In this article, we are going to explore the best time to paint the exterior of your house. We will cover some of the pros and cons of each part of the year so you can pick the right time of the year that works for you, your budget, and your house painting project goals.

Best Time Of Year To Paint The Outside

Figuring out the best time of the year to paint the outside is a challenge. You have to consider the weather, precipitation, and the temperature during the day and the night. Let’s look at the various seasons and explore the benefits and disadvantages to having your Lansing house painted during those times.

Pros And Cons of Painting Exterior In Spring

Spring is roughly defined as April, May and June. The spring is hit or miss when it comes to painting your home’s exterior in Michigan.

In March and April it may not be warm enough to begin painting. For exterior paint to properly adhere to the house, it needs to be at least 50 degrees Fareinheit and should not drop below 32 degrees at night for several days. In April, it is possible for it to be warm enough during the day, but at night the temperature will drop too low. As a result, the paint will form a good film.

May is a warm enough month to paint, but projects are often setback by inclement weather and rain. Paint needs time to dry and for the best results, the paint should have tried at least 24 hours before it rains.

If you are hiring a professional painting company in Lansing, you may find your project getting pushed back or rescheduled in May. This is common and a natural occurrence when dealing with the rain.

Pros:

• Since the season is just starting, you have more scheduling options when working with a painting company.
• You can find discounts as painters look to put jobs on their books.
• The project is done and you can enjoy your new exterior throughout the summer and fall.

Cons:

• It may not be warm enough to paint the outside of your house in the early Spring months.
• Frequent delays or rescheduled because of inclement Spring weather that brings rain showers.

Painting the Exterior In Summer

The summer months are prime time for painting the outside of your house in Lansing and Metro Detroit. Summer is roughly defined as late June, July, August and early September.

In the Summer months, rain and low temperatures are not an issue at all. Most rain in the lower parts of Michigan like Lansing and Detroit are concentrated in May, June, and September.

Weather is still an issue in the summer months. Instead of low temperatures, professional painters have to monitor high temperatures. In the peak of the Summer, day time temperature is generally too hot to paint.

Instead, painting contractors need to start the job early in the morning, and depending on the size of the job, they come back in the late afternoon or evening to finish the project.

When exterior paint is applied in hot temperatures, the paint is baked. Too high temperatures cause the paint to dry too fast. The paint never gets a chance to properly adhere to the surface, which leaves a homeowner with a cracked, peeled or blistered exterior.

This tends to be more of a problem when trying to paint vinyl or aluminum siding than painting exterior brick house.

Pros:

• Fewer weather and temperature delays or setbacks when compared to Spring months.
• Still plenty of time to enjoy your painting project.

Cons:

• Prime season for Michigan painting contractors. Painting companies in Lansing or Detroit may be too busy to schedule you in.
• Painting in hot months causes the paint to crack, peel, or blister if the job is not done at the right time of the day.

Painting Your Exterior In The Fall

Fall months are another excellent time of the year to paint your house’s exterior. The Fall season is defined as late September, October and November.

Many of the same kinds of issues in Spring are found in the Fall months. For example, it can get too cold at night for paint to properly adhere and form a film. However, jobs can be completed during the day and do not need to be split if the project is too large.

The biggest downfall with the Fall months is that if you schedule too late into the season, it is possible for the weather to change and your project must get pushed off into the Spring. So, if you are thinking of having your exterior house painted in the Fall, consider trying to place it in September or early October.

Anything later and you run the risk of the project getting delayed until Spring.

Pros:

• Weather is rarely an issue and projects are completed in a single go.
• You may find discounts if painters try to book jobs into late fall.

Cons:

• You run the risk of your project being pushed into the Spring.
• You may find painters are too busy to schedule your project as they try to complete jobs booked in the Summer.

Painting Your Exterior In Winter

It is too cold to complete any painting jobs during the winter months. In many parts of Michigan, painting companies stop painting around the end of October.

This can vary any given year. Some years, painting contractors are able to complete painting jobs in November. Other years, doors are closed in early October.

