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.

Here is a list of some of the most famous people and their association with Lansing.

Magic Johnson

No better way to start off the list than with Magic Johnson. He is arguably the most famous person from Lansing. Earvin Magic Johnson is regarded as the greatest point guard of all time and spent his career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.

Johnson went to high school at Everett in Lansing. He attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he played college basketball. Magic Johnson has a lot of love for his hometown, where his parents still reside.

Many people may be familiar with Magic Johnson during the 90’s when he announced he had tested positive for HIV. Since retiring from basketball, Johnson has gone on to have a large amount of success in the business world. Some accomplishments include ownership of professional sports teams, 125 Starbucks units in urban areas that he later sold back to Starbucks, media companies, and more.

Larry Page

Larry Page, originally born in Lansing, is most known for his contributions as a co-founder of Google. Even though Page resides in California, Lansing is still his hometown.

Page attended and graduated from East Lansing High School in 1991 and later went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Michigan, even though his dad was a professor in computer science at Michigan State University.

After graduating college, Page went on to earn his master’s and PhD from Stanford University, where he pretty much settled and founded Google.

Steve Huffman

Steve Huffman, the co-founder of the internet forum, Reddit, was born in Lansing Michigan. However, Steve Huffman did not spend much time in Lansing.

For the most part, Steve grew up in Virginia and attended the University of Virginia where he studied computer science.

Even though he did not grow up in Lansing, we still love to recognize the fact that he was born in Lansing. Currently, Huffman calls California his home.

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds, a famous American Actor, was born in Lansing in 1936. Reynolds was considered an icon for American pop culture. Some of his most notable work includes Smokey and the Bandit, White Lightning and The Longest Yard.

Younger generations are unlikely to be as familiar with Burt Reynolds as older generations. For years, Reynolds claimed he had been born in Waycross, Georgia. In 2015, three years before his death, he stated he was actually born in Lansing. He called Lansing home until his father was drafted into the United State Army.

After his father left the Army, they settled in Florida where he eventually attended college.

It’s rather unclear why Burt Reynolds later claimed to be born in Lansing and why for so many years he claimed he was born in Georgia.

Conclusion

Lansing Michigan is where most celebrities come from, but there are still a few famous people that were born in Lansing. Famous celebrities like Magic Johnson, Larry Page, Steve Huffman, and Burt Reynolds once called Lansing home, or at least, their birth place.

The post Famous People From Lansing appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

This Capital city has a lot to offer. And, there are some great reasons for making Lansing your home.

Here are our top five reasons we love living in Lansing.

#1: Easy Access

The Greater Lansing area is set up in a way that makes accessing anything in the region relatively easy. You can drive from one side of the region to the other within 15 to 20 minutes.

For example, a resident or student in East Lansing can quickly hop on 127 to 496 and get off to arrive at Horrocks within 15 to 20 minutes. Anyone living in Grand Ledge can get to an MSU game on a beautiful fall day.

When compared to a bustling, large MSA like Detroit, it can take double that time to travel the same distance in Lansing. That means, you would be spending far more time in your car driving and commuting.

In Lansing, traffic happens but is far less common and shorter in duration than areas in Metro Detroit.

The ease of commute and access makes Lansing a great place to live.

#2: It’s The Capital

Some will disagree, but having Lansing as the Capital is beneficial. First, it provides a convenient field trip for schools and opportunities for children to learn about state and local governments. You can set up a tour through the Capital building.

Second, that makes it easier to get involved in politics. Plus, your representative is working where you live. Contrast that, for example, to a resident of the Upper Peninsula. Their representative is likely spending most of their time in Lansing.

Third, as the Capital, Lansing hosts some cool events. For example, Silver Bells is a great tradition every year. Watch a parade, see the Christmas tree get lit at the Capitol building, and participate in a 5k the following day.

Many events are held in or near the Capital every year.

#3: Cost Of Living Is Low

The cost of living in Lansing is among the lowest in Michigan, the Midwest and country. In a time where inflation is on the rise, this is a big deal.

According to BestPlaces, Lansing receives an overall cost of living of 78.6 and Michigan is 91.5 when compared to the United States. Take a look at the average housing cost. In Michigan, it’s $207,800. In Lansing, Michigan the average home costs is $125,300.

Some cities are closer to the Michigan average, but by and large, cities in the Greater Lansing area have a low cost of living. This means projects like house painting or hiring Lansing painting contractors is cheaper than in other areas.

#4: Constant Investment Into The Community

Many investments are being made in Lansing. For example, in 2022 McLaren just opened their new hospital in East Lansing. There are several apartment buildings and housing being built in East Lansing to help alleviate the housing shortage in the area.

There are several private companies that continue to invest in Lansing and East Lansing. This is expected to continue. Several projects are planned to take place over the next couple of years.

