Let’s cut to the chase here. Hiring an expert crew to paint your home inside or out isn’t cheap. Given the amount of time, labor, and product needed for a great result, it can’t be. But a professional exterior paint job is tremendously valuable for boosting curb appeal and extending your property’s longevity. When it’s time to hire a painter, it’s essential to know what their work includes.
The Pacific Northwest can be rough on exterior paint. But the Bella Vista Painting and Drywall team is here to help. With highly-trained employees and top-tier tools and products, we stand behind our work with confidence and enthusiasm. And you can rest assured that you’re receiving excellent results to boost your home’s value. Contact us today for your free estimate.
The True Value of a Professional Exterior Paint Job
Although the DIY route is always an option for painting your home, it is unlikely to offer you significant savings once you factor in all the steps. Between the prep work, cleanup, and tool needs, tackling this project on your own may cost virtually as much as hiring an expert. And it’s almost guaranteed to take more time.
When you gather bids for your exterior paint job, you will see that they account for many different pieces of the project. Here are some of the most critical items usually included in an estimate.
Surface Preparation and Repairs
The first step in any professional exterior paint job is surface preparation. Your paint results will only be as good as this prep work, so do not try to cut costs by skipping it. Preparation should include cleaning the surface to be painted and removing any loose paint or debris. The painters may power wash, sand, or scrape to ensure the new paint adheres properly.
Part of this process also involves assessing the property’s exterior for damage. If there is dry rot, brick damage, or another issue, you or the painting contractor will need to handle that first. The time and labor for these repairs will be part of your estimate. One significant benefit to hiring a professional painting company is their network of qualified experts to take care of repairs if needed.
Depending on the age of your home or business, you also may need to test for lead in the existing paint. This step should happen before any other prep work begins to protect everyone working on the project.
Purchasing the Primer and Paint
You will need a significant amount of paint for an exterior paint job on your home or business. Property owners are often surprised by how much is required.
Hiring a professional painting contractor means you don’t have to worry about measuring your square footage, purchasing the primer and paint, or getting it to your project site. Furthermore, professional painters have access to different pricing. They are likely to use higher quality paint products than many homeowners want to buy, giving you an even more valuable result.
Application
For some properties, the actual paint application part of the job is the shortest step. The preparation and repairs may require more time than painting. But no matter how long it takes, you’ll need the right tools for application. Buying or renting sprayers, rollers, and brushes adds up quickly.
Your professional crew will have everything they need to finish your exterior paint job beautifully. Additionally, they’ll have the necessary drop cloths to protect your landscaping and hardscaping from drips and splatters.
For most homes and businesses, you aren’t using only one color. It’s common for exterior paint jobs to include up to four different colors for the main structure, accents, and trim. Your contractor will handle all of this for you.
After your contractor finishes the main application, they’ll take the time to do a quality check and complete any needed touchups.
Cleanup
Let’s be honest. Cleaning up is often the worst part of any home improvement project. After toiling and fretting to get things just right, you’re ready to celebrate a job well done.
And then you remember you still have a few hours of cleaning up to do. Cleanup is no fun, but lucky for you, the estimate from a professional painter should include cleaning the job site so that it looks as good as new. They should remove all tools and debris so that the only thing you need to do is admire your gorgeous new paint job.
Can I Do Some of These Tasks Myself To Cut Costs?
Different contractors will have different answers to this question. Some will let you do the prep work, paint purchasing, and clean up and will reflect that in their estimates. Others prefer to handle everything from start to finish so that there aren’t any surprises in the project’s progress and timeline.
If you and your contractor agree that you will do some of the work to lower the cost, here are some crucial things to consider:
- Timing: If you are responsible for completing the preparation and buying the paint but don’t finish before the painters arrive, your project may be delayed. Exterior paint season in the Pacific Northwest moves quickly, and painters must stay on schedule. If you don’t handle your portion on time, they may have to try to fit you in later.
- Labor: When surface preparation involves repairs, you may need to hire a handyperson or contractor to complete them. If you can’t find someone to do the work in time, or they don’t do a good enough job, the painting crew can’t paint your house. This situation can cause tremendous stress and delays. When your painting contractor is in charge of this, they already have a strong referral network to pull from to ensure timely, quality work.
- Warranty: We can’t stress this enough: before you take on any of the responsibilities for your paint job, clarify the painting company’s warranty. Many companies will not honor a warranty on the paint job if they don’t do the preparation. And that makes sense. They can’t guarantee the quality of a project when someone else does half the work.
Bella Vista Is Ready To Go To Work
Homeowners and business owners in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, and surrounding areas trust Bella Vista as their go-to professional painting company. For interior or exterior work, our friendly team delivers excellent quality. All you need to do is pick your colors – and we can even help you with that!! Reach out today for an estimate and to get on our schedule.