Takeaway

The best time of the year to paint the exterior of your house is in the Summer and Fall. Specifically, during the months of May through September. This gives Michigan roughly a five to six month exterior painting season.

Since these are prime painting months, the only downside is making sure that you are able to get your project scheduled. Finding reliable painting contractors has been a challenge for most homeowners.

Robinson Painting Co is dedicated to helping homeowners complete their exterior painting projects by connecting them with a Lansing painting contractor that is part of our referral network.

The post Best Time Of Year To Paint House Exterior In Michigan appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

Good question.

The answer is most likely, yes. However, we are going to lay out some factors to consider before you make the right decision for you.

Difference In Interior and Exterior Painting

While painting is painting at the end of the day, the differences between exterior painting and interior painting is in the details.

For example, on a simple level painting companies need to use a different type of paint for the exterior and interior. On a more detailed level, the preparation work is different.

With interior painting, the paint is often being applied to drywall that has already been painted. In some cases, interior painting companies may paint wood, like old wood trim. Exterior painters are often painting different materials such as brick, vinyl, or wood. In addition to the material difference, there is often more damage to the exterior due to the elements.

When it comes to using a Lansing interior painter to paint the exterior of your home, you want to consider a few elements and qualifications.

Do They Have The Knowledge?

Exterior painting requires a different kind of knowledge. The biggest question is does your painter have that knowledge?

While it is not a total deal killer, as many painters can learn from paint representatives at stores like Sherwin-Williams. It is nice, though, if they have some knowledge about basic exterior paint application.

To test for this, consider how your painting contractor talks when discussing an exterior bid estimate. There is no clear cut answer, so go with your gut.

Some unknowledgeable exterior painters will remain silent so they do not reveal what they do not know. Others will try to talk and share a ton of detail to show as if they know what they are doing.

Again, go with your gut on this.

Do They Have The Experience?

The easiest way to see if your interior painter can paint your exterior is to ask if they have done it before. Second, ask if they have any pictures of work they have done.

As they say, “the proof is in the pudding.” One sure fire way to know if your interior painter can paint your exterior is if they have experience doing it.

You want to know if your Lansing painter has painted a home similar to yours. Ideally, that means the same exterior siding and condition.

For example, if you have wood siding, you want to make sure they have experience painting wood siding. If you have aluminum siding, then make sure they have experience painting aluminum siding.

Are You Hiring a Lansing Painting Company?

Much of the article thus far focused on independent painting contractors. It assumes that you hired an individual and independent contractor to paint the interior of your home.

For that reason, it is important to make sure that your interior painter has enough knowledge and experience in painting exteriors before you hire them to paint your home.

But…

…What if you plan to hire a painting company? Often, large painting companies have enough painters on staff or that they contract with to have different painters with focused specialities. For example, half of their painters may focus on interior painting while the other half focus on exterior painting.

At the Robinson Painting Co. we contract with enough Lansing painters to meet the needs of homeowners. We can help you with your interior paint projects and your exterior paint projects.

The post Can My Lansing Interior Painter Do The Exterior? appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

For many, an exterior brick home is outdated and there is a strong desire to bring the home into the 21st Century and make it modern.

In this article, we’re going to share with you the basics of how to paint exterior brick house. Painting an exterior brick house has many similarities to other siding options, like vinyl or aluminum, but there are also several differences you have to account for.

If you don’t love the look of your brick home, unfortunately, brick is extremely expensive to repair and replace. Plus, you would lower the R-factor of your home if you replaced your brick siding.

The most cost-effective way for updating your brick exterior is by painting. It is a simple, cost-effective, and a modern solution.

Painting your exterior brick house is a four step process:

Prep the exterior and the house
Protect the exterior
Paint the exterior brick house
Clean up

Let’s dig into each of these steps so you feel confident painting your exterior brick house. We’re also going to share how much it might cost to paint your house by yourself versus hiring a painting company.

#1: Prepare The Brick Exterior

Before you run up to the store and grab the paint cans, brush, or paint sprayer, you need to make sure your brick exterior is properly prepared, cleaned, and in good condition.

In the painting industry, we have an old adage that says, “most of the work in a painting job is in the prep work.”

