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Painting a house may seem simple or rolling on one or two coats of paint. However, a good painting project requires prep work, skill, and experience.
This post will help you determine when to paint your house yourself or hire a pro. You can learn when to employ the services of home painting professionals and DIY considerations for interior painting projects.
There's also a concluding highlight of the factors that affect house painting costs and considerations when choosing paint types and paint colors.
Pros and Cons of Painting Yourself
The pros of painting yourself include saving costs and painting at your own pace. However, the cons of painting yourself can make you reconsider. First, the quality of the paint job may not match that of professional painters.
Second, you have to sacrifice enough time and effort to finish the job. You may end up losing out as you could have spent that time on money-making activities.
When to Hire a Pro for Your Painting Job
Here are some occasions and reasons to consider hiring a pro when the time comes to paint your house.
High ceiling
- You may not be able to comfortably reach certain areas, even with a stepladder.
- You may make messy mistakes while reaching for your canvas.
- Hiring a professional painter is best if your ceiling has water damage.
Specialty finishes
- Experienced painting professionals can better apply specialty paints and high glosses.
- You may not be able to apply high-shine products without leaving marks.
Damaged walls
If your walls have dings, nicks, and even holes, you should hire a professional.
Stripping old paint
- One reason for stripping old paint off walls is if they are covered in lead-based paints. You should bring in the pros to avoid lead poisoning due to sanding or scraping.
- Ordinarily, you may want to remove age-old layers of paint. This needs adequate prep work, such as sanding and scraping, which is better done by the pros.
When to Do DIY Painting Projects
- Simple color changes for walls in good condition.
- Painting up small spots.
- Suppose you have the right tools. Remember to make sure that they are of good quality. This will help ensure good results.
Should You DIY or Hire a Pro for Exterior Paint Jobs?
You may be tempted to paint your home's exterior yourself. However, there are essential benefits of hiring a professional painting company for exterior house painting rather than doing the job yourself.
When to hire exterior home painting professionals
- Painting your home's exterior can take quite some time and effort. You wouldn't want to misjudge the scope of the project. You may have a large area or more than one story to paint.
- Paint experts can do a quick and quality paint job.
- In addition, exterior house painting professionals have the experience to know the correct type of paint and equipment to complete the job quickly.
- Meanwhile, you may not have the needed materials to do the job. This includes ladders, sprayers, and scaffolding. This is a budget item that you should consider.
- It may not be straightforward to paint your house exterior without intrusive landscaping, such as invasive trees and shrubs. A professional painter can help resolve these obstructions.
- Moreover, paint experts know how to use their equipment to protect landscaping and plants.
- Furthermore, professional painters will likely have insurance coverage for possible accidents and injuries. It can be wise to secure your safety as you paint your house.
- You may also want to consider the stress of researching the best tools, buying them, and hauling them to your home. Ultimately, it is even possible you may not need the equipment afterward.
- There are safety concerns to think about too. You should consider elements such as the presence of water leaks and dangerous angles.
When to perform exterior home painting yourself
You may have some experience painting a home's exterior. If this is the case, you may wish to save some money and do a DIY paint job.
- This is because you will likely be familiar with the amount of time, surface preparation work, and what it takes to avoid a bad exterior paint job.
- Similarly, you may also have enough time to give to the painting project.
- Painting your house yourself can make sense if you own the necessary tools. This includes ladders, scaffolding, and paint sprayer. You'll be better able to stay within your budget in this instance.
DIY Considerations for Interior Painting Projects
As you consider painting your home interior, you can either do the painting yourself or hire a professional painter. You may do your home interior painting job yourself since it requires less equipment. However, you should focus more on getting the best results.
Your home interior painting job may require some prep work you may not have the patience for.
A professional painting company can competently clean your walls and fill in cracks before painting. They even have the right tools to perform power washing. You may not also be experienced enough in choosing the best colors for different regions of your home.
Factors that Affect House Painting Costs
Whether doing a DIY painting project or hiring a painting professional, you need to consider the following factors affecting the costs of painting your home.
Size of building
If you need more than one level or story of your home painted, you will incur additional costs. After all, the labor fees must include the cost of transporting materials across levels.
Type and quality of paint
You also need to consider that higher-quality paints can increase the overall cost of the paint job. After all, glossy paints tend to cost more than matte paints. Likewise, basic paints cost more than designer paints.
Equipment and materials
New equipment and supplies must most likely be purchased for every painting job. This is different from mainstay equipment such as ladders and sprayers.
Custom painting services
You may decide to avoid the stress of moving your furniture yourself. In that case, a painting company can help you move the furniture out of the room or to the center of the room.
Other custom services that may increase painting costs include the following:
- Wall repairs
- Drywall repairs
- Wallpaper removal
Tips on Choosing Paint Types and Paint Colors
Doing a professional paint job certainly goes beyond adding a fresh coat of paint. You need to have an eye out for the overall perception of the home. You must also choose the best paint colors for your home style and space.
This is where expert painters with enough painting experience come in. They can advise you on what glossy paint to use and the comparative benefits of glossy paints over matte or satin paints. Likewise, they can tell you the difference between basic paints with synthetic coloring and designer (high-end paints) with natural coloring.
Get Help from a Professional Painting Company
DIY painting is okay if you have enough experience and the right equipment. However, you can simply call on a professional painting company. They have experienced painting teams to handle different kinds of painting projects.
Additionally, professional painting teams have extensive experience working with different materials, textures, and finishes. Therefore, they're able to provide valuable guidance and insights on color selection, finish options, and design considerations, helping clients achieve their desired aesthetic goals.