Home Painting: When To Do It Yourself And When To Call In A Pro
A lot of people entertain a thought of doing maintenance projects around the house themselves. Those who have talent and skill, often get away with it, others often fail and end up hiring someone anyway. Home painting job is not different. There are reasons why an amateur can safely do it, and those why they should not even attempt doing it.
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If It Makes You Happy…
If you are a DIY enthusiast, a mere thought of calling in someone to paint your home, may be offensive. Home projects can truly be enjoyable if their outcome is enjoyable as well. Hopefully, you have some experience, and you know where to start.
Gather as much information possible on the equipment you need. Choose quality paint and make sure you get slightly more than you actually need. You will probably waste more paint than a professional would and you need to leave some for tiny repairs. Watch YouTube videos for advice on prep work, it is easier when you see it done than when you read about how it’s done.
The Savings
If you are looking into doing the project yourself for the sake of savings, be very careful. If your home is in a generally good condition and you want to freshen up the walls, then it sounds like a plan. On the other hand, if you are generally not good with DIY, haven’t done it or at least seen it done before, think about it again.
You may end up saving money but with less than satisfying results. Also, the only way you can save is if you already have the equipment necessary, you can borrow it, or again, your walls do not require a lot of work. If savings is your only motive, and this is generally a burden to you, it will probably end up costing you more when things add up.
Painting The Exterior
Painting the exterior of a house is a large project. It requires a lot of time and skill, particularly if your house has more than one floor. Not to mention the fact that it is not entirely safe. A house’s exterior is exposed to natural elements and thus you need to use paint which will resist them. However, apart from the quality of the paint, the quality of prep work plays a significant role.
Without proper preparation, the paint won’t stick well enough and it will soon start washing out or chipping off, depending on the type you use. This is why this type of work, which you hope will last you for a couple of years, should be left to professionals. They have enough skill to guarantee durability and they are able to cover all the quirky slopes and corners.
Demanding Prep Work
Anything that may involve demanding prep work is best done by contractors. If you live in a historical house, built pre-1978, the chances are great that your house features layers of lead-based paint. You would not play with asbestos, so don’t play with lead. Let them do the work properly and make your home safe for your family.
Water damage can be another big problem. Repairing and preparing a surface of a wall after it had been damaged by water requires skill and experience. Otherwise, the wall could start crumbling off as you paint.
Achieve The Right Effect
If you own a home which is small or dark opening it up might be tricky. As an amateur you might have some knowledge of how to achieve mentioned effect, but the chances are that your possibilities are quite limited. So instead of playing with fire and ending up unsatisfied with the final result, it might be smarter to consult a professional painting company, since they will certainly do the job right.
This also applies if you are hoping to get a certain, unusual hue of a color. They will be able to tell exactly what a color will look like on a certain wall based on the light it gets and the materials it was made of. Thus, if you are going for the look which is not plain, don’t put yourself through it.
The Time
Once more, painting a house is a large project. You need to move the furniture, cover everything, prep the walls, prime, paint, clean, and move the furniture back in. This could easily turn into an entire week of hard labor for you and your family.
If you choose not to take days off but use a weekend and a couple of days after work, this project will turn into a nightmare. Either take days off and dedicate your time entirely to the project or hire someone who does that for a living.
Conclusion
If you insist, hire professionals and ask to help them. Note what equipment and materials they use, observe the process, and try it out. Once you do it with an expert, it will be safer to attempt doing it on your own the next time.
It may sound like this article is rooting for the contractors, but it is just to save you the bother. Hiring professionals will get you the look you imagined, save you time, you will spend a little extra money, but get a peace of mind, particularly if you are a perfectionist.