Every decade or so, most homes need a new paint of coat. Painting your home helps protect it from the elements, keeps it looking good, and allows you to just enjoy it more. The thing is- painting a home by yourself can take a LONG time. Plus if you don’t live in a rancher, you’ll need tall ladders to reach the second or third stories. This leads many people towards hiring a professional, which brings its own challenges. They’ll need to do research into house painters, find one that’s actually affordable, set up a few interviews, etc.
Sounds like a hassle, right?
Well it doesn’t have to be. This article will help you decide the best company for the job- period. You’ll be able to sleep better at night in your nice, freshly- painted home.
1. Should You Do it Yourself or Hire a Pro?
Most people consider painting to be a fairly easy task. You dip a roller or brush into the paint, and then apply it evenly to walls. Simple, right? Well for the most part- yeah that’s all there is to it. Most people can paint their own home if they really want to. It’s a good way for them to save a few bucks, get outside, and take pride in their own work. But there’s a different side of the coin to consider, because hiring a professional has a few advantages.
Here are a few of the big ones to consider:
Time Savings
Even though you might save a few bucks by doing it yourself, don’t forget about all of those hours you’ll be spending on this project. If you’re all by yourself, it can take you a few weeks to paint the whole house! That’s working a few hours every day. Obviously it depends on how big your house is, but you’d be surprised how long it can take to properly paint a home in your spare time.
Safety
Painters are constantly standing on tall ladders. They have to climb on roofs, lean out windows, and often do some other crazy stuff to get the job done. Even though 90% of painting is relatively safe, it’s that last 10% that keeps mothers up at night. Why would you do this yourself when you can easily hire someone to do this stuff for you? Professional painters know what they’re doing- they do this every day. They know how to properly use a ladder and how to measure their level of fatigue. They won’t push their own limits because they realize what’s at stake.
Quality
It’s not rocket science to brush paint onto a wall…But can just anyone make paint look good? Even more importantly, do you know how to always make the paint look good, how to get those hard-to-reach places, and the most critical parts of your home to paint? Probably not because most people don’t. Professionals know that certain areas of the home, such as the small gaps under side paneling or above a door, are extremely important. If you don’t paint those critical areas, your home is more susceptible to mold, critters or other types of damage.
So a pro will not only help the paint look better, they’ll also protect your home better.
2. What You Need to do to Prepare for Professional Painting
Even though some professionals might do these things for you, remember that you’re primarily paying them to paint- not move stuff around and time is money! If you want to save a little, we recommend doing these things yourself- you get more “bang for the buck”.
Move Furniture
Your painters will probably cover up the furniture with plastic sheets, but you still need to make sure it’s not in their way. They don’t want to be stumbling around on your furniture- especially if they have a full paint bucket in their hand! If you can, move the furniture out of the room being painted. If you don’t have the available space, move it all to the center of the room. Oh yeah, and “Move Furniture” also includes wall hangings! Paintings, pictures, quotes, clocks, mirrors, and anything else that you have hanging on the wall. It isn’t exactly easy to paint a wall that’s covered in pictures and clocks, is it?
Remove Outlet Covers and Switch Plates
A lot of people forget about this little step. Even though it’s not really a big deal if most switch plates or outlet covers get paint on them it’s easier to just avoid it by removing them. Because these things are usually plastic, removing dried paint isn’t always easy. This step is especially important if you have pretty nice covers and switch plates. Most people have the cheap $1 ones from Home Depot, but you definitely don’t want to get paint all over your nicer, vintage ones.
Allocate at Least One Space as a “Staging Area”
Professional painters don’t just carry their gallon bucket with them everywhere. They set up shop in one or 2 areas that allows them plenty of space to store their ladders, plastic sheets, paint, etc. Even though painters will bring in all of their own stuff, you may want to make room for them to keep all of this stuff. This is especially important if you have a lot of belongings in your home, as this can lead to a lot of clutter (no offense, but you know who you are!)
3. Where to Start Looking for a Reputable House Painter
There are a few good places to look for a good professional painter. Let’s start with the most time-tested and proven method… friends and family.
Word-of-Mouth Referrals
Word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful form of marketing out there. If someone you know and trust recommends a service or product to you, you’re more likely to buy it. That’s all there is to it. So when you start looking for a good painter, ask your local friends and family if they’ve had their house painted recently. If they liked the painter and the quality, find out who it was.
Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to talk to a lot of people just to get a few referrals. Most people don’t have their home painted very common, so you should plan on asking neighbors, family, co-workers, friends at church, etc. The more people you ask, the better your chances of finding a good painter.Google / Bing/ Yahoo! /
The Phone Book / Other Search Engines
Search engines are the greatest research tools ever invented. They allow you to quickly find just about any information you want, from local contractors to cooking recipes. Simply type in “your town” painter into the search box and see what comes up. You’ll probably get a lot of results, along with a lot of advertisements on the top and sides. This method works well if you want to interview a lot of painters before making a decision. The downside is that you don’t know much about these companies. Another downside is that you might feel overwhelmed when you see the long list of companies to choose from!
Hiring a professional painter will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. The key is to make sure that you do your due diligence while researching different house painters. There will always be a balance of cost, schedule and quality, so consider which is the most important to you.
If you have any other questions or concerns about hiring a house painter, Signature Painting is here to help. Contact us today with your painting needs.