If you consider yourself to be the jack of all trades, there probably isn’t a home improvement project you see as a challenge. Yes, there are numerous projects you can complete on your own, but at the same time, there are some that you should leave to professionals.
Painting the exterior of your house is one of them. It may seem simple at first, but the truth is that there are so many things you have to consider carefully. If you make even the slightest mistake, the chances are that the entire project will go downhill. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t even think about doing this by yourself.
Things to consider
As already mentioned, at first glance, this may not seem like a big job. After all, all you need is a bucket of paint and a brush, right? Wrong! First of all, you have to answer the questions – How old is your house and how tall it is? Why? Generally speaking, homes built before 1978 use lead-based paint. If this is the case, you have to learn how to remove it carefully, meaning that you will waste a lot of time on this initial task. Secondly, if you live in a one-story home, you may be able to do it on your own, but if the truth is the opposite, you will have to invest a lot of time and effort in completing the work.
Necessary equipment
In order to successfully complete this job, you need so much more than a simple brush and a can of paint. You will need ladders or a lift, paint removers, caulking products, and smaller items alongside these. Yes, you can find these and purchase them, but why would you spend this money? Keep in mind that, except for ladders, many of these cannot be used for other jobs, so they will probably end up collecting dust in your garage or shed. In addition, if your home is really tall and there are numerous details and ornaments, you will probably need some additional tools to enable you to reach every nook.
Prep work
Before you do any work, you have to check if there are damages on the exterior of the house, which have to be fixed first. For example, if there is mildew, you cannot just paint over it. If you were to do this, you would face many expensive issues in the future. So, to prevent these, you first have to use specific products to clean the surface and remove the mildew.
Similarly, if you notice any cracks around the door and windows, you have to deal with them. To do this, you will have to use caulk to seal all those tiny holes. Nevertheless, this is another task that requires your full attention since there are numerous caulking products on the market, and not all of them can be used in the same manner. In addition, you also have to check if the chosen product is paintable because the last thing you want is for these repairs to stay visible.
Experience
Have you ever painted your home’s exterior before? Are you familiar with the entire process? If the answers to both of these questions are no, according to Platinum 3 Painting, you must hire professionals. Even if you have painted the interior walls, the same advice applies.
You may not know this, but there are many techniques experts use to complete this job perfectly. For example, the most common mistake people make is that they don’t apply enough paint, which means that the color will fade eventually due to environmental factors. On the contrary, they tend to over-brush, and therefore, spread the paint too far. In addition, you will have to calculate how much materials you will need. Guessing correctly can be a challenge of its own. If you get too much, you will probably waste a large portion of it, which is just a waste of your money. On the other hand, if you don’t get enough, you will have to pause all the work and go looking for the exact same products.
Safety
Even if it may not seem like that at first, this job carries certain risks. First of all, you have to understand how to correctly use all the tools and equipment, not only to avoid future problems but also to boost your safety. At the same time, not everyone can work while standing on a ladder, a few feet above the ground level. If you have a fear of heights, you shouldn’t even try doing this. No, you won’t get used to it, but instead, you risk falling down and injuring yourself.
Also, do you remember what we said about homes that have with lead-based paint? Removing it can also pose a danger to your health, which means that you have to do a thorough research of the technique, but also paint remover products.
Time and effort
One of the most important things you have to understand is that this job takes a lot of time. Depending on the current state of your house and all the prep work that has to be done, it can be days. It could take even more if you were to tackle this task on your own. Due to this, you have to consider whether you can afford to spend so much precious time on this? If you have a full-time job, the answer is probably no. Depending on your work schedule, you may only be able to spare a day or two of the week.
On the other hand, if you decide to hire professionals, like Sidepost, you can rest assured that they will paint your home in only a portion of the time you would need. What’s more, they will bring their own tools and equipment, assess the potential issues, and get all the products they need to repair them, and only then will they start with the painting process. The bottom line is that not only will they complete this job quickly and effortlessly, but they will also do it perfectly.
On the other hand, if you decide to hire professionals, you can rest assured that they will paint your home in only a portion of the time you would need. What’s more, they will bring their own tools and equipment, assess the potential issues, and get all the products they need to repair them, and only then will they start with the painting process. The bottom line is that not only will they complete this job quickly and effortlessly, but they will also do it perfectly.