#5: Biggby Coffee

Spreading love throughout Lansing is Biggby Coffee. Originally a small coffee shop in East Lansing, this franchise company has exploded throughout Lansing.

With their loving and cheerful culture, Biggby is a great place to grab a cup of coffee. Biggby has done an excellent job spreading to other regions, but they aren’t always as easy to find as they are in Lansing.

Nothing beats a Biggby.

There you have it. These are the reasons we love living in Lansing. There are many reasons to love Lansing. And, there are some reasons to hate it, too (like the weather). But, that comes with any city. In our heart all of the pros outweigh any of the cons.

The post Top Five Reasons To Love Living In Lansing Michigan appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

Red hot.

However, once rising mortgage rates entered the picture, the real estate market began to cool off. While homes are still selling quickly, they are taking longer than most home sellers have become accustomed to.

In this article, we’re going to explore the Lansing real estate market and the relationship to Lansing painting contractors.

How Fast Are Homes Selling In Lansing?

According to data that was pulled from the Greater Lansing Association of Realtors, homes are taking roughly 23 days to sell.

That’s up 7 days from the June low at 16 days. So, homes are still selling quickly. However, we expect this number to continue to trend upward as the number of active listings is at the level it was a year ago.

More and more active listings are entering the Lansing real estate market and fewer are going pending. Meaning, less homes have offers on them.

Since days on market are often a lagging indicator, it is better to look at leading indicators. This chart pulled from Greater Lansing Association of Realtors shows that pending sales are seriously down when compared year-over-year.

Okay, so what does all of this mean for the average homeowner? Plus, how does this relate to painting? Two both really great questions.

Should I Paint My Home Before Selling It?

This data on the Lansing real estate market is important because it helps homeowners and realtors ask if they should paint a home before selling it.

Over the last year, any homeowner could pretty much sell their home quickly, regardless of the overall condition of the property. That meant homeowners didn’t need to hire Lansing painting contractors. They could skip all of that hassle.

Recently, when someone asked our painting company if they should paint before selling, we often told them no. It was rarely needed. The only time we recommended it was when, for example, the exterior paint was chipping and would need to get repainted in order to pass FHA requirements.

However, things are starting to change. The power and balance is shifting from sellers and going to the buyers. Of course, we are not all the way to conditions being favorable for buyers, but a home that needs repaired or painted may have a tougher time selling.

Many Lansing home sellers are now going to have to put in some efforts into getting their home sold. And, that might mean contacting a Lansing painting contractor to help you get your home to a neutral color palette.

Conclusion

Selling your house in 2021 and 2022 was fairly easy. All you needed to do was put it on the market and it sold for top dollar in a few days. Now that the real estate market is shifting a bit, more homeowners need to reconsider their strategy for selling their Lansing home. It might mean getting repairs done or painting your home.

If you’re looking for help with your next Lansing painting project, we can help you.

The post Real Estate Market In Lansing 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.

In this article, we’re talking about how much it costs to paint a room. We’ll dive into specific rooms — bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen — and provide some ballpark pricing.

This way, you have an idea of how much your particular project will cost. We’re also going to discuss some of the elements in the room and among painting contractors that cause prices to vary.

I’m sharing some of the industry secrets, rules of thumbs, and general knowledge that we have as painters.

Let’s get started.

Cost To Paint A Bathroom

Since bathrooms are typically the smallest room in a home, they are usually the cheapest painting project. Of course, bathroom size and style create large variances in pricing and costs.

For example, it costs more to paint a master bathroom than it does to paint a half bathroom.

Let’s break these bathroom sizes down, so you have a more concrete idea of the cost to paint a bathroom.

As a general rule of thumb, painting contractors rely on the square footage of a room — either the floor or the walls — to set their pricing for a painting job. Therefore, the larger the bathroom, the more expensive it is to paint the room.

Cost to Paint Half Bathroom

The average half bathroom, according to the web, is between 15 and 20 square feet. In our painting company, we start all estimating projects at $4 per square foot of floor space.

So, in this case, a half bathroom costs around $60 to $80 to paint. Typically, this pricing includes ONLY the walls. It excludes the ceiling and trim.

If you’re looking to have your trim and ceiling painted — especially if they’re going to be different colors or sheens — then the cost to paint a half bathroom is higher.

Now, a small half bathroom isn’t a job that is usually worth it unless the price is higher OR we set a minimum project cost. For example, at certain points of the year, like during the busy season, we won’t book a job unless it’s $300 or more.

This leaves homeowners two options: first, they could pay $300 to have their half bathroom painted. Or, second, they could add more rooms to the project, even if it’s a smaller project like another half bathroom or a full bathroom.

Every painting contractor is different. Some are happy to paint your half bathroom for less than $100 and others won’t come unless you meet their minimum project requirements.

Keep that in mind if you’re looking to have any small room in your home painted. Any room for that matter. There are some painting companies that have minimums in the thousands.

