Prep is key to painting a house, inside or out – Part 1

Painting is one of the easiest ways to transform the look of your home, and yet, often, we’re just not good at it. We think we can do a room in a day, the whole house in a weekend
 which often is not true.

People think painting is a very easy thing. It’s all about the prep and many years of experience. 
 and patience is everything in painting.

That prep work is going to be about 75 percent of the job, If people take time to tape off the room, they can do almost as good a job as a professional. They’ve got to be serious about taping it off.

Painting also is about knowing what jobs you can do and what jobs are best for the professionals. And, most importantly, it’s about having the right kind of tools and paint for the job.

Choosing the right color is also important.

Gray is one of the big colors right now. It’s a light-to-medium gray, but you have to be careful because some grays tend to go blue and when it’s too cool, gray can go wrong, You’ve got to find the right gray that stays gray.

Consumers are going for bright colors as well and definitely ditching the beige that was so popular for so long.

People are becoming more adventurous with paint, and because it is only paint, if you don’t like it, in a year or two, you can always repaint it.

Before you pick any color, spend $5-$7 and get a sample. Paint a square of it on a sample piece of cardboard, place it on various walls and look at it at different times of day to make sure it looks right in all the various lighting conditions, also, compare the colors with the color elements in your furniture or with color elements within your wall hangings, mirror frames or fixtures.

Light colors are less risky than trying to do dark colors.

For dark colors, as well as trim work and exteriors, the professional might be worth the investment.

When you’re looking for a professional painter, you want to make sure the company is bonded and insured. Ask how long the painter has been in the business. You also want to know how many people will be on the job. If you’re doing your whole house, know that if the company is bringing only one or two people, they are going to be there for weeks versus the time a whole crew would take.

Ask for detailed estimates. How many coats will they do? What kind of prep work? What kind of paint will they use? The paint is also going to be only about 15 percent of the total bill. Labor is your big cost.

Burk’s Custom Painting is fully licensed, insured and bonded.  If you need help with your painting project, call us at 714-402-3132 or fill out the form below.