House Painting: To Do-It-Yourself or Call the Pros
Lack of technical prowess can be compounded by overlooking a pivotal step to home painting.
In the world of Pinterest and the DIY Network, more people feel empowered to complete home renovations and updates, the jobs once only professionals tackled. From rebuilding furniture to interior and exterior house painting, online sources and tv shows can make “doing it yourself” seem like the cheapest and most rewarding solution to home repairs. But is it that easy to make a home look new again?
When deciding whether to hire a professional house painter for interior or exterior painting needs, there are many factors to consider.
Ability
Homeowners should assess their technical abilities. At a glance, house painting may seem easy, but technical expertise cannot be learned by watching a video. Professional home painters are trained to identify potential problems and implement proactive solutions that save time and money. Some conditions that may require expertise include high ceilings, walls in rough conditions from everyday wear and tear, and lead paint that may exist in houses over 30 years old. Any of these are easy for professionals to handle but are sure to be headaches for the average homeowner.
Preparation
Lack of technical prowess can be compounded by overlooking a pivotal step to home painting: prep work. Preparation is a vital step of painting that is often overlooked. The average painting project includes preparatory steps that can be quite time-consuming for rookie painters, including:
Thoroughly cleaning the painting area. This process involves extensive power washing, scrubbing, scraping, and mildew removal.
Addressing surface flaws. Both outside and in, painted surfaces are subject to damage over time. To correct the imperfections, they must be sanded smooth, the caulking removed and replaced, window frames repaired and re-puttied, and the surface primed.
Underestimating the time involved in preparing a house for interior or exterior painting can result in realized time lost with family and friends. Fights between spouses and the extended disruption to the household is enough to reconsider taking on a painting project.
Protecting property and possessions
Not only can painting contractors account for each aspect of challenging jobs and preparation of home painting, but they will also ensure that the rest of the house remains protected. For example, professional home painters know how to safeguard flooring, baseboards, trim, and furniture.
Cost
Aside from satisfying the craving for creative self-sufficiency, the real reason most decide to take the DIY route is to save money. So, is it cheaper? In the end, probably not. In addition to the considerable time commitment homeowners face doing the work, they must invest in tools and equipment. A high-pressure power washer, drop cloths, rollers, caulking, and tape are just some of the basic items needed to begin the painting project. And there is another catch—once the homeowner has invested their hard-earned money in these tools, there is no guarantee that the project will turn out well, and there is no safety net if it doesn’t.
A do-it-yourself painting project can be fun, rewarding, and occasionally even successful, but hiring quality professional house painters will give homeowners the security they need. Call professional house painters for an estimate and weigh the options. Ultimately, most homeowners will find that hiring professional painting contractors will save time, money, and stress, freeing up time to enjoy life to its fullest.
Eagle Home Renovation is a family-owned general contracting business offering 20 years of experience in residential home remodeling. We remodel kitchens and bathrooms, garages, balconies, porches, deck porches, and more for homeowners in Richmond, VA, and surrounding areas. Call us today at (804)538-3334.
