Brushstroke:  Why a Professional Painter is Well Worth the Money

So you are a Do It Yourself (DIY) person.  That’s pretty popular these days.  It’s a lot of fun to look at something you did and say, “I DID THAT!”

And THEN you notice the living room and dining room need painting.  You go down to the local paint store, struggle through the color choices, finally pick a color, grab a couple of brushes, some rollers and pans, some cheese cloth and spackle, and SHAZAM !!  You are set to move the furniture and paint the walls.

Piece of cake.  How hard can it be?

Hold On !!  Did you take all the light switch covers off?  The plug covers?  When you took down that huge painting on the living room wall, did you notice the gaping hole in the wall that was hidden by the painting?  That would be ok, EXCEPT your wife just told you she wants the painting on the opposite wall.

So, no sweat, you take some spackle and plug the hole.  Maybe toothpaste?  You always heard that would work.

OOPS !!  The hole REALLY shows now because you didn’t match the texture on the wall.  It looks really out of place.  So you spend an hour trying to get the texture just right, and it still looks like a patch.  Out of frustration, you go to the next step, planning on working on the patch later.

Just as you were getting it all together to start the painting, your foot gets caught in the plastic you (rightfully so) laid down on top of your area rug.  You spill the paint – about a half cup.  You clean it up and thankfully the plastic caught it all.  You would have had to sleep on the couch for a month if it hadn’t.

So now you are three hours into the job and not a bit of paint is on the walls.

Sound familiar?

This kind of prep work and organization is why a professional can be your best friend for the duration of painting your living and dining rooms.

First, let’s list what makes a professional.  This is important.

Not everyone who bills themselves as a painter is a quality craftsman.  There are tricks with the brush and rollers you and I will never think of.  For instance, did you know that light reflects differently off an up stroke with a roller than for a down stroke?  This is very subtle, but the eye can see the difference.  Consciously, you might not understand what is happening, you just know the paint job looks somehow a little sloppy.

Have you ever met a painter than can cut in the little line between the wall and the ceiling faster than a speeding bullet and never touch the differently-colored ceiling?  I have.

I’ve even met a pro who can match any texture he meets and you can’t tell where that gaping hole used to be.  It was amazing to watch him work – he actually took a plastic bag, crumpled it VERY SPECIFICALLY and used that to match the texture on my wall.  Amazing.

So quality counts.  Specialized skills count.

The real professionals would never think about providing a paint job without filling in all the little holes, without taking off all the cover plates, and without making sure the paint is mixed correctly every day.

And time.  Time that you will never get back.  My mother used to say, “Lose anything that you want, just don’t lose time.  That’s the only thing you will never recover.”

The last time I painted a bedroom it took me two full days.  I was exhausted and my paint job looked like a middle-schooler had done the work.

I hired a professional for the guest room.  He was done in 2/3 of the first day, and the room was wonderful.  Same color, same paint, but the difference was amazing.  I had him re-do my bedroom. 

I have a friend that was painting her living room, she was cutting in on the ceiling, and her ladder toppled over.  Hiring a painter for her would have been a bargain as opposed to the medical bills for her broken leg.

Overall, look for a professional who is OCD, meticulous and clean.  Ask for references, with this specific question: “How did your room look after the paint job?  Besides the change in color, could you tell any difference in the room?”  You will get interesting answers – listen carefully and translate the answer into a solid YES or a nebulous NO.

If you have questions about interior OR exterior painting, call Tejas Roofing & Contracting, Inc.  We will answer any and all questions regarding our process, our history and/or references, and our crews.

We look forward to hearing from you.