That’s because properly preparing the brick exterior will result in better job quality and ensure the paint job lasts longer.

Make sure your brick exterior is free of dirt, dust, cobwebs, mildew and efflorescence. When water containing dissolved salts evaporates, the salts are pulled to the surface of the brick. The brick has this white salty look to it that should be cleaned off the brick.

The best way to clean your brick exterior house is to use a pressure washer. If you’re in need of a pressure washer, you can rent one from a hardware store for roughly $83 per day.

Once you’ve pressure washed the home, wait 24 hours before painting the brick exterior.

To get a good painting result, the brick must be dry.

Note: if for some reason it rains, make sure to wait 24 hours before painting your brick exterior. The brick must be dry in order to properly adhere to the brick exterior surface.

After your brick is dry, it’s time to assess the brick and mortar for loose mortar and damaged bricks. If you have any holes in your mortar or brick, fill the holes with a mortar repair caulk or another similar product.

If your bricks are seriously damaged, you may need to contact a mason to repair and fix the bricks.

#2: Protect The Exterior

Once your brick exterior is prepared, it’s time to protect the exterior. This means removing items, such as shutters, light fixtures, and mailboxes.

It’s not required to remove these items, but it can make your painting job a little bit easier and faster. Otherwise, you’ll have to cover these items to protect them or use a paint brush to cut around them.

Next, if you’re painting around windows or doors, you’ll want to use some tape to protect yourself from painting the trim. If you’re using a sprayer, you will need to cover the entire window and trim to avoid overspray.

Lastly, lay drip cloths down over plants and landscaping that you don’t want any paint on. It’s a good idea to water your plants and landscaping before laying drip cloths over them.

#3: Paint The Exterior Brick House

There are two main ways to paint the exterior of your brick home — using a brush and roller or a paint sprayer. For most DIY homeowners, it’s better to use a brush and roller than overcome the learning curve using a paint sprayer.

For small to midsize projects — houses under 2,00 square feet — you can paint the house with a brush and roller. Any home above 2,000 square feet may require a paint sprayer.

Once you’re ready to paint, you should start at the roof line. It’s a good idea to work your way from top to bottom when it comes to house painting.

If you’re painting by hand, make sure to paint across the bricks and shove the brush into the mortar. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in brick that you have to make sure is covered. Once you cut in the entire house, the roof line, around doors, windows, and the bottom, you are ready to roll the paint.

You’re gonna need to use a ¾” brush. You want something that is designed for rough surfaces.

Roll the paint onto the brick for the first coat. Wait the recommended time between coats, generally four hours.

Calculate Your Paint Costs

If you’re planning to go the DIY exterior painting route, a majority of your costs are in paint. Before you can start your project, you need to figure out how many gallons of paint you will need.

The average exterior paint gallon is $40 to $80 per gallon and generally covers 200 to 400 square feet when it comes to brick exterior.

To calculate your needed gallons, you need to find the square footage of the surface that’s being painted. This is relatively simple and is done using multiplication, addition, and subtraction.

Looking at the front of your house, measure the height and the width. Multiply the height and width to find the square footage of a side.

Do the same thing for the rest of the sides and add up the total.

From there, subtract the square footage for windows and doors. Often, you can subtract 15 square feet for a window and 25 square feet for a door.

So, let’s say you’ve done the math and figured your brick exterior house is 950 square feet. At roughly 250 square feet per gallon, you’re going to need four gallons.

At $80 per gallon, your total paint cost is $320.

Of course, if you’re painting yourself, you also need to factor in material costs — paintbrushes, protective gear, pressure washer, and more.

Cost To Hire Painting Contractor For Brick House

Hiring a professional painter in Lansing and Detroit to paint your one-story brick exterior house will typically cost around $2,100, give or take.

Of course, larger homes are priced higher. If this seems a bit of a sticker shock to you, it’s understandable. Keep in mind that you’re not just paying for the paint when you hire a painting contractor. You’re also paying for the necessary materials, the contractor’s time, experience, and wages.

When you contact a Lansing painting contractor, you will find prices all across the board. Some that seem cheaper and some that seem too expensive.

