need paint – i.e. along trim, windows and at the top of the wall along the ceiling. It is easy to accidentally get paint on these surfaces. Professional painters practice a technique called “cutting in” – using a brush to paint a perfectly straight line along the edge for a clean, crisp paint job. Ask any painter, this is probably the technique that took them the longest to master and it’s where beginners usually run into trouble. Alternatively, you can line all of the edges in a room with painters tape, this requires some more work on the front end to get it all set up. Painting the trim can be difficult as well – this requires brush work and you need to be careful to not get the paint on the walls. How comfortable you feel with these aspects of painting and how nice you want the job to be will influence your decision.
Do you need help selecting the type and color of paint you want to use? If you’re not sure what type of paint to use, what sheen you want, or what color to choose, a good painter is going to be able to make recommendations to you on all of these things. For example, do you have 3 young children, 2 dogs, and a cat? In that case, they can recommend a paint that is going to be the most durable and most cleanable! A professional will also be able to help with color selections or will have an in-house color consultant who will work with you on selecting all of the colors for your home.
Heights can be tricky. Do you have tall ceilings? A two-story foyer or great room? In cases like these, a lot of work needs to be done using ladders and scaffolding, which you will need to buy or rent. Painting on this equipment adds an extra level of intricacy and can be dangerous unless you are experienced and trained to do so. In these cases, it’s usually best to hire a pro – make sure any painter you hire carries both liability insurance as well as a workman’s compensation policy!
Time vs. Money. If you want your home painted, you are going to end up paying with either time or money! The main cost for professional painters is labor, so you can save money if you choose to DIY. However, you will need to spend a lot more of your time on the painting project instead and may not get the results that you could expect if you had hired a pro.
Any other thoughts or questions about hiring a professional or questions about DIY painting? We’re always happy to chat! Get in touch today – we are here to help!
You can expect thoroughly prepped walls to look something like this! Patches all over is a good sign. This prep work is KEY to a beautiful paint job.