It’s no surprise that many homeowners ask this question: “Is there an affordable interior painter near me?” Probably the biggest concern that every homeowner encounters when planning a paint project is money. They want a perfectly done paint job that will not put a big dent in their pocket. But are these two objectives achievable?
The answer is, yes, it can. There are two ways to save money and get a nice paint job at the same time: you may attempt to tackle the painting project by yourself or hire a professional house painter who will do a better job.
The main advantage of going the DIY way is that you can save a significant amount of money. You will only have to buy the paints and tools and proceed with the project right away – or later, tomorrow, or whatever time you want. You will work at your own pace because you don’t follow a particular schedule. You can complete the project as quickly as you need to; you may stop working if laziness gets the better of you, and nobody is there to judge you for it.
But the main disadvantage of DIY painting your home’s interiors is that it won’t look polished compared to the work of a professional. It’s not easy to achieve full, smooth coverage and clean lines like a professional typically does. Another, many DIY painters would get too excited about the painting part that they usually skip the prep work – or may not be aware of it. Cleaning and preparing (and priming, if necessary) the surfaces are keys to achieving a successful good paint finish. Skipping this particular step would spell a disastrous paint job. If you end up dissatisfied with your work, you may probably repeat the project, which means you may also end up spending more than you should.
Many homeowners believe that hiring a professional painter is costlier than DIY-ing the project by yourself. It is true, at least in the upfront costs. But with their knowledge and experience, the pros will provide more satisfying results – a smooth, full, and spotless coverage and clean and crisp lines. The work will also be more durable and thus will last longer that you don’t have to spend on another paint job again.
Even if you want a professional to paint your home, you still want to save money. The good news is that it’s possible to achieve it.
Check out these tips to save big and still enjoy the professional paint results you desire:
- Empty your house. You must be aware that preparing your home for painting takes the most significant chunk of the project. Moving or covering furniture in a room only adds up to the time and increases billing hours. Instead of letting the professionals empty your house, you’d rather want to do it by yourself to save money.
- Get at least three quotes. Experts usually recommend getting quotes or estimates from at least three contractors before you decide to proceed with the winningest contractor. You can see the breakdown of the costs of paints, materials, and labor. The quotes will allow you to see how these costs can be trimmed, like choosing paint of the same quality and requiring the same number of coats, but much cheaper. You can also ask the painters to let you do the prep work by yourself to save money. If the project is per hour or square foot, suggest that the project be priced whole with a discount instead. Or, request a lower per square foot or an hourly rate if you can increase the size of your job by adding at least one more room or area.
- Have an open schedule. Painting is generally less costly in the fall or winter season since painters have few outdoor painting projects on their list. You’ll be able to negotiate a better deal during the slow seasons where painters are eager to do work.
- Do the surface prep work by yourself. Most of the project is spent on the preparation work – laying drop cloths, removing the mirrors and wall décor, removing doorknobs and other hardware, cleaning the walls, fixing the cracks and holes, sanding, masking, and priming the surface when necessary. This step will not only save your painter time but will also save you money.
- Ask for a price that will match your budget. No matter what quote or estimate you receive, tell the paint contractor that you want the best value for your budget, based on his schedule and the future projects lined up. He may even give you a better price because he’s eager to work and make his clients happy. Or, if your house has a simple layout and doesn’t have a lot of architectural details, you may ask the contractor to bring down the price since the work won’t require special tools or an assistant painter.
While it never hurts to negotiate with painting contractors, make sure that you won’t do it in a way that will become detrimental to the work they do or harm your professional relationship with them. As long as you negotiate with tact and politeness, you will have a better chance of successfully hiring an affordable painter near me.