In general, the price you receive is often a function of experience, references, insurance, and guarantees. You don’t want to have to pay to get everything redone if you’re not happy the first time or if your painting contractor ghosts you.

Is Painting Exterior Brick House Worth the Cost?

Despite the cost, is painting your exterior brick house worth the cost? Absolutely.

First, the durability and appearance of brick typically means they sell for six to ten percent more than other homes. Second, painting the exterior house can increase your home’s value.

You’re bound to stand out from the rest of the block when you paint your brick exterior.

At the end of the day though, whether it’s worth it or not is based on more than a financial outcome. If you fall in love with your home all over again, then it’s worth it.

#4: Clean Up And Reinstall

Once you’re done painting, it’s time to clean up. That means removing tape, drip cloths, and plastic coverings. Clean your brushes and roller. Most homeowners choose to let the pan, brush and roller dry out and then just trash them.

After four to 24 hours, reinstall items you took off the house. This is a great time to update light fixtures, shutters or anything else you’ve been thinking about changing.

Extra paint can be painted on a flat piece of drywall to dry out and trash or you can store the paint cans in a dry, moderate temperature place in case you ever need to use it as a touch up.

Afraid to Try On Your Own?

There you have it. That’s the simple four step process to painting your brick exterior.

If you’re afraid to do this on your own, then look no further than Robinson Painting Co. With our network of qualified exterior painting contractors, we can transform an old home into a modern masterpiece. We can paint your Detroit or Lansing brick houses.

Whether you’re thinking about selling your home or just want to love your home again, we can help you with your exterior brick house painting job.

We’re passionate and professional and will make sure that you have the best possible experience. We love to make homeowners happy. We offer flexible payment options, color consultations, and design advice to serve you better.

The post How to Paint Exterior Brick House appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

… at least not in the way you think.

Let me explain this in some detail. Prior to founding a painting company, I worked as a real estate agent and still retain my real estate license.

During my career, I earned a pricing strategy advisor certification which meant I have additional training and knowledge when it comes to determining home values.

I bring this up to provide my background and experience when it comes to both painting and home valuations.

How Are Home Values Determined?

Before we begin talking about whether an exterior paint job can increase your home’s value, it’s important to spend some time talking about how home values are determined.

By and large, most single-family residential properties are valued based on a past sales comparison approach. The method involves finding similar homes that sold in the last three, six or twelve months and then accounting for the differences between the homes.

So, for example, if you have two homes, with one being 2,000 sq ft and another being 1,800, then the bigger home is worth more — assuming all other variables are equal.

This applies to size, location, condition, and so many more variables. Home’s are expected to be in a certain condition when sold and most try to look their best.

Main point: the lack of curb appeal, siding in poor condition, or siding that is damaged is more likely to reduce your home’s value than increase your home’s value.

Does Exterior Paint Add Value?

Based on these real estate principles, a home’s value is most likely to be reduced if the home’s exterior condition is poor.

If, however, your home’s exterior and siding is in fair condition, then it’s unlikely to increase your home’s value very much. For example, changing your home’s exterior from white to gray will make very little difference.

It could increase the home’s value by some, but you’re certainly not going to increase your home’s value by the cost of painting your home’s exterior.

How Much Does The Exterior Matter?

Since poor siding is more likely to reduce your home’s value, the question becomes, “by how much will my home’s value be decreased if I don’t paint the exterior?”

There’s really two different valuation decreases that occur: (1) the appraiser will make a general condition adjustment and (2) the market — home buyers — will make another adjustment. Generally, the home buyer adjustment is much steeper.

Generally, the home’s value will decrease by the cost to repair or replace the siding of your home.

Let’s say through a cost-sales comparison method, you’ve determined that your home is worth $250,000. However, your siding is in poor condition. Some of the boards need to be replaced. They’re warped or rotted.

The market factors in the cost to repair these damages, let’s say $10,000, and then reduces your home’s value by that much. In this example, your home is worth $240,000.

Buyers Are No Good At Estimating

Here’s the thing… home buyers aren’t very good at estimating. Often, most home buyers double the cost of the actual job or overestimate the amount of work that is needed.

