From efficiency to cost to quality of work, there are many considerations to make whether you choose to hire your local professionals or go the DIY route. If you choose DIY, chances are you’ll have to buy much more than just the paint: there are tools and equipment to consider as well! While it might be enticing to paint your property on your own, there are a number of reasons why you should give the professionals another thought.
What Does a Painting Contractor Do?
While you might think your contractor simply helps you pick out paint and roll it on the walls, they do a lot more than that. Hiring a professional comes with many benefits, including their expertise and knowledge. A contractor can get the job done fast and clean everything up afterward.
Painting contractor services:
Moving furniture for better surface access.
Surface prep and repair including filling in holes and light sanding.
Priming for coats.
Painting a minimum of two coats on walls and ceilings.
Painting details such as the trim and molding.
Additional touch-ups.
Cleanup.
Final inspection with the homeowner.
Reasons You Should Hire A Professional Painter for Wall Painting
Time
This is a big one for most homeowners and is typically the deciding factor between hiring professionals or going the DIY route. Professionals won’t sacrifice quality, but they do have the experience needed to get the job done fast. Painting your home can be an exhausting endeavor, and when life gets in the way it can drag on and on. When you hire professional painters you can enjoy your home’s new renovations in no time.
Professional Painters Have the Right Tools
Professional painters have the resources that aren’t readily available to you as a homeowner—that includes equipment and tools that can be costly, especially if you only use them once every few years. They also have the equipment required to put an even coat on walls, banisters, fixtures, decks, and more. From rollers to paintbrushes, it can be expensive and costly, especially if you accidentally purchase the wrong tools!
Warranty and Satisfaction Guarantee
There are many factors that affect quality when you’re tackling a project as big as painting a house. Whether you’re painting the interior or exterior, many things can go wrong: lack of proper prep, the wrong tools and brushes, and general inexperience with technique can quickly turn a project south. Hiring professionals comes with their guarantee of excellence and professionalism, not to mention the warranty for customer satisfaction.
Safety Measures
Painting is serious work, and taking its precautions casually can be dangerous. When painting walls or ceilings, you can easily tire or pull a muscle. DIY jobs come with many health risks such as improperly inhaling fumes or falling off of ladders. Any job that puts you in a precarious situation should be strongly considered, especially if you’re not used to that kind of work. It’s not worth risking your health (and time in the hospital) when the professionals can do it for you.
Insurance
Health and safety insurance is important, and with how tricky painting can be, having these security measures in place can make all the difference. Painting involves hard-to-reach spaces, uncomfortable heights, and more. You run the risk of harming yourself or others if you go it alone, which can include damaging your property as a homeowner. Professional insurance comes with warranty protection, liability coverage, and more.
Better Prep Work
A significant portion of the painting is actually in the prep work—this step ensures that all other steps go smoothly. Both homes and commercial properties require layers of protection and prep to ensure that the paint doesn’t cause damage and there are no flaws. From stripping away wallpaper and old paint to sanding and filling in holes, the professionals know exactly what to do. Plus, they can give you advice on what paints will adhere to your walls the best, and can give you additional information on primers and finishes.
Tips For Hiring A Painting Contractor
Start with a Plan
There are a few ways to save time and money when it comes to hiring a contractor, and a big portion of that is knowing exactly what you need them for.
Ask yourself a few questions when hiring a painting contractor, such as:
- Is this for an interior or exterior job?
- What time of year should the painting be completed?
- How many rooms should be painted?
- Will this impact my schedule?
With a detailed plan, you’ll save resources and prevent frustration. Different contractors and crews perform different projects—while some might profess to do both, you’ll want to hire a contractor who has plenty of experience on the specific job that you want done. Ask them how much flexibility they have with scheduling, and when they are available. If you only need them to do a small job, such as painting a few rooms or a kitchen, reconsider hiring them when more work is needed. Also, most companies will ask that the homeowner or other adult be present while they are on the premises, so you’ll need to schedule them around a time when you are available.
Research Painting Contractors
Once you have an idea of your plan, the next step is to research local contractors. The painting contractors you consider should have a license and insurance coverage, not to mention plenty of good reviews and word of mouth from happy clients. You can research companies online, read reviews, and do background research while looking for those with extensive experience and knowledge across a variety of projects.
Interview Painting Contractors
During the actual interview process, you want to ensure that you ask a number of questions that narrow down what you’re looking for in a project manager. Whether you’re conducting the interview in person or via phone, there are a few things to consider.
Interview questions for painting contractors should include:
- Do you have recent references?
- Who is working on the project?
- Are you licensed, insured, and experienced?
- What brand of paint do you use? What type? Do you have eco-friendly options?
- What does the price of the estimate include?
- What are your payment expectations?
- How many coats of paint do you use?
- What are your scheduling capabilities?
Narrow Down Your Top Contractors
Once you do a little research and conduct interviews, it’s important to vet your top choices so that you can decide who to hire. Create your shortlist, contact companies for estimates, and ask your references questions about project completion times, job satisfaction, budgets, and if you would hire them again.
Ask for Estimates in Writing
The final and most important step is to get estimates in writing. The painting company will send a representative to your home to do a walkthrough, where you’ll both go over the rooms and exteriors to be painted. Then the company will send you an estimate.
The full painting estimate should include:
- Company contact information.
- Total cost (including estimations and taxes).
- Project scope and details.
- Paint and material specifications.
- Start and finish dates.
- Payment terms and conditions.
When considering the cost, you should also consider the company’s reputation, reviews, and experience. If the cost seems high, compare that to testimonials from previous clients.
Better With ProServ
We have been proudly serving the community since 1990 as Canton’s number-one commercial painting service. We provide interior and exterior solutions for your new condo, residential home, or office building. Whether it’s your walls, ceilings, or doors that need to be touched up or repainted, our professional painting contractors will do an excellent job every time.
Our contractors and painters have experience working on a variety of exterior surfaces in houses and office buildings as well. From the initial consultation and prep work to the final coat of exterior paint, we can guarantee that our satisfied customers will love their new paint job. Call ProServ today for a free estimate.
