At some point, hiring a professional painter for exterior painting is a necessity for most homeowners. Average homeowners don’t own tall ladders or the right equipment to complete an exterior painting job. Additionally, homeowners don’t typically have the time or the skill to complete a painting project like a professional.
Hiring a professional painter can save a lot of time, frustration, and sometimes money. Many homeowners believe they can complete the job themselves. They purchase hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and paint, only to start the project and realize they’re in over their heads. Doing a little research and hiring a professional painter from the start can be the best decision you can make. This can be a relationship you carry forward for years and through multiple homes, if you find the right painter!
When making the decision to paint yourself versus hiring a professional painter, make a list of everything you’ll need to complete the job. Make sure to include the time it will take you to paint the home by yourself, as well as all the cost for the equipment. Tall 48ft extension ladders are expensive and difficult to store in a typical home. And, unless you’ve had experience with them, most people find them very hard to maneuver. A professional painter will bring an entire crew to your home and can usually knock out a job in 3-5 days. They know the tricks to make sure paint doesn’t go where it isn’t supposed to. They also know how to apply the paint for the best end result.
Let’s say, you drive up to your home after work, and as you’re looking at your house you see the paint is fading in some areas. Maybe one side more than the other, maybe just the trim, or maybe it’s splotchy all over! Sometimes the homeowner doesn’t notice the fading but the HOA does, and sends a letter requesting compliance. These are both instances where timing is crucial and hiring a professional painter can save money in repairs and/or HOA fines.
Once exterior paint starts to fail, the siding and trim on your home are at risk of permanent damage. Moisture can get behind the boards and cause warping, sagging, and rotting. At this point, the siding or trim pieces cannot be repaired and will need to be replaced. Sometimes the damage goes even deeper! This increases the cost of your job substantially! If you keep the exterior of your home on a regular maintenance schedule and repaint before your exterior paint starts to fail, it will save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs.
Depending on where in the country you live, paint can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years. Factors that can play into the life of the paint are altitude, weather patterns, direction the home faces, and weather events. Other factors are the quality of paint used, prep work done, and the overall upkeep of the home. Hiring a professional painter with great ratings in your area will ensure the prep work and painting are done right. A professional painter can also help choose the best paint for your situation.
With today’s technology, it is easy to research painters in your area. The best plan when hiring a professional painter is to read reviews across all forums for that company. Sometimes bad reviews are just an unreasonable person who wouldn’t have been happy with anything. Sometimes they aren’t even addressing a job a painter has completed for them. Instead, they complain about a phone call not being returned in enough time, or something of the like. You can usually weed out the legitimate reviews from the ones that shouldn’t sway your opinion just by reading between the lines.
A good rule of thumb when hiring a professional painter is to look for a company that’s been in business for multiple years. You also want to be sure they are fully insured and have established good relationships in the community. A reputable painting company can help you to choose a good exterior paint for your home, and test the colors before painting. When hiring a professional painter, make sure they are good communicators. They should be able to answer any questions or doubts you have about the paint or the process. And finally, there should be a standard warranty issued from the company with the possibility of additional warranties available.
In the end, the decision to hire a professional painter will alleviate the worry and expense of completing such an important job yourself. It is a great investment in the most valuable asset in most people’s lives. You will end up with a beautiful home that is also protected from the elements for years to come.