As a result, home buyers tend to reduce your home’s value far more than an appraiser will.

For example, if the actual costs to fix your home’s exterior is $3,000, then a buyer is likely to estimate around $6,000.

Perhaps, your home could be fixed by replacing a few boards and painting the home. A home buyer is likely to assume that the entire siding needs to be replaced. A far more costly project than painting your home’s exterior.

Fresh Coats Of Exterior Paint Matter

Does painting my exterior increase my home’s value? It will increase your home’s value to the market value if you have an exterior that is in poor condition.

It’s worth repairing and painting your home if you plan to sell the home. Otherwise, I wouldn’t paint your home on the basis that it improves your home’s value.

There are many other reasons why you might want to and should paint your home’s exterior.

Make Home, Home

One of the major reasons homeowners choose to paint their home is for personal preference. Perhaps they don’t like the old, outdated yellow siding or they want to modernize their brick home.

Either way, personal preference is a major reason to paint your home’s exterior. While it may not increase your home’s value by much, it will certainly add to the curb appeal if you decide to sell.

But more importantly, it will make a house feel like home. It makes home, home.

Protect Your Home

If your home looks weathered, especially if you have wood siding, a fresh coat of paint can protect your home’s exterior. A quality exterior paint adds a layer of protection from the sun, rain, weather, insects, and more. A good quality paint job can go a long way in preventing serious exterior problems in the future.

Paint The Outside Of My Home

You’re likely to read information around the web that says a fresh exterior paint job will increase your home’s value. It certainly can, but it’s dependent on the condition of your home’s exterior in the beginning.

A fresh exterior paint job will improve the home value of a home with a poor exterior. On the other hand, a home with an exterior that is in good condition will have very little value increase.

The post Painting My Exterior: Will It Increase My Home’s Value? appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

Really, the framework we’re sharing is applicable to hiring almost any contractor — from drywall specialists, to Lansing junk removal, to plumbers, to painters.

The goal of the framework is to find the best painting contractor for you based on your goals, outcomes, needs, and budget. Your neighbor’s painting company might not be the right fit for you. Or, they might be.

It’s this framework that helps you decide. Of course, we hope that Robinson Painting Co is the right company for you, but we know that we’re not for everybody. And, that’s okay.

Without further ado, let’s go.

Step #1: Google Round Up

The first step in hiring a Lansing painter is to start with a general, basic rudimentary search process. Often Google is a great place to start.

In step one, your objective is to gather as many potential painting companies as possible. For example, you could go to Google and run a quick search for things like, “Lansing Painters” or “Lansing Painting Companies”.

Now, Google won’t pull up all of the possible painting contractors in your area. Instead, you need to use a few additional strategies and it may involve moving offline to find more painters.

To add more painting contractors to your list, you can browse sites like YELP, HomeAdvisor, and Thumbtack. On these sites you will find additional painting contractors that you didn’t find on Google.

Next, go to Facebook and start looking for Lansing painters. On Facebook, you can try a few different methods.

• Post a general ISO request on your wall so your friends and family can see it.
• Browse and search in a local community group. Type in keywords like “painters”.
• Post a general ISO request inside a local community Facebook Group.

Through this, you should have a lengthy list.

If you prefer non-tech options, reach out directly to your friends and family to see if there is anyone they would recommend.

A Hidden Method

A funny thing happens when you’re looking for a house painter. The brain gets primed and starts paying attention to various marketing from Lansing painters.

Yards signs are a perfect example. When you’re not looking for a painting company, these signs are usually ignored. You don’t think anything of them.

However, as soon as you’re in the market for a Lansing painter, you start to notice yard signs that are advertising painting companies.

Generally, you will see yard signs for exterior painters only. If you’re looking for an interior painter, these yard signs might not provide you with potential painters if the painters work exclusively in the exterior painting market.

Step #2: Narrow The List

Great, you have a list. Now comes the filtering part. At this point in the process, do some basic research into the company and see if they are a good fit for you.

At this stage, you’re trying to discover information like pricing, reviews, a website, workmanship, and any negative complaints on BBB, Google, or other places.

