Hiring a Cheap Painter Can Be a Costly Mistake!

Let’s be honest with each other, getting your house professionally painted—interior or exterior—is expensive. Professional painters are backed with insurance, years of experience, and proper equipment which tends to come with a hefty price tag. Naturally, you go online and find someone else who’ll do it for less than a third of a price. Like most things, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Keep reading to find out why hiring a cheap painter can be a costly mistake!

Improper Equipment/ Inexperienced Staff

Probably the most obvious and expected downfall of not going with a professional painter is the inexperience. Inexperience can lead to jobs taking longer, being completed incorrectly, or cheap/improper equipment being used. Using low-cost and unsuitable paint can lead to cracking and peeling long before you’d expect; relying on cheap equipment can lead to brush hairs getting stuck in the paint, or paint strokes still being visible. These are all things that take time and experience to learn, something that’s included in a professional’s price tag.

Cheap Painter Left House Painting Unfinished

Image: House left unfinished by nonprofessional painter for weeks before we got the call to come finish the job

Improper Equipment/ Inexperienced Staff

Probably the most obvious and expected downfall of not going with a professional painter is the inexperience. Inexperience can lead to jobs taking longer, being completed incorrectly, or cheap/improper equipment being used. Using low-cost and unsuitable paint can lead to cracking and peeling long before you’d expect; relying on cheap equipment can lead to brush hairs getting stuck in the paint, or paint strokes still being visible. These are all things that take time and experience to learn, something that’s included in a professional’s price tag.

Safety & Liability

Professional painters are armed with workers compensation insurance and liability insurance. Hiring someone without insurance is definitely less expensive, but it leaves you and your insurance liable for any worker injury or property damage. Most people don’t realize hiring an independent worker without worker’s compensation will fall on your home insurance. Having to fix any damage or cover any doctor’s visits could end up costing more than your entire project.

Inadequate Surface Preparation

Most surfaces in a home need preparation before any painting actually starts. Dirt and mold need to be removed, rotting or damaged wood has to be repaired, and most surfaces need to be scraped or sanded in order for the paint to go on smoothly and last as long as expected. Hiring a nonprofessional painter can result in this step being skipped and the quality and/or durability of your paint can be affected. Think to yourself, “What will happen in a year if they skip a step? What is their warranty? Will they still be operating?”

Image: Properly prepped room that's ready to be painted

Inadequate Surface Preparation

Most surfaces in a home need preparation before any painting actually starts. Dirt and mold need to be removed, rotting or damaged wood has to be repaired, and most surfaces need to be scraped or sanded in order for the paint to go on smoothly and last as long as expected. Hiring a nonprofessional painter can result in this step being skipped and the quality and/or durability of your paint can be affected. Think to yourself, “What will happen in a year if they skip a step? What is their warranty? Will they still be operating?”

In reality, some people just can’t afford to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to get their homes painted. However, if you decide to go with that one guy you found on Facebook Marketplace… you may just end up calling a professional to come fix it and spending even more money anyways. Understandably, you’re going to do whatever you want when it comes to your house. Just remember, you get what you pay for!

Need Something Painted?

DeHaan Painting would love to help take the task of painting off your mind, but out schedule fills up fast. Now is a great time to get the interior of your home painted while the temperature outside is too low for us to paint the exterior. Don’t wait, act now and book with us!