When it comes to home maintenance, exterior painting is one task that is best left to a professional. Painting contractors have the experience and the manpower to do the job properly and efficiently. They can also recommend the best type of paint for the project, taking climate and building material into consideration. While you may be tempted to save money and turn this into a do-it-yourself project, your safety is important—professionals will have the special equipment needed to get up high and, more importantly, their own insurance, shielding you from liability. But there is a con: working with the wrong contractor. Be sure your contractor is insured, has a good reputation, and offers the best cost estimate to ensure you get the job done without any headaches. We asked Benjamin Moore’s Craig Bunting and Farrow & Ball’s Josephine Rance for tips on finding the right painting professional—so you can sit back and enjoy the finished product.
home Wall Design
When coverage is difficult to estimate, add more rather than less when doing DIY wall painting. You can always pour the leftover back into cans. For large jobs, use the bucket and a roller screen rather than a roller tray. It’s much faster to load your roller with the screen than to use a roller pan. Simply dunk the roller into the paint bucket, then roll it along the screen until it stops dripping.
If you are going to hire a contractor (professional painter) give a room by room punch list of the fixing of holes small or big, have it identified for the painter to tell you if you need a drywall finisher or if he does this type of work good. Wall repairs can be 3-5 steps to do repairs ( one per day for good drying of patching material and a good sanding) this is what gives you a good paint job only using high quality paint.
At Southern Painting, we not only do it all, we also do it right. We know there are other painters in Fort Worth, but many of them don’t take the time to do the prep work that we do. Plus, we promise to leave no trace when it comes to your home. We don’t disturb your belongings, so you can feel good about us being in your home. Contact us today to request a free estimate at your property. We look forward to hearing from you!
Simple costing techniques, tips on how to survive up against the competition, the big companies with several crews and foremen employed. I don't ever aspire to be that kind of contractor. This is a fresh viewpoint and it gave me so much I am no longer looking for a painter's contracting manual. I found a lot of his times for painting different items to closely match my own.
As an owners rep and former estimator for a gc i do expect to pay a reasonable deposit say 10 percent and then weekly progress payments. I am asking the painter to book his time and to do the work on my schedule. Most painting companies are not huge operations they will pay their staff weekly. For most repaints i ask for one tinted primer coat and one finish coat for 100 percent coverage. New work gets one tinted primer and two finish coats for 100 percent coverage. The cost of the paint is not really that different for colors or finish. Brands like european fine paint and C2 are more expensive than Ben Moore and sometimes more difficult to roll based on their consistency. Some home depot brands are as expensive as the Ben Moore and of equal quality others aren't. Red paints are notorious for number of coats required and special priming requirements.
To win work, contractors generally have to bid against other suppliers. To make an accurate bid, they estimate the time and materials required to complete the job. They measure the area to be painted and discuss the type of finish the customer requires. They assess the quality of the surfaces to work out how much remedial work they must carry out before painting. They might have to remove old paint or wall coverings, or repair cracks and other damage. They also calculate the cost of any essential equipment, such as scaffolding for exterior walls.
Yes the pricing does change, and quite significantly. I have worked inside the paint industry on counter sales outside sales and application for over 10 years. One thing many people do not understand is, the resins in the paint are more expensive to produce the higher the sheen goes. Therefore the company is at of higher cost making the paint, which in terms they charge more for the paint. I have seen a 15$ variance between flat-semi-gloss it is not uncommon and is not unrealistic to pay more for a higher sheen. Another thing to add is when doing samples on your wall prior to a painter coming is a good idea, however do not do them in huge squares with heavy coats, remember you are just wanting an idea. A lot of times the issue comes up of the paint not covering the sample coats, in fact it is covering quite well, however the paint sample applied is often times much darker than the wall color, creating a contrasting difference from the lighter surrounding wall and the sample placed on the wall. I recommend getting a piece of sheet rock and using it for the samples so you can move around with it etc.
As a former professional painter, something that drives me crazy is when I see painters cut in around wall plates. First of all, the amount of time that it takes to cut in is usually much longer than the amount of time that it takes to simply remove the wall plate. Secondly it does not look nearly as clean as it does when the wall plate is removed and thirdly it can invariably leave paint on the wall plate itself which also looks sloppy. Make sure the painter takes them off and then reinstalls them. It's less time.
When the homeowner is at the point of hiring a painter, they generally will have colors selected or at the very least a color in mind. I always ask for the colors before I bid a job. Dark colors, high sheen colors and specialty finishes require more labor, this drives price. If its not a color change or I'm going over a similar color I give the pricing option of one or two coats. The best advise I can give based on 25 years in the business is to put it all in writing,colors, brands of paint preferred, when the work can be done, who moves furniture and how payment will be handled. I never get up front money. BTW you most definitely get what you pay for with paint. Higher quality products results in and better looking job. Don't be a cheapskate when it comes to paint or the painting contractor. https://m.youtube.com/e/b6_WEt9k_Hw
Some contractors work on time and material others on a firm contract. I would never hire the former and am leary of the latter. A contractor may low-ball a bid to get the job planning to make a killing on change orders. If you say good morning to them, they charge you extra for that. If the contract is not very, very specific and extensively fleshed out or if they display their change order schedule prominently on top, show them the door.
