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The typical mindset of the homeowner is to keep expenses as cheap as possible. An understandable need as the economy ebb and flows. When it comes time to repair your home, you would like a speedy, quality, repair. In the painting industry, you will be quoted various prices, all of which depend on quality and speed. Since this article is about painting your home, we are going to delve into what a fast job looks like, and what a quality job looks like. Hopefully, you will gain understanding of why you may get different prices from various professionals, and ultimately hire the professional that best fits you.
The Fastest Paint Method
Let us begin with a fast job. A fast paint job entails this scope, usually done with a paint sprayer machine:
The professional masks off doors, windows, walkways, and anything that may be affected by overspray (overspray meaning the fine particulates of the paint that bounce off the painted surface, like spraying with a spray bottle).
The professional may fill noticeable cracks in wood, stucco, baseboard, drywall, depending on exterior or interior paint jobs.
If the work is outside, a good professional should recommend pressure washing and scraping your walls. Doing so will remove loose and chalky paint, ensuring the new paint coat has maximum adhesion.
The professional takes a day or two at most to spray the entire home, again, depending on exterior or interior jobs.
This fast job, across the board, is the cheapest you will find because it spits the paint rapidly, covering the previous paint lickety-split. However, spraying does not allow the paint to seep into wood grain, hairline stucco cracks and holes; all of which are areas for water to build up, and rot away over the years. Horton Remodeling has seen spray painted homes, and in only a few years the paint begins to fade because the method only “blankets” the substrate. This is good for clients who need a quick maintenance coat, but not good for clients who need a long-lasting job.
The Best Paint Job
Let's finally talk about a high-quality paint job. A good paint professional recommends roll-n-brush method:
The professional follows proper preparation practices listed above, except it requires less masking and drop clothes, and more time is spent brushing and rolling.
The professional begins brushing the paint close around windows, doors, light fixtures, etc.; also known as cut in work.
The professional begins rolling the paint on all required surfaces.
This process can take up to a week and more, and uses more paint, depending on the square footage in question.
As you can see, this job takes longer for a good reason. This is because you are physically pushing paint into every crevice, which gives a deeper and more durable hold. It provides better coverage and leaves the paint drying denser than the spraying method. It also takes more time for the paint job to fade away. The bottom line here is that this finish costs you more. More time spent is equivalent to more money necessary to complete.
Additional Considerations
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. When making a hiring decision ask yourself these questions:
Will they adequately cover and mask off?
Will they leave spots where old paint is showing through?
Will they leave paint drops on landscaping or other property?
Do they work efficiently?
Do they communicate effectively?
Do they dress neatly, and uphold a tidy work environment?
Will they keep track of your requests?
Also consider their paint methods (spray vs. roll – n – brush).
The items discussed in this article are all variables that hold potential in price differences between different pros. As a customer you will run into all kinds of people. Some people may show up, and the project manager has shared zero information to the professionals, so time ends up being wasted there. Sometimes you will have people who just show up one day to say “we are here to work now! Ready or not here I come!” Typically, these are situations for companies who charge less than others. But if you factor in what has been written in this page, you will hopefully have a better chance of getting what you need.