Painting my own house... how hard can it be, and why should I hire someone?

Let's face it, every now and then we sit in our living room, watching home improvements shows on cable TV, and the question arises: "Why should i spend a lot of money on a contractor while i could tackle this myself? How hard can it be?".

Experience

The truth is that there is a considerable gap between an experienced contractor and the average DIY'er. Selecting the right paint, tools and using the proper techniques to paint different surfaces in different situations is a trade hard to learn without a solid background. Experience is crucial when it comes to decide what to paint, how to paint it and what to paint it with and where. It's never fun seeing those cracks showing after a day or two, or those ugly stains coming through a fresh coat of paint. "How did that happen??" is never a good question to ask oneself.

Costs

One of the main motivators for tackling a professional painting job, is the assumption that the costs associated with hiring a contractor are higher than what the average Joe and Jane would spend in doing the job themselves. The reality is that if you throw into the equation supplies, safety equipment, good quality paint, primers, silicon sealant and time, that's when the cost really adds up. Professional contractors will charge less, because they already have the equipment, they don't need to buy it everytime they do a job. All that's left is labor, paint and materials. If you factor in the experience that allows a professional to finish a job in a timely manner, minus the headache of having to figure things out as you go along, it's really worth to just hire a professional.

In conclusion

Myths about painting contractors are misleading. True, it is possible to paint your home yourself. Unfortunately, professional results on all sorts of different surfaces are hard to get and it's best to hire a professional painting contractor who can get in and get the job done efficiently and in a timely fashion. No aggravation, no time wasted.