Certain home renovation jobs need the assistance of a professional. Many homeowners are hesitant to install air conditioning, create a foundation, or construct an extension. However, other chores, such as painting, appear to be calling for the do-it-yourselfer. After all, who doesn’t know how to dip a brush into paint?

Painting, however, is more difficult than it appears. As a result, many DIY painters are overjoyed when they realise it’s time to hire a painting contractor to finish the work. Let’s see what painting contractors perform, how to hire them, and how to get the greatest deal on your painting project.

What is the definition of a painting contractor?

A painting contractor might work as a contractor for a general contractor or hire itself out to the homeowner. The painting contractor is often a modest enterprise, ranging from a one-man sole proprietorship to a small corporation employing 20 or 30 painters.

How to Locate One

The majority of local painters are (as of yet, there are no nationally franchised painting contractors). While the majority of painting contractors specialise on painting, some also do plaster repairs, basic drywall work, trim and moulding, and wallpapering.

Getting a painting contractor to show up is another challenge. While this does not apply to every painter, it is unusual to find a painting contractor that will come out to look at the house and then give you a written quote. It’s not the painting contractors’ fault; rather, it’s a combination of the contractors’ modest size and great demand for their services.

Because finding information on local painting companies on the Internet is nearly hard, the cliché “speak to neighbours” applies. Some painting firms put up signs on the lawns of houses they’re working on, although this is more common with general contractors, siding, and window replacement companies. So, other from the painter’s white panel truck parked in front, you are typically unaware of what is going on inside your neighbours’ homes.

Local periodicals are common in urban areas, and many of them depict refurbished houses. These parts will list the contractor’s and sub-contractors’ names and phone numbers—but be aware that these sub-contractors are generally very high-end and pricey.

What Do You Think a Painting Contractor Would Do?

Most painting firms will take on any task, from simple window trim painting to a whole home paint. Assume, however, that they are painting your inside. Typically, you can anticipate

  • Floors, windows, kitchen worktops, and cabinets are all examples of locations that will not be painted.
  • Light sanding and scraping away loose paint, tapping in a few protruding nails, wiping up the woodwork, and using tackcloth in some locations are all examples of minor surface preparation before painting. The crucial word here is minor, because the contractor will presume the house is generally ready to paint.
  • Electrical plates, lights, doors, and other impediments must be removed.
  • To have greater access to the areas to be painted, move furniture out of the way. Because this isn’t a painter’s job, you’ll want to double-check.
  • Using an interior latex primer to prime new drywall or existing paint
  • On the walls, two coats of the colour of interior latex paint were applied.
  • Ceiling paint was applied in two coats.
  • Trim and mouldings should be painted (baseboards, window trim, window muntins, etc.).
  • Missed places are retouched.
  • Accidental cleanups (no matter how good the coverage with drop-cloths, some drips will happen).
  • The painting foreman and the homeowner give each other a final assessment.

How to Talk About Your Painting Project

You don’t need to know specialised jargon to communicate with an electrician. The majority of house painting companies are excellent at explaining things to the homeowner.

You’ll want to talk about the following topics:

  • Is the paint cost including into the estimate?
  • What kind of paint is the contractor planning to use?
  • What is the estimated number of coats that will be placed down?
  • How will the areas that aren’t paintable be protected?
  • How long do you anticipate the job taking?
  • Is it better if the residents leave the house while the work is being done?
  • Is there going to be masking tape around the trim or the cut-in method?

How much will it set you back?

more than you expected

Some painting professionals may calculate the square footage of walls and ceilings, as well as the linear footage of trim, using formulae. They’ll figure out how much time it will take to prepare as well as the “hard expenses” of primer and paint.

The majority of painters will provide you with an estimate based on their previous expertise with similar projects. While this estimate isn’t based on specifics, it’s generally a decent approximation. The only way for you, the homeowner, to know if this is a good estimate is to compare it to other contractor bids.

A large-scale interior painting project, such as the one detailed in this article, can easily cost €10,000 or more.