Your goal is to ask yourself, “Can they do the painting job I need them to do?”

Only you really know what you’re looking for in a painter. So, if there is an aspect that is important to you, find a way to look for it in your research process so you can filter out the companies and contractors that won’t be a good fit for you.

For example, some homeowners prefer to work with a small solo painting contractor because they feel they will get a better quality for less cost. These homeowners will immediately eliminate any painting companies.

On the other hand, there is another set of the market that wants to work with a company. This way, if an individual painter gets sick, their job won’t get pushed back.

Ideally, you should narrow your list down to about three to five options. Preferably three. Anything more than five is too large. You can keep their names around in case your first three don’t work out, but I wouldn’t contact more than three to five.

Step #3: Estimates

Armed with your small list of potential painters, it’s time to contact them.

Ideally, you will get a hold of every painter on your list, but that might not happen. A certain percentage will go to voicemail, another percentage will answer the phone, and a certain percentage will never contact you back.

Invite these companies out to provide you with a quote or an estimate. Now, there are a few things to expect when you’re getting an estimate.

What To Expect During An Estimate

You can have a wide range of experiences when it comes to getting an estimate. But, I’d say that most experiences are summarized in three different categories.

First, you have the painting contractor or company that impressed you on the phone, but they fail to deliver when it comes to the estimate. They might show up super late, keep you uninformed, or look unpresentable. They can be just one of these or a combination of all three.

Either way, these painting contractors are typically eliminated from being hired no matter the cost of their painting estimate.

The second group is the opposite. These painters are presentable, show up on time and keep you informed. Their estimating process is really quick and easy. They are at your home for about 15 to 30 minutes and then give you a quote.

These types of painting companies or contractors rarely walk you through their process, what you’re paying for when you hire them, and just keep things focused on the quote.

Third, you have painting companies that show up on time, are presentable, and offer guidance during the estimation process. They will take measurements, but also talk to you about the project, like potential issues and the process they go through to complete your project.

If you’re not happy with the Lansing painters you had come out to give you an estimate, go back to your list and pick the next two to three painters. Try again and repeat the process.

Step #4: Book the Job

Lastly, go through and pick the painting contractor that will meet your needs, project outcomes, and is within your budget.

Every so often, you will have painting contractors that come out to give you an estimate, take measurements, and promise to send you a quote, but never do. Understand this is normal and part of the process. These companies are a small minority.

Once you’ve selected Lansing painters, you can expect them to start the job within two to six weeks. In the current market, a four to eight week timeline has become the norm.

There are just too few painters and a higher level of demand.

Hire Lansing Painter

If you’re looking for a Lansing painter, consider getting in touch with us to get an estimate. Our network of vetted painting contractors means you don’t have to do all of the work finding the best painters. We’ve done it for you.

Get a quote today!

The post How To Hire A Lansing Painter appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

There are some real benefits and disadvantages either way you go.

In this post, we’ll look at some of the factors to consider to help you decide if you should paint your exterior house yourself or hire a professional exterior house painting contractor.

Let’s roll (pun intended).

How Much Does an Exterior House Cost To Paint?

The biggest reason many homeowners consider painting their exterior home is to save money. The average professional exterior house painter charges roughly around $4,000 to paint the exterior of a 2,500 square-foot home, according to some sources around the web.

At Robinson Painting Co, our “quick and dirty method” is based on the total square footage of the exterior of a home.

Our contractors will pace the sides of your home and then multiply by 10 for a single story house and 20 for a single story home. So, for example, if one side of your home is 30 feet wide and is two stories, we will multiply it by 20 to get 600 square feet.

If we do that for all four sides and use our painting rates, we can find the cost to paint a home. A two-story home that is 30×30 is approximately 1,800 square feet livable space.

In this example, the cost to paint the home — just the siding and excluding the eaves, trim, etc. — is about $2,000.

Keep in mind that a large part of this cost is in the paint. In the example we provided, we estimate that it would take about 10 to 15 gallons of paint to paint the home, depending on what color we’re painting over.

