Here’s When to Know If It’s Time to Hire a Professional Painter

Sometimes it seems like a task as simple as painting a house wouldn’t need a professional. It’s just painting, right? Paint isn’t as extensive as a plumbing job, or even working with the foundation of your house. Sure, it seems easy, but you shouldn’t consider writing it off quite yet. There’s actually quite a few scenarios to consider before nixing the idea of hiring a professional painter.

The first thing to naturally consider is the pricing. It’s common to think that painting yourself would be a lot cheaper than hiring a professional, given that the labor costs could account for almost 85 percent of the price of your paint job. However, when you consider buying all of the painting supplies needed (brushes, rollers, primer, paint cans, dishes, maybe even some tools to repair the walls), those prices rack up pretty quickly. Before you know it, you an amount pretty close to the what you would spend on hiring a professional.

However, if you do have the supplies on hand, there’s still a lot to consider when it comes to hiring a professional. Here’s how to know if you should or shouldn’t.

A few rooms: Do it yourself
The whole house: Hire a pro

Are you looking to paint the entirety of your house, including the outside? That’s a lot compared to just transforming a few rooms. If you are repainting the whole house, you also need to consider the amount of time you’ll spend laboring. If it’s going to take up a majority of your free time, it may be worth giving a professional the business for the sake of your sanity. But if it’s just a few rooms, here’s how to paint faster to just get the job done.

One story: Do it yourself
Two stories: Hire a pro

If you’re giving the outside of your house a much-needed facelift, you’ll want to consider the height of the house first. A one-story house will be easy to paint, given that you won’t need any tall ladders to do so. But if you’re looking to paint the outside of a two-story (or even a three-story), a professional painter will be more equipped for it. They will have the right ladders and equipment needed to get the job done, freeing you from the stress of having to reach those hard-to-reach spots at the top of your home.

Smooth walls: Do it yourself
Walls in need of repair: Hire a pro

If your walls are in need of some prep work before painting, a professional will get that done in a blink of an eye. Although it’s relatively easy to patch up drywall, it does require you to buy more supplies before starting that paint job. If your walls need work, let the professionals handle it. But if they are smooth and ready for a fresh coat, handling it by-yourself will be a breeze.

Just walls: Do it yourself
Intricate woodwork: Hire a pro

Painting a new room for a baby? Changing up your kid’s bedroom into the guest bedroom you’ve always wanted? A fresh coat of paint won’t be much for you to handle. However, if you are looking to paint over some intricate woodwork (i.e. trimming around windows or doors), a professional can handle with ease. If you don’t have the steadiest of grips, let the professional do it instead. Think you can handle it on your own? Here are a few tips for a perfect paint job.

Drastic color change: Do it yourself
Similar color: Hire a pro

Changing the room from dark blue to light grey? That’s a huge change—especially if you’re making the walls a brighter color! A huge change like this would require two coats, which will also cost more paint/labor from the professional. Which, in return, is costing you more money. If you need to do a few coats, don’t waste your money on professional labors. However, if you are painting a good majority of your rooms with similar colors, that wouldn’t require multiple coats—or double the time on the professional’s clock.

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