Three referrals should be enough to assess the quality of work as well as the communication skills of the painter. Ask about the overall quality of the work, the work style of the painter, how the work has held up over time, and if they would hire him or her again. Be wary of any professional that refuses to give you references; a quality painter should be happy to have to speak to past clients. http://youtube.com/embed/b6_WEt9k_Hw
I used to work at Sherwin Williams. The best thing to do is specify that you will purchase your own paint. If the painter objects strenuously, he was plaanning on making money in the ways this article outlines. You might pay a few dollars more for paint, but you will have control of the quality of what goes on your walls. Never skimp on paint quality. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_WEt9k_Hw
When I had my interior painting done, after clearing out all of the furniture, myself, I also removed all of the wall plates in all the rooms to be painted. They were a beige color and probably yellowed. The wall was originally an off white and I had it painted a light-mid grey, so those wall plates would look terrible. After pricing replacement plates, switches and outlets (Would have been way too expensive to replace all of them), I decided to just paint all of the wall plates, switches and outlets (Used just a black gloss spray paint). I sprayed the plates outside and used a small brush on the switches and outlets. It worked out just fine and the blacks plates, etc compliment the wall color. It has been 7 years and the plates, switches, outlets are holding up well. https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata&v=b6_WEt9k_Hw
Contractors working in these states: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, or in the Bois Forte Tribe should follow the link provided for the state or tribe for more information about their training and certification requirements. These states are authorized to administer their own RRP programs in lieu of the federal program. By following the state links above, you will leave the EPA web site. Note that if you work in more than one state, you may need both EPA and state certification.
Tru Colors Contracting is an experienced residential paint contractor that has been serving Miami, Broward and Palm Beach Counties for many years. We are completely dedicated to providing our residential customers with high-quality interior and exterior painting services that yield beautiful and long-lasting results. Painting is one of the easiest ways you can enhance the look of your home and that's what we will do for you with our services. We can paint the inside and outside of your home, including any structure or surface that is looking dull or worn and needs a new look.
When determining the total cost of a home exterior paint project, you'll want to include the cost of materials like paint, supplies and other items you might want to cover in addition to the siding. If you know the average cost of these items in addition to your home exterior project cost, you'll have a good plan in place when you start calling for professional estimates. This also gives you the option to purchase or paint some items yourself to save money. Here are some of those cost factors and what you might expect to pay:
to be the devils advocate i have been a building contractor 20 of the last 30 yrs. i do know that if you go to a higher sheen of paint and or darker colors then any imperfections in the walls will show up much more dramatically…therefore the painter or a good drywall finisher is needed to prepare the walls extensively. this could cause more expenses…for it takes a lot of time to prep walls (smooth walls..not textured walls) and this cost has to be absorbed.
home Painting Design
Specialty painting by the hour costs between $40 to $50 on average. Paint might range between $75 to $90, costing an additional $40 to $50 per hour. The painter's skill and experience are also determining factors in the cost of specialty painting. While a freelance artist might charge $25 to $30 an hour, a very skilled professional might charge $80 or more. Some painters might also charge $60 or more for a consultation. Trompe l'oeils, in particular, will run on the expensive end of the price spectrum. Return to Top
home Design
This article is outdated. Deep based colors were an increase in price back in the 90's. Most stores have a standard price for all colors now. The problems the author are citing are outdated and rarely happen. This is the 2nd time I've seen this article being emailed out, it's irresponsible of angies list to keep sending out this poorly written and inaccurate article.
house Colors 2018
Picking exterior house paint colors is a lot different than picking a color for a shirt or a car. It may help to drive around to observe colors that other homeowners have combined on homes that are of similar size and design as yours. There are also online resources that provide homeowners with the ability to create virtual makeovers of their home by combining colors together through their software programs as well.
interior House Painting
This guy Joe told me he was an expert at refinishing wood doors so I hired him but he wanted to paint the whole house to make it worth it. He then sent two Hispanics. Only one of whom spoke English . They painted the house left a huge mess then painted my mahogany doors with primer. The next day they painted them brown thus ruining about 5000 dollars in doors .I was at work in the four hours it took them to ruin my doors. Never leave anyone alone without watching. That was my mistake. The owner Joe refused to fix them and was such a crazed person shaking and starting to cry so I paid him 4000 dollars to go away. A week later that ugly brown paint bubbled up. Again I texted him the pictures and asked him to fix them. He refused . I plan on taking them to small claims court. He is not what he says he is. He actually didn't touch my house he has no idea how to refinish wood doors. Please come by and see my awful paint job at 615 SE 26th Ave. Ft. Lauderdale ,Fl 33301 Observe closely the brown paint over white primer showing through. So embarrassing.
Pressure washing, scraping, stripping, sanding–it’s dirty, hard work. In fact, greater than fifty percent of the time spent working on a home’s exterior finish should be devoted to surface preparation. This kind of preparation is particularly important here in New England where we experience such a wide range of weather. Historic homes (100-400 years old) are especially vulnerable because their thicker layers of paint become impermeable and too brittle to flex with seasonal changes of humidity and temperature. http://m.www.youtube.com/embed/b6_WEt9k_Hw
State your expectations. The number of coats a painter applies isn’t the only factor in determining the quality—and price—of the project. Preparation is also key. If you want a surface that’s free of unevenness from past paint jobs, tell the contractors—and be prepared to pay extra. But if you can live with some imperfections, agree on what level of prep is acceptable and what isn’t.
Not only careful communication is essential, but we would greatly recommend, when you pick out your type and brand of paint that you go and pay for it, with the contractor's discount, which is given by Sherwin-Williams and most paint companies. Then you will know how much paint you purchased and the coverage. If it is possible, inspect the work of the painter daily.