Cost To Paint Full Bathroom

On average, a full bathroom is 36 to 40 square feet. Using the same painting costs for the half bathroom — $4 per square foot — this means the average full bathroom costs $144 to $160.

Again, this is the lowest possible pricing and usually only includes the walls. Let’s say you want your trim and ceiling painted, too. In this case, the cost to paint a full bathroom is closer to $200 to $300.

It’s easier to find painting contractors that will come out to paint a full bathroom than it is to paint a half bathroom. Due to the low cost of painting a half bathroom, many painters won’t take the job.

A full bathroom includes more painting contractors. However, you might still have a hard time finding an interior painting contractor. There are still a lot of companies that won’t come out for a single job like a full bathroom.

When you’re looking at pricing for an average full bathroom, you have to separate out master bedrooms. A master bathroom tends to have more square footage than a full bathroom. Therefore, the average cost to paint a full bathroom seems more expensive than it really is, if the estimate you’re reading about includes master bathrooms.

Cost To Paint Master Bathrooms

How big are master bathrooms? There is a lot of variance in the size of a master bathroom. Some closely resemble the average full bathroom, while others are large, luxurious oases boasting 100 square feet.

As a result, there is a lot of pricing variability when it comes to master bathrooms. For master bathrooms that are closer to full bathrooms, a homeowner can use the full bathroom estimate we already covered ($200 to $300).

On the other hand, if your master bathroom is closer to 100 square feet, you can expect to pay double. The cost to paint a large master bathroom is approximately $450 to $700.

Okay, enough potty talk. Let’s turn our focus to other rooms in the home.

Cost to Paint the Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. When looking around the web, you find a large variation in the cost to paint a kitchen.

That’s for two main reasons:

There is a lot of variation in kitchen sizes
And, some estimates throw in cabinet painting

For our discussion, we’re going to exclude cabinet painting. If you’re interested in learning how much it costs to paint cabinets, you will need to do further research beyond this post. Since we don’t offer cabinet painting, we’re not going to discuss it.

Okay, you can use an average square footage rule again. For the kitchen, we recommend using the same $4 per square foot to help you estimate.

If your kitchen is 80 square feet, then expect to pay around $320 to $500. Bigger kitchens cost more to paint.

Another factor that influences the pricing of a kitchen is how much wall space you actually have. Since all kitchens have a make up of cabinets, backsplash, and appliances, the area that needs painting varies greatly.

Unfortunately, calculating a ballpark figure on your own is difficult. The best recommendation I have is to either call a painting contractor and have them come out and give you an estimate.

Or, if you can find a company that is willing to provide you a ballpark figure based on pictures and dimensions, you can get a more accurate price.

Keep in mind this figure can change when a painting contractor gives you an estimate in person, but it’s a great way to give you an idea if painting your kitchen is a project you want to pursue.

Cost to Paint A Bedroom

Just like a kitchen, a bedroom has huge variation in pricing. The culprit? Square footage. There are many different bedroom sizes, it’s hard to give you a specific number.

The best I can tell you is to expect to pay around $4 to $6 per square foot. So, a 120 square foot bedroom will cost between $480 to $720.

However, a master bedroom, which is around 240 square feet, will cost $960 to $1,440.

Your price is based on the square footage of the room and whether you’re having more than the walls painted. For example, an accent wall can increase the cost of painting your bedroom.

Bedrooms with sloped ceilings or vaulted ceilings increase price. Texture, like popcorn walls, increases the cost to paint a bedroom.

Should You DIY Paint?

With these costs, some homeowners wonder if they should opt to go the DIY route when it comes to painting inside their home.

It’s certainly an option. If you have the skill set, knowledge, and a steady hand, then painting yourself is possible.

But, I’ve also seen my fair share of DIY paint jobs that look sloppy. I’m not saying don’t go DIY, but definitely think about your skills and time.

You’re going to get a better result with a professional and reliable painting company. If budget is your primary concern, then you might want to go the DIY route.

However, we don’t recommend it.

Conclusion

There you have it. Now, you know how much it cost to paint a room. Small rooms, like half bathrooms can cost under $100 to paint, and big rooms, like a large master bedroom, can cost in the thousands to paint.

The cost of any painting job is influenced by the square footage of the room and the intricacies of the job — sloped walls, trim work, vaulted ceilings, and more. A simple paint job will always cost less than a complicated job.

Wondering how much it costs to hire an interior painting contractor? We wrote an article on that, too.

Hire a reliable painting company and fall in love with your home again. If you’re looking for a painting contractor in Lansing or Detroit, get in touch with Robinson Painting Co today.

The post How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Room? appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.

In this post, we’re sharing some of the variables that determine the overall cost of painting the interior of your home. Then, we’ll give you a more solid answer to help you get a better idea of how much an interior painter costs.

