Why Hiring a Painting Contractor is the Right Decision

My brother spent one grueling summer assisting a painting contractor as an exterior painter. He would pile into this guy’s truck every day and they would go out to a group of condos and spend all day painting them grey. When I asked him why people paid good money to hire experienced commercial painters to grayify some plywood, he looked at me like I was insane. “Dude it’s way more complicated than that. We’re not just painting stuff gray, we have to identify hazards, prime, make sure what we’re doing isn’t toxic, go over it a bunch of times, give it an even coating…”
I tuned him out and handed him a bag of Cheetoes. But then I was in a position where I had to choose between painting my house myself or hiring a painting contractor of my own. Let’s just say that after a lot of words that should not be repeated in polite company and a lot of money wasted, I now agree with my brother. Painting is complicated, and hiring a painting contractor can make the following paint-related tasks much more productive:
Preparation and Material Purchase
How thick is the previous paint job? Are you going to need a sandblaster? How about primer? Do you know the difference between tinted primer and plain primer? What about the reach issue? Did you know that professionals use extenders and in fact do not balance precariously on milk crates, chairs, and ladders? A professional won’t just begin painting your house. They’ll give you an estimate for equipment and lay out an action plan.
Timing and Good Execution
We all think we know what an “even coating” means. Until there are three different shades of perriwinkle on the mailbox. A good painting contractor will ensure an even coating by mixing paint properly to start and ensuring the paint bonds sufficiently. They will also know the ideal time to start painting (in clear weather and with temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees).
Finishing Touches
Many DIY enthusiasts miss important details until it’s too late. For example, a painting contractor may elect to add a top coat or a glossy paint because they know it is more resistant to weathering and easy to clean. Many professional painting contractors will also do a once-over on your window caulking and your rain gutters to identify draft issues or water leakages that can erode a paint job long term.
Of course, we’ve yet to mention the most tempting reason to hire a paint contractor to tackle that big project you’ve been putting off: you won’t have to spend frustrating days doing it yourself.