At an average $50 per gallon on paint, that’s $500 to $750 in paint. So, if you’re considering painting your exterior, you’re going to save on the labor. In this case, about $1,500 to $1,250.

However, this number can vary greatly depending on the exterior house painting company that you hire and the averages you’re using to try to calculate how much money you might save by going the DIY exterior house painting route.

Hidden Costs

To do a proper exterior house painting job, there is a lot more involved than just painting. One factor that many homeowners considering a DIY route don’t think about is the prep work.

If you want your exterior house painting job to last for multiple years, then you need to take the necessary steps to prepare the surface for painting. That means a uniform, clean, rough surface that the paint or primer can adhere to.

Part of the prep work that goes into any exterior house paint job is pressure washing. Pressure washing a home will remove all of the dirt and build up from over the years, as well as any moss that is on your home’s exterior.

You have to consider the cost of equipment to properly prepare the home for painting. On the lowest end, you can rent a pressure washer and get your siding cleaned for one-hundred ($100) to two-hundred dollars ($200).

The hidden costs in getting a home ready for paint will eat away at your savings. Most professional exterior house painting companies include prep work, like pressure washing, in their estimate.

Do You Have Exterior Painting Equipment?

Next, ask yourself if you have all of the equipment to complete your exterior house painting project. For a single-story ranch home with wood siding, you can gather everything you need to paint a home’s exterior yourself.

On the other hand, imagine the equipment needed to paint a two-story brick exterior. You’re going to need:

• Ladders
• Paint brushes
• Paint Sprayer
• Possible Scaffolding

The biggest one is a paint sprayer. For some house siding styles, you can get away with using a paint brush and a roller — although it’s much slower. On other siding styles, like brick, it’s far better to use a paint sprayer rather than trying to paint brick exterior with a roller.

It’s never fun to start a home project, get all set up, only to realize you don’t have all of the tools or equipment you need to successfully complete the project.

Avoid this mistake when it comes to painting your home’s exterior. Anything above a single story, I definitely recommend that you hire a reliable exterior house painting company.

What Does Your Schedule Look Like?

Over the recent years, there has been a labor shortage in many industries, including the house painting industry. As a result, many painting companies are either super, crazy booked and trying to get a spot is nearly impossible or some painting companies have elected to cancel some of their services.

Where a painting company used to do both interior and exterior house painting, they may now only offer exterior painting.

Going the DIY route is attractive due to the scheduling flexibility. You do the job on a schedule that works for you. It beats having to chase down unreliable painting contractors or schedule a job that is 8 weeks out.

These are all real possibilities. With the right painting company though, they can schedule the job at a time that works better for you.

They might not be able to get it exactly to your schedule, but at least better than you expect.

Do You Have The Skill?

Painting requires some skill, but what truly separates good painters from bad painters is the prep work. Rolling a paint brush is relatively easy. However, properly addressing paint issues is another skill. One that many homeowners or novice painters lack.

For example, how do you fix a peeling paint issue and how do you prevent paint from peeling or chipping in the future?

You can try to DIY your way around this. I’ve seen many homeowners just paint right over it. That’s fine… I guess… if you want your paint job to last only a year or two.

Great prep work and the skill to prepare a home is what makes a paint job last.

How Good Do You Want It To Look?

A reputable exterior house painting company is always going to make a home look better than an inexperienced DIY homeowner. We’re not knocking on homeowners. At least, not trying to.

Rather, we’re making the argument that experience leads to better quality and a better outcome.

If you want your home to look the best it possibly can, then go the route of hiring a professional exterior house painter. Skip the DIY method. The savings just aren’t worth it.

Should I Paint My Exterior House Myself Or Hire A Professional?

We’re biased and we believe you should hire an exterior painting contractor, but there are definitely times it makes sense to paint the home yourself.

If budget is a huge concern, especially over quality, then I would encourage any homeowner to go the DIY route and paint their home themselves.

On the other hand, if you have the budget and can wait, then hiring a reliable painting contractor is definitely worth it. The right painting contractor matters. Hiring the wrong contractor can have just as much affect as doing it yourself — the headaches and frustration that comes along with it.

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