DIY Painting vs Professional Painters

Could a fresh coat of paint brighten up your home? In most cases, yes! And when it comes time to add a coat of paint to your home’s interior or exterior, many will consider painting their homes themselves. However, in many cases, it just makes sense to hire a professional. 

DIY painting has some benefits, but hiring a pro provides more ease, reduces the time cost of painting it yourself, and prevents injury. Read on for a quick rundown of the pros and cons of DIY painting vs professional painters. 

DIY Painting

Though DIY painting is usually cheaper, it increases the risk of danger and does not give a professional look. DIY painting tends to be half the price of hiring a professional painter. DIY painting can prove effective if you are just painting one wall, or if you are starting with a basic white room and adding a simple color. 

If you are aiming for a paint job to look professional, you must purchase proper tools, proper paint, proper brushes, and so on. If you do not have these proper materials and equipment, you will most likely be unsatisfied with the result. 

You must also do your research on the best way to paint and the proper brushes and tools to purchase. This takes up additional time and energy besides just actually painting the walls and ceiling. This time and energy can be difficult if you also work a job or are a full-time parent. Thus, DIY painting can eat up your free time, mess with your other responsibilities, and even impact your sleep!

When Does it Make More Sense to Hire a Professional?

Even if you’re handy, there are certain scenarios where hiring a professional painter is much safer, smarter, and cost-effective. 

Jobs That Require the Use of Ladders

Sometimes painting yourself can cause safety issues, such as when painting a ceiling or second-story exterior walls. Such scenarios mean you would need to use a ladder. Without proper support and experience, this can pose an unnecessary danger. 

This is especially worrisome with an unstable ladder. Falling can cause serious injury that not only can cause pain, but increase the cost of the DIY painting because of medical costs. It also increases the time it takes to paint the house. 

Walls Are In Bad Condition

If your walls are not in the best condition because of holes in the wall, it is important to connect with a local professional. Painting professionals can provide the proper spackle to strengthen and fix the walls, making them look good as new before adding new paint.  

Fancy Finishes

When it comes to finishes such as high glosses or lacquer, a licensed professional is the best option due to the importance of detail. Many such finishes tend to be sprayed, and without the proper protection can cause short-term and/or long-term health effects. 

Not only that, but these high gloss and lacquer finishings easily highlight any imperfections that may occur. The most troublesome part of adding high glosses or lacquer finishings is the sanding, which is very tedious and creates quite a mess. A job best left to a pro. 

The Risk of Old Paint

In the past, most paints had lead in them. Thus, if your home is over 40 years old, your wall paint most likely contains lead. Lead can pose very dangerous short-term and long-term health effects. Exposure can cause lead poisoning and cancer. 

Lead poisoning can cause abdominal pain, memory loss, constipation, headaches, irritability, and infertility, among much more. Thus, any type of removal of the paint, such as scraping or scratching, should be handled by a pro to manage the release of lead. The old paint must be taken off because if you paint over the old paint, the new paint will not last since it will have a bad support system underneath. It must be done correctly to protect one's health and extend the new paint’s life cycle. 

Ease Your Mind… and Your Body

Painting a house is strenuous work. Continually lifting your head and arms, stretching to reach the ceiling, and repetitive motion can take a toll on the body. You can get sore and achy. 

The more walls you paint, the worse you will feel. And as your energy wanes, your work might get sloppier. Sounds like a lose-lose. 

In fact, if you’re not accustomed to such labor, you could be seriously impacting your health. Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) occurs when a muscle or tendon is used in the same position for extended periods, especially in uncomfortable positions, such as with painting among other activities. 

Additionally, “painter’s shoulder” occurs when arms stay in awkward positions over an extended and repeated period. Due to unnatural positions of the shoulders and arms, painter’s shoulder causes infringement of the ligaments and/or bursa. Therefore, if you do any activities already that can put you at risk of painter’s shoulder and choose to DIY paint, there is a higher likelihood to suffer painter’s shoulder syndrome. 

If this injury occurs you may not be able to continue pairing or other activities without worsening the injury. Hence, you would not be able to continue the DIY painting for at minimum a few weeks. Therefore, using a licensed and experienced professional can prevent this injury. 

Other Negative Health Effects

DIY painting can cause a myriad of health effects due to the fumes from paints, the possible lead in the paint, and injury. The fumes from paints can cause dizziness, breathing problems, watery eyes, headaches, lung irritation, throat irritation, and sight problems, among many more. The health dangers can be even worse with indoor paint. Long-term effects from the fumes of certain indoor paints can lead to liver problems, kidney problems, nerve system damage, and cancer. This is why it is important to choose the proper types of paint - something professionals know all about. 

Reduction of Time and Cost

Painting a house can take an extended amount of time, especially if you DIY it. You’ll have to go to the store and find the proper equipment and brushes, find the proper good quality paint colors, watch how-to DIY paint videos, and measure and tape the rooms. 

However, when it comes to painting walls, ceilings, trim, etc., the time and difficulty can add up. A licensed professional has experience with measuring, taping, painting, and handling trim and details. This knowledge speeds up the process significantly. 

DIY Painting Cost vs Cost of Professional Painters

On average, DIY painting costs approximately half of what it costs to hire a professional painter. However, hiring a professional painter gives the experience, knowledge of the best types of paint to fit your design ideas, and the proper and optimal tools and tape. Having the correct tools, tape, and paint can be quite pricey, but it is worth it, in the long run, to have the best quality for your roofs and walls quickly. 

Having the proper paint can make or break your walls. The right paint can not only prevent moisture from going into the walls but can help withstand dirt and dust among other allergens. This can help keep your home clean and not have to dust as often.

 Not having the proper paint brushes and tools can lead to an uneven and clumpy paint job. If the correct tape is not used to separate the paints from one another, the paint will bless through, messing up the design. 

Painting experts know what paint brushes and tools to use, proper tape and paint, as well as the necessary steps and storage techniques for painting. 

Takeaways

If you are ready to update and beautify your home’s interior and exterior, a fresh coat of paint is the way to go. And when you use a TrustDALE certified professional, you're always protected by Dale's trademark $10,000 Make-It-Right Guarantee. So start looking for a trusted painting professional in your area today!