When Should You Hire a Professional Painter? An Honest Guide for Columbus Homeowners.

Do it yourself, or “DIY” is popular and trendy these days in regard to home projects. On the surface, it seems like it is the perfect method for tackling large projects and renovations – it’s cheaper, quicker, and you have the benefit of taking personal pride in the completed project! At least, that’s what it seems like at first, right? Too often,

homeowners take on the seemingly easy task of redoing their home’s painted look themselves, only to find it is quite a bit more complicated than they once thought (or worse yet, more expensive!). In this post, we want to explain why hiring a professional painter is better than DIY when taking on big exterior painting projects such as painting your home. If you're in Columbus, GA or Phenix City, AL considering your next exterior project, this is not a sales pitch—just an honest explanation of the pros and cons of hiring a professional versus doing the job yourself.

First, let's address when it actually makes sense to DIY and when to hire a professional painter. Doing your own interior accent wall, touching up a room that has had some wear to the paint, furniture painting. Even some exterior work, such as touching up the moldings around your windows. These are all examples of times it would probably even be best for you to take on this by yourself. Not every project requires a full crew of professional painters. Sometimes, it really is simple to do on your own. However, some - jobs such as full interiors/exteriors, multiple rooms, ceilings and/or cabinets, second level siding – all would be most efficient and cost effective if done by professional painters. Exterior projects, in particular, are far more likely to be a “success” if a professional is at the helm. With all of that said, we can look at why this is the case.

The Real Cost of DIY Exterior Painting vs. Professional Painters

On the surface, it may seem as though doing the job yourself would be cheaper than hiring a crew to do for you. But when you factor in the true cost of hiring professionals versus the cost of DIY painting, the numbers are closer than you think. There is, of course, the paint, which will range in cost depending on brand, exterior or interior use, etc. From there, there’s also painting equipment (brushes, rollers, sprayers, paint tins), painter’s tape, tarps, any sort of protection, such as masks, if you choose to use a sprayer. It is also important to go through proper exterior painting prep work steps. Pressure washing on exterior walls is a necessity and will determine the quality of the finished product. And if any repairs need to be done to wood or siding, that needs to be factored in as well.

Once all these factors are added up, there ends up being little price difference between DIY, and using a professional who already has most of this, there really is little difference between the two options.

But it is not just financial cost that goes into a painting project – it is also your valuable time and labor. When you tackle this yourself, the labor time is multiplied. A professional will have a full crew of expert painters, adding more hands to the project by reducing work time. They also know how to do things right the first time. Proper prep work beforehand, including cleaning the walls and repairs. They also know proper painting techniques, using different tools in different applications, and doing so correctly. Common DIY painting mistakes like scraping paint off window trim, mismatched paint colors, or improper roller lines become costly when you have to fix them—professionals avoid these issues entirely. It is easy to get caught up in the financial cost, but your time and labor are valuable as well and are a major factor to consider.

What Are You Actually Paying for With a Pro?

When you're thinking about hiring a professional painter, it can be easy to see it as just hiring someone to paint—but it's so much more. But truthfully, you are hiring a whole crew who will be present each day of the job, working hard to make sure everything is done well. There is accountability with professionals; the risk of fault and mishaps is off your back, and if something were to go wrong, the responsibility to fix the mistake would be on their back, not yours. When you hire Eagle Eye Exteriors for professional exterior painting, you get experienced painters who stand behind their work with comprehensive warranties if something gets messed up within a certain time after the job.

Another benefit of hiring professionals is, with professionals, they already possess all the equipment needed for the job. If you were to do it DIY, you would need not only to purchase paint and brushes, but rollers, sprayers, caulk, any material needed to repair rotten wood and/or siding, and cleaning equipment (painting over a dirty surface will cause serious harm to your new paint job). Not only do they have the equipment, but also the expertise to do the job right. Professional painters know what they’re doing – they won’t be guessing as they go along. When you hire a team to do the work for you, they know what to do the first time around. All the prep work is part of their standard routine and is not optional. They know how to clean and prep the house for the work, including pressure washing and cleaning the surface, replacing rotten wood or damaged siding, covering any plants so the paint will not poison them, etc. When you DIY a project such as this, it can be nerve wracking trying to remember to do everything just right, so it won’t become a bigger hassle, but when you hire professionals, they know what to do to get it done right the first time.

Conclusion

For most homeowners, the benefits of hiring a professional painting team to complete your exterior or interior painting project are worth the investment. Using the expertise, labor, and industry knowledge of a professional proves it worth the cost. But cost is not everything. At Eagle Eye Exteriors, we offer FREE quotes with no obligation, so you can see where your money, and your trust, go before you make any commitments. If you are in need of giving your home a reset this summer, give Eagle Eye Exteriors a call for a free estimate today!