How to Choose a Professional Painter for Your Renovation
So, you are doing a home renovation! That is exciting! (And probably slightly overwhelming at this particular moment in time.) Painting is always a significant component of a home renovation because there is nothing that has the ability to refresh and revitalize a space more than a fresh coat of paint.
However, you need to have a professional painter doing the work to guarantee that it doesn't look like a sloppy mess. Plus, correctly painting your home assists in defending it from the elements. While you may have considered DIY-ing it, that can take a very long time and can easily delay the rest of the renovations.
If you are looking for some tips to make sure that your walls are painted perfectly, read on to learn how to choose a professional painter for your renovation.
1. Understand what your professional painting needs are.
While some people like to tackle painting jobs on their own, many homeowners recognize that professional painters have the skill and experience to do the work in the best manner.
Professional painters are able to paint all surfaces and ensure that they are prepped (for example, stripping wallpaper, sanding wood) before being worked on. They also will source and obtain materials and give you advice on colours and finishes (if you want it!).
If you are doing a home renovation, you may want to hire a professional painter for any and all of your interior and exterior painting jobs that you don't have the ability to do yourself.
Generally, painters charge by the surface area they are working on and the level of ability that is required. For this reason, it is crucial that you know what you want up front and where you want the work to be done. This will make the job run more efficiently and will save you money in the long run.
While you can potentially save some money by doing the painting on your own, hiring a professional painter will ensure that the project is done better and faster, preserving your precious time and energy to focus on other parts of the renovation and aspects of your life.
2. Know at what point in the renovation you will need professional painting services.
As you are doing a renovation, there are going to be plenty of other steps involved in your home makeover than just painting. For this reason, it is crucial to lay out a schedule of the phases of the project to ensure that you are doing everything in the appropriate order.
Many people preach that the painting step should always come first; however, this isn't necessarily the best option. If you are installing new carpeting, then you want to get the painting completed before, even though professional painters can take steps to protect the carpet.
However, if you are refinishing or installing new floors, you want to make sure they are completed before you hire a painter as the dust from the floors can easily stick to fresh paint. Similarly, you want to wait until after the remodelling is finished to bring out the paint cans because all the ripping out and installing that takes place can easily chip or damage your new wall paint.
Last but not least, you don't want to call in professional painters until you have an absolute idea of the vibe and style of the room. You need to know what colour you want the floors or walls to be and ensure that the paint works well with the furnishings and accessories that will be in the room.
3. Ask around your neighbourhood for recommendations.
The best way to find a professional painter is through your network. If you know friends or family recently had painting work done in their homes, ask them about their experience with their painter and whether or not they would recommend them for you to use. Finding a painter this way is fantastic because you have the approval of their work and professionalism from someone you trust.
However, it isn't always possible to locate a painter in this way and, therefore, the Internet (your extended network of slightly less intimate friends and family) comes into play.
Search for the best professional painters in your area and read reviews about their skills and levels of professionalism. After all, the painters are going to be spending a decent amount of time in your home, so you want them to be friendly and trained as well as efficient with their time, and excellent painters.
Usually, professional painters will want to come to your home to determine your requirements and to produce an appraisal for the work that needs to be done. Don't choose a painter who merely writes up costs on a scrap of paper. Instead, you want to work with someone who provides you with a written contract and specifications that detail the reach of the project, the supplies they will utilize, and the amount of prep work for which they will be responsible.
When speaking with a professional painter, find one who works within your budget, accommodates the style and vibe of your home, and has specific expertise in the kinds of surfaces you need to be painted. To ensure that you are working with someone reliable and with experience, hire a professional painter who has been in business for at least two years.
Doing a home renovation can be an overwhelming undertaking, so it is crucial to hire workers who are going to get the job done on time and within budget — you certainly don't want to be hiring people who are making it more stressful than necessary.
To ensure that you get the best painter possible, spend some time on the above steps and do your research regarding potential options. Remember that you will often have to balance costs, schedules and quality, so weigh which is the most significant to you and then work from there.
Have you recently had a home renovation, or needed a professional painter? What was the process that you took to choose one? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments below!
Author Bio
Ralph El Eid is the Business Development Manager at COLORTEK - Wall & Floor Fashion. EQUIPAINT is the franchise owner of COLORTEK in Dubai (U.A.E.) and Doha (Qatar); an international paints manufacturer specializing in the widest range of decorative paints and seamless concrete & resin flooring, with a unique showroom concept, and thus an ideal destination for homeowners, consultants, architects, interior designers and paint applicators.