Wondering whether or not you should hire professional painting contractors or thinking you can save some money and do it yourself? Being in the painting business we have seen many homeowners attempt projects that went sideways. Most homeowners can do some basic painting projects themselves without many problems but beware that mistakes can be hard and expensive to fix after the fact.
10 Reasons to Hire Professional Painters
Here are some reasons to leave your painting to the pros and not do it yourself.
- Professional painters work with many different paint products and can help guide you to the best paints for your project. Using the wrong paint brand or product can be a huge mistake and can turn out to look really bad.
- Having a professional purchase your paint can save you money on the products as they will typically get a much better price than a homeowner.
- Every paint has its own application tricks that professional painters will understand and homeowners will not. Painting cabinets and millwork can be very difficult if you do not know what you are doing. How you apply the paint can make a huge difference in the final result.
- Many homeowners will not mask off the work areas properly and will make messes with the paint which can cost a lot of money to clean up. The products we use to mask off your home are very expensive and most homeowners don’t use the right products for masking.
- Professional painters can help give advice on what sheens you should use on each surface to fit your lifestyle. Using the right sheens of paint can make a huge difference in how well your paint holds up over time.
- Some painting companies offer color consultations to help you choose the perfect paint for your home. The choices can be overwhelming if you go into a paint store to pick out colors.
- A quality painting company can make the job go much faster than a typical homeowner. We see homeowners take on projects that end up taking them way longer than they expected or never finishing them at all.
- Many painting projects are very dangerous if ladders or getting on your roof is involved. Professional painters do this work every day and know how to be safe and avoid injuries.
- The prep work is the hardest part of most painting projects. We see homeowners that do not do all the correct prep which can cause paint to have problems very quickly.
- Hiring a professional painting contractor will give you peace of mind that your job will get done the right way and not need to be fixed later. You will also have more of your valuable time to spend with family and friends.
DIY Vs. Professional House Painters
When it comes to painting, experience and training are key. If you’re still considering going the DIY route here are some common mistakes to avoid.
5 Common DIY Painting Mistakes
- Not prepping the surfaces correctly before applying paint is a huge mistake homeowners will make. Paint can peel right off if the surface is not prepped the right way.
- Homeowners tend to make messes that are hard to clean up. We have seen paint all over carpets, flooring, driveways, roofs, and other surfaces. In many cases, it is impossible to clean up and will hurt the value of your property. Make sure you have tarps, masking paper, and or plastic and the right types of tape for your project before starting.
- Using the wrong paints is a huge problem for homeowners as they don’t know what works and what does not.
- Applying the paint with the wrong application can cause many imperfections in how the paint dries. This is another difficult thing to fix without a lot of extra work.
- Many homeowners will paint over an oil paint with a latex paint which can cause the new paint to not have good adhesion.
What to Look For When Hiring a Painting Professional
When looking for a professional painter there are a few important items to keep in mind. Make sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured to protect yourself. Look online to see how long they have been in business and what customers are saying about them. Google reviews are a great source of information. Ask them if they have employees that do the work or if they subcontract the work. You may get a completely different company doing your work if they use subcontractors. Make sure they are easy to get in touch with on the phone or by email if you have questions. Getting the best price can be important for many homeowners but getting a reliable company that does quality work should be the number one concern. A bad painting company can cause just as much damage as a homeowner’s DIY project so beware.
Important Skills for Professional Interior Painters
One of the key skills for a professional interior painter is to learn how to work around your belongings without doing any damage. This is a combination of masking off properly and knowing what should be moved to keep it protected. We have seen beautiful floors get destroyed by a careless painter.
Important Skills for Professional Exterior Painters
Exterior painting takes a high level of prep work to get the surfaces ready for paint. This includes pressure washing, scraping/sanding loose paint, caulking gaps, and priming some surfaces. A good painting contractor will also apply two coats of paint which can make a big difference in the longevity of your paint job.
30+ Years of Experience in Portland, Oregon
At Absolute Painting, we work closely with homeowners to guide them through all the steps to do a paint job the right way or we make it easy if they want help. We have over 30 years of experience and strive to exceed all of our customer’s expectations.
