Should I Hire a Painter or DIY?

Painting 101: hiring a pro vs diy. CCC logo. two men painting interior wall of home.

For most homeowners, painting is a task that needs to be done from time to time. Whether it be maintaining the look of the home or refreshing where paint has worn off, painting is a job that takes time and effort but can yield impressive results. So, is it better to hire a painter or do the work yourself. In this article we’ll examine the benefits of both and help you make an informed decision.

Table of Contents

Hire a Painter vs DIY

Cost & Budgeting

Cost is always a factor when deciding to go DIY. In most ordinary cases, it’s going to be cheaper to paint your home yourself – especially when painting interior rooms. Since the cost of materials needed to paint your home are relatively inexpensive, it’s the labor costs of hiring a painter that will typically push it over the budgetary edge.

AdvantageDIY

diy painter next to professional painter. text reads DIY vs Hire a Painter: DIY painting will save you money upfront. Hiring a painter is more expensive, but is that the whole story?

How valuable is your free time?

If you’re looking to save time on your painting project, then hiring a professional is the way to go. Not only will they be able to get the job done faster, but you won’t have to worry about anything besides calling them in and writing the check. Painting is a time consuming task. It’s easy to waste an entire month of weekends (or more) on a big painting project.

 

If you’re painting the exterior of your home this is going to be especially true. Unless you can enlist the help of friends, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to complete painting the exterior of your home in a timely manner.

Advantage: Hire a painter

diy painter next to professional painter. Painting is hard. Expect to devote at least several of your weekends to painting your house. Hiring a painter means that you can keep your hard-earned free time to yourself.

What shape are your walls in?

If you’re just repainting a wall that’s in good shape, then painting your home yourself will be easier. You likely won’t need to purchase any additional materials outside of the usual primer, paint, room protection, and tools. If your walls are damaged or in need of a little more than some TLC, then hiring a professional painting company will give you the expertise you need to tackle the problem. Since you aren’t a professional painter or contractor, then painting a wall that has extensive damage can make it worse and add to your cost and time spent.

Advantage: Hire a painter

diy painter next to professional painter. If your walls in are in good shape, things should be fairly straight forward for a DIY painter. If your walls have seen better days, then hiring a professional painter may be the way to go.

How good does the paint job need to be?

If you’re going to be painting a high traffic space that will see a lot of visitors, then it may be a good idea to hire a painting professional to ensure everything looks up to standard. If you’re painting a room that is going to need to be repainted frequently or has a higher likelihood of getting damaged, then going the DIY route may be more warranted. Let’s say you’re painting a kids room, for example, it’s not so necessary to get a perfectly ideal result as you may be repainting it as they get older and their tastes change.

Hiring a painter is going to yield you the best result in terms of quality. With years of experience and the know-how to get the job done right, a good painter will leave you with a result you love that will boost the value of your home.

Advantage: Hire a painter

 

 

diy painter next to professional painter. How good does the paint job need to be? Is this a high-traffic area or a lonely closet in the corner? No offense, but our professionals are probably better at painting that you are. They're pros!

Hire a Painter vs DIY: Verdict

When you’re choosing whether to hire a painting professional or take your DIY skills for a test drive, it’s important to consider all the factors that go into creating a result that you’ll love.  In most cases, it’s going to be to your advantage to hire a painter.  Hiring a professional painting company ensures the highest possible quality and saves you a boat load of time. 

Still not sure where to go from here?  Read our guide on how to choose a professional painting company. If you’re ready to tackle your next project, then get in touch with us via the contact form below.  One of our expert painting managers will get in touch with you ASAP to set up a free estimate!

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