No matter the project you are considering or the skilled trade it involves, it can be a tough decision to determine if you should hire out the work or if you should take it on as a DIY project. Hiring a professional painter is no exception to this-after all, it can be fun to complete your own painting! When you contemplate your next painting project we have a few suggestions to follow if you are indecisive on hiring a professional painter.
Consider the Scope of Work: What can I do, What can a Painter do?
Considering not only the size of your project, but the level of detail, difficulty and expected time for completion are important elements as well. Often times bedroom or living room re-paints can be done by the average DIY enthusiast, or even a kitchen/bathroom (that may require more cutting and detailed work) if there is no tight deadline for completion.
You may consider calling in a professional painter if your space presents a significant amount of work you wish to see completed quickly or if the level of skilled detail is outside of your comfort zone (i.e repainting a large amount baseboard/trim and crown molding).
How High is Too High?
Well there is no straight forward answer to this question (nothing is every that easy); however, ask yourself two things: 1)am I comfortable painting? 2)am I comfortable climbing(and maneuvering) a ladder? If the answer to one or both of these is NO, consider calling a professional painter. There is never a need to work through your fear of heights during a home DIY project, nor is there ever a reason to put yourself at risk if you are not familiar and comfortable with working above your head.
Experienced painters have an ease with ladders that allows for them to safely and efficiently complete any high-level work. In our opinion-this is one of the top reasons to call for a painter!
Would a painter do this another way?
All DIY enthusiasts can pick up a brush and roller and go to town on projects ranging from wall re-paints to furniture makeovers, but stop and ask yourself, is there another (or better) way to complete this project? Would another method leave me with a longer lasting, more appealing finish? If the answer could be YES to either of these questions, call a painter and explore what options exist.
When we talk about a more appealing finish, we are often referring to a sprayed finish. Painting items such as new baseboard, doors, crown molding, and kitchen cabinets are real investment projects. These are not projects that homeowners take on every year, or even every 5 years, rather these are projects that are hoped to survive for 10, 12 and even 15 years before they must be tackled again.
High quality paint products and proper paint tools (such as an airless paint sprayer) allow for a professional painter to leave an outstanding result that will high exceed a brush and roller finish.
Unexpected Surprises
There can always be a glitch (or shall I say ‘surprise’) when tackling a DIY project. Here are just a few roadblocks you may hit when deciding to tackle a painting project yourself.
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Moving Furniture. There is nothing worse than making the trip to the paint store, gathering all of your materials, getting ready to start and then realizing you, alone, cannot move all of the furniture in the space to actually get to your walls.
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A Not-so-Steady Hand. Painting walls is fun and fulfilling as you see your vision come to life….until your shaky hand hits the ceiling and spreads your beautiful new color across your white ceiling. A straight cut line makes all the difference in a quality paint job.
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Drip, Drip, Drip. Getting the hang of using paint tools can take a bit of practice, but it is more than just preventing a big drip. All rollers, even mini 4 inch rollers, leave ‘sprinkles’ as they go up and down the wall. Everything underneath (and even nearby) must be covered.
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Inconvenience. It is never convenient to have a room, or a whole wing of your house, in disarray as a project travels from beginning to end. If your project doesn’t stay on track it can quickly become a frustrating inconvenience to even be in your home, let alone get the project finished.
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It’s all in the Prep-work. Your heart will sink to your stomach if you get all your new paint applied and then realize that you didn’t accurately prep the surface. Be prepared to caulk, sand, prime and have patience throughout your project.
Unplanned situations are never fun during a project. The five project surprises listed above can all be avoided by calling a professional painter, but we hope you will think proactively about these potential hiccups and plan in advance on how to handle them should you decide to dive in and complete your own painting.
Happy Painting!