Plus, we’re sharing the estimating method we use at Robinson Painting Co. If you’re in our service area — Lansing and Detroit — and wondering how much our interior painting contractors cost near Lansing or Detroit, then read on to get a general idea of potential painting costs.

Note: we’re looking at the cost of painting a home by an interior painter — as opposed to going the DIY route. This article won’t discuss the costs of painting the interior of your house by yourself.

How Much Do Interior Painters Charge Per Hour?

The cost of an interior painting job is a function material costs (mostly paint), labor costs, and business operational overhead. These are the only three variables that influence the average cost for an interior paint job.

Labor is the most expensive cost to any interior paint job. So, getting a rough idea of how much interior painters charge per hour, gives homeowners a rough idea how much it might cost to paint the interior of a home.

According to the web, the average interior house painter earns around $17 per hour, nationally, and $15 per hour in Michigan. However, this rate is for employees and doesn’t include the real costs a painting business has to pay to hire an interior painter.

In addition to a salary or wage, the company likely incurs the cost of taxes, training, clothing, and some other items.

When you add up the total cost to a painting business, the rate is closer to $20 to $25 per hour for an interior painter.

And, that tends to be what you will find for “just starting out” independent painters who work solo. These interior painters often offer low rates to start, but will quickly increase their price as they build up their client list.

In our current market, we tend to find independent interior painters working for roughly $30 per hour.

On the other end, a painting company with a deep pool of painting contractors, that offers warranties on their work, and exceptional customer service tend to run $75 to $100 per hour.

So, there is a large range in how much an interior painter is going to charge per hour. A solo contractor is going to be less, whereas a professional painting company is going to be more.

Does Price Equal Value?

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Am I saying that you can’t get a quality job at a low price?

Absolutely not. In fact, there are plenty of affordable painting contractors that do an excellent job. However, it comes with a certain amount of risk or less value.

For example, by hiring a small independent painting contractor, you might get the same job. You might not. It’s unlikely you will get any sort of warranty or guarantee on the work.

You might have to chase your painting contractor down. They might leave their worksite a mess. The list goes on.

As a general rule, it’s safe to say that the more you pay, the greater the exchange of value. A good painting company will thoroughly explain exactly what you’re getting for what you’re paying.

While an individual painter is cheaper, they may be less reliable, hard to get a hold of, and lack customer service skills. At the end of the day, you have to strike the right balance between your budget and the quality of service you wish for.

At Robinson Painting, we tend to be among the highest. Higher than many of our competitors. That’s okay.

If you’re looking for cheap painting services and place higher emphasis on your budget over quality of workmanship and customer service, then we’re probably not a good fit for each other.

How Much Do Interior Painters Cost?

Once you have an idea of labor costs, you can start to estimate how much interior painters cost to paint your home or a single room.

The next step is to determine how many hours it would take to complete a painting job. This can also vary from painting contractor to painting company.

For a large part, the most important aspect to any painting job is the prep work, which can also be the longest part. It’s also going to vary based on what is being painted in a room.

Painting walls and not the ceiling and trim is a relatively simple job that can be completed in a few hours. On the other hand, if you want trim, ceilings, and walls painted, that takes some more time.

For example, the walls for a 10×10 room (average size room) can be painted in about 6 hours. So, if you plan to hire a professional painting company, you can expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $400 to paint a single room.

Go through that same process for each room and you’re left with the total cost of a paint job.

How We Do It At Robinson Painting

Our estimating standards are pretty clear. Note: we may have updated our pricing costs when you find this article as we’re facing strong pressure from inflation and labor shortages to raise prices.

But, here is the general idea. First, we go through this process room by room. And then add up the total cost for each room to determine the total cost to paint the interior of a home.

We start with the square footage of a room. For example, let’s say we’re looking at a master bedroom that is a 12×12 room, or 144 square feet.

Next, we determine our square footage cost. For rooms that are going to be 1 color, we multiple by $4.00. For two colors, we multiply by $4.50 and for three colors we multiply by $5.50.

So, let’s say you want the ceiling and walls painted a single color and would like the trim to be painted a different color. In this case, that’s two colors. For this, we would take the square footage and multiply it by $4.50 per square foot.

For a 144 square foot master bedroom, that brings the cost to $648.

Once we have this number, we tend to make adjustments based on various factors such as the condition of the walls, prep work needed, easiness of painting, if there are sloped ceilings or bump outs, etc.

Plus, we may give a client certain discounts based on working on our schedule or other various discounts.

Conclusion

How much does it cost to paint a home by an interior painter? It depends. In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $100 per hour for an interior painter. In our case, we tend to charge by the square footage of a room.

So, for example, a 2,000 square foot home might cost around $8,000 to paint.

The post How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Home By An Interior Painter? appeared first on Robinson Painting Company.