Painting Your Home: Everything You Need to Know

As a house owner, painting your home is an important maintenance task that crops up at least every couple of years.

This is especially true if you’re selling soon – or, if you’re a tenant, your lease is ending and you’re moving. It might even be part of a larger home renovation project!

No matter what the reason, if your home needs a fresh coat of paint, you need to take a moment to think about how best to proceed.

For example, are you going to be better off doing it yourself or hiring a professional?

The answer can be drastically different when you start taking into consideration things like interior vs. exterior vs. both, as well as the overall scale of the project.

We’ve put together a quick, but all-inclusive guide with everything you need to know so you can make the right choice!

Figuring Out Whether to DIY or Hire Professionals

Most people look at household maintenance tasks, even the big ones, and figure they’re better off just doing it themselves because they feel it’d be less hassle (and money) than hiring a professional team.

Before you jump to the same conclusion, however, consider the fact that certain circumstances might make it better to leave painting your house to the professionals.

Take a look at these points and let them help you make the right decision…

Scale

If you only take one of these three factors into consideration, it needs to be scale.

This easily has the biggest impact on whether it’s feasible for you to tackle painting your home yourself or if hiring professionals goes from optional to absolutely necessary.

How big is your home? Is it a single-story townhouse or are there multiple stories? Are you simply repainting a single room or the whole of the exterior?

The bigger the project scale, the more work that needs to go into preparing the surfaces. It’s also going to take a lot longer to lay down multiple coats of paint properly – and that also means spending more money on paint.

Before you know it, it’s taking so long and becoming so expensive that the project becomes too complicated and overwhelming.

It’s also better to play it safe and assume if the painting job is even remotely extensive, leaving it to the professionals will actually be less hassle (and, in the long run, cheaper) than trying the DIY approach.

Interior vs. Exterior (vs. Both)

Technically speaking, the question of interior vs. exterior (or even both) falls under scale. We did mention it above too! However, this particular factor warrants separate consideration.

On the one hand, repainting your home’s entire interior might seem like an easier job.

After all, you don’t need to deal with the elements. Even though weather can still affect how smoothly the project goes, it’s much easier to get around those challenges when painting an interior than an exterior.

However, the trade-off is there’s more surface area. Each interior wall needs to be painted and it quickly adds up in time and money.

On the flip side, painting the exterior might seem easier at first glance because there’s generally a lot less surface area.

However, the weather will have a far bigger impact on the project – and we all know the joke about never trusting the weatherman to make the right forecast. Plus, exteriors often have odd, hard to reach places, even on single-story buildings.

Generally speaking, if you have the time to tackle one interior room at a time by yourself every weekend, it’s still a fairly accessible option.

Exteriors, on the other hand, are almost always a job for the professionals. And if you need to have both repainted, it’s going to be a lot easier to have the team do everything!

State of the Current Paint

If you’ve honestly evaluated the full scale of the project and still aren’t sure whether DIY is a feasible option, give the current paint job a look.

Newly built homes with smooth surfaces don’t require much prep work.

The same is true for painted surfaces where the paint itself is still in good physical condition but lost some of its color vibrancy over time (or you want to change the color completely).

If you’re painting an older home with peeling walls or siding, on the other hand, the prep work will take a lot longer.

Scraping and sanding might not seem like much effort at first glance, but they quickly become labor-intensive tasks. And the more of it that needs to be done, the longer and more tiring it’s going to be!

So if you’re still on the fence, but you also aren’t up for spending hours on prep work before you can even think of cracking open a can of paint, take that as confirmation you’ll need to hire a team of professionals.

With all three of these factors, it’s not a matter of doubting your painting abilities. However, the bigger and more complicated the project, the better it’ll be for you to hire professional painters.

Hiring Professionals

Assuming you’ve made the decision to call in the professionals, here’s the best way to proceed:

• Get Quotes. Start by asking for references and search for reputable contractors in your area. Take a look at portfolios (if possible) and read client testimonials on their websites to help you narrow down your list before reaching out to get quotes. You want a contractor who offers an affordable rate and is upfront about details like labor costs, materials, the type and quantity of paint, and the estimated time frame for completion. Ask whether the quote also includes things like travel time, pressure washing and caulking, as well as any other questions you have.
• Confirm Credentials. As part of the conversation leading up to or following getting a job estimate, you should also ask a few extra questions. Make sure the contractor has any and all of the permits and licenses your state requires and insurance. This way, you avoid fines – and if any of the contractor’s team gets injured or they accidentally damage any of your property, the painter’s insurance has it covered.
• Understand Your Role. Just because you’re hiring a professional team, doesn’t mean you get to kick back and relax. You’ll still have a part to play in painting your home, even if it’s a very small one. You might be responsible for things like moving furniture and removing outlet covers and switch plates, for example. This could easily become a deciding factor when narrowing your choices down!
• Agree On a Payment Plan. Generally speaking, if your project is of a large enough scope to warrant hiring a team, you want to avoid anyone demanding full payment upfront. A down payment of 20% to 30% of the total isn’t unusual, but typically you shouldn’t be asked to pay until after the work is complete. Make sure all payment terms are properly stated in the contract you sign, including the exact cost based on labor and materials.

Ready to get started? Contact H&H Construction and Renovation today for a fair evaluation and quote to help you paint your home!