For many homeowners, painting their home’s exterior is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reinvent a space and give their property a whole new look. A new coat of paint can make a home stand out on any block and give a person the chance to really put their personality into their home. But finally making the decision to do this is a big step, and there are a lot of details that need to be worked out before someone can begin this makeover. Sure, there are the aesthetic decisions like what colours to use and what finish to go with, and some technical questions like what brand of paint to work with, but the most fundamental question is this: who is going to be doing the actual painting? You may have seen ads for professional painting companies before, and if you don’t understand everything that they would be doing, you might have been confused about the price. Nobody wants to get ripped off, and if all a professional painting company does is put on paint, can’t you just do that yourself and save some money? You might have even helped a friend paint their apartment before, how much harder could it be to paint your home?
In reality, professional painters do a lot more than just save you the trouble of painting your home yourself, and for most homeowners, the benefits of going with a professional company is worth the extra money. That said, DIY house painting is a viable option, it’s just important to know what you’re getting into before you start. With that in mind, let Encore Painting walk you through some of the advantages of hiring a professional painting company, and what you can expect if you decide to take on the job yourself.
Benefits of hiring professional exterior painters
Unsurprisingly, the first thing you can count on when you hire a professional painting company is quality. At Encore, our professional exterior painters have experience working with all types of materials in the most challenging environments. Whether you’re working with wood or aluminum siding, brick or concrete, each material will require its own technique to ensure a lasting paint job, which the inexperienced painter might not be familiar with. As well, while our painters have the experience to safely paint window frames and gutters at any height, the average homeowner might not be comfortable painting hard to reach areas while being on a high ladder. A handy homeowner can learn a lot about painting by doing research, but real professional quality is something that you can only get from years of experience, and that’s where hiring a professional painting company really makes a difference.
Second, hiring a professional painting company will give you not only skilled painters, but the professional equipment that comes with them. If you are planning on painting your home yourself in order to save money, unless you have all the equipment needed for the job, you’re going to need to buy or rent it, so keep that in mind when planning the budget for a project. In addition to bringing brushes, rollers, painting trays, and drop cloths, there’s some equipment that you need to paint your home’s exterior that you might not have considered. We spoke about painting hard to reach areas. Sure, you may own a ladder, but is it large enough and sturdy enough to safely reach the eaves of a three story home? For a professional painting company, the answer is yes. As well, as we will talk about, preparation is key when it comes to painting a home. This involves thoroughly cleaning a surface and sealing any gaps before putting on any paint. A painting company will provide the power washer and caulking gun needed to do this, and will know how to use each properly in order to ensure a smooth and even surface for the paint. If you are not planning on hiring professional painters, this is just some of the equipment that you are going to need before you can begin painting.
Finally, hiring a professional painting company means that you are putting your home in the hands of people who know exactly what it takes to complete an exterior painting project. Every home is different, and there are always going to be unexpected challenges, but a professional company will have enough experience to prepare for these. This is why at Encore Painting, we begin each project with an evaluation of the space, so we can give our clients a projected timeline. If you have never painted the exterior of a home before, it can be easy to drastically underestimate how long it can take. What you think will take you a weekend could end up taking a week if you don’t know what you’re doing. Inexperience can lead to a lack of proper preparation, unexpected expenses, and inefficient time management, all of which can cause a project to really get away from a person! However, if you feel like you are up to the challenge, here’s what you need to know if you are going to paint the exterior of your home yourself.
How much can I save by painting myself vs professional painters for my house’s exterior?
Though we just talked about some expenses to keep in mind if you’re planning on painting your home’s exterior on your own, it will almost always be more expensive to hire a professional painting company than to do it yourself. Buying materials and renting equipment can be pricey, but not as expensive as paying the labour cost for a team of professionals. But exactly how much money you will save depends a lot on what you’re looking to get done. Because every project is so different, Encore Painting does not have a flat rate for how much a project will cost. Every client has a unique vision, and every space has its own challenges, so it’s impossible for us to say exactly how much a project will cost before we evaluate it. That said, you can be sure that you will save some money if you choose to do it yourself. However, though it’s more expensive, what you save by hiring a professional painting company is the time and effort that it takes for you to do it yourself, and the peace of mind knowing the job will be done right. And to show this, here’s what you would need to do if you plan on giving your home a professional paint job without hiring professionals.
First of all, you’re going to need a clean surface. If an area isn’t properly cleaned, paint will not stick to it and it will be peeling within a year. This is why you will need a power washer. Thoroughly spray down all areas that you’re planning on painting, holding the power washer a good distance away from the surface. Because of the extreme water pressure, holding the washer too close can leave uneven marks on a surface, called wand marks. It is also a good idea to spray using a watered down solution of bleach and sodium triphosphate. This will kill any mold or mildew on a surface and prevent it from coming back. Once cleaned, be sure to let the area fully dry before continuing. Leaving it for a day will usually be good, but you might need to leave it for longer if there is a lot of humidity.
Now that the area has been cleaned and dried, the next step in the preparation process is to seal any cracks with the caulking gun that we talked about earlier. If you want, you can use a coloured caulk to go with the colour of paint that you’re using, but white caulk works great and is usually cheaper. Just make sure that you use a caulk that has latex in it and says “paintable” on the can! Then fill in any gaps and joints in the surface. After this, you’re going to want to scrape off any loose paint. Just like with dirt, new paint will not hold well or apply evenly to old, failing paint, so remove this in order to make sure a surface is as smooth as possible. With that done, just put down some drop cloths under the area where you’re working and begin priming. Or, if you have an all in one paint and primer, start painting! A good general rule when buying paint is take the number of square feet you need to cover and divide it by three hundred. This will give you roughly how many gallons you will need for the first coat. (This is all assuming that you’re using brushes and rollers. If you plan on spraying the paint – a completely different technique – be sure to check out Encore’s blog Exterior House Paint: Spray vs. Brush for everything you need to know!)
So will you save money if you decide to paint the exterior of your home yourself? The short answer is yes. Even with the added cost of renting equipment, the money you will save by not hiring professional painters will easily pay for that. The question is whether or not it’s worth the time and effort that it would take you to do the job yourself. If you have experience painting, enjoy being outside, are able to work safely on a two story ladder, and don’t have a strict timeline for the job so that setbacks would be manageable, then painting your home yourself might be a great way to save money. On the other hand, if you have never done any large-scale painting before, are unsure whether you can use a brush or roller evenly, aren’t confident using equipment like pressure washers or working on ladders, and want the job to be finished as quickly as possible, then hiring a professional company would be money well spent.
Best exterior painters in the GTA
To sum it all up, painting your home’s exterior yourself is a great way for a handy homeowner to save some money if they are confident in their painting skills and have a relaxed enough schedule that they don’t mind the project taking a while. But for most homeowners, the money that you spend hiring professional painters is going to save you a lot of time, work, and potential stress, which can really be worth it. This is where Encore Painting Ltd. comes in. Having painted the exterior of literally thousands of homes, we know exactly what to expect when we start a project and know what it takes to get it done right. Our evaluations leave homeowners with a clear timeline for the project, so there are no surprises and they can begin living in their new home as quickly as possible. Our team has the equipment and experience for even the most challenging jobs, so you know you will be getting a professional result no matter the project. It is this quality and customer service that has made Encore one of the best exterior house painters in the GTA for nearly fifteen years, even being named one of Canada’s Top Painting & Decorating Companies three years in a row. If you feel up to the task of painting your own home, then great! But if you want to leave your home in the hands of the professionals, then don’t hesitate and get a free painting estimate today.