5 Tips to Save on House Painters

Posted on September 23, 2019

Painting your home can be taxing on your wallet and brain. For the average ranch home, two-stories and 2,500 square feet, you can expect to pay around $4,000. For the interior, it’s closer to $5,500. With many homeowners on a budget, here are 5 tips to save on house painters.

Financial decisions this big can cost you your sanity. A fresh paint job not only looks great, but provides another layer of protection between your family and the outdoors. Put off the house painters for too long and costs could be driven up by deteriorating conditions.

When you plan for a project like this, you’ll feel confident moving forward. Gather estimate appointments from recommended painters and let’s get started.

Costs

Either during or after you’re estimate appointment, you should receive a cost for the project you need done. Normally, it is broken into two categories: labor and materials.

Labor

The crew providing the work is likely to be a hefty chunk of the costs. Most house painters will tell you ⅔ of the job is done before paint is ever opened. Proper preparation makes the difference between a good paint job and a great one. The job should be addressed with repairs and preparation costs broken down. Look for line items like sealing, sanding, caulking and taping to be included.

Materials

Paint comes in prices for all buyers. Painters will usually recommend a mi-price option they are familiar with and have had good success with. These are manufacturers they trust and are willing to guarantee. Expect to pay between $20-$70 per gallon, dependent on finishes and brands. Paint that blocks out mold or offers washable options can be toward the higher side.

Your estimate should include costs for the house painters to gather necessary materials to complete the job. The peripheral costs can add up quickly. They include rollers, tape, drop cloths, cleaner and brushes.

How to save

Estimates

It can seem superfluous, but get estimates from more than one provider. Start with referrals to narrow the options and schedule full appointments with a couple. Any estimates on the extremely high or low end should be taken with caution. Get a full, written estimate with a breakdown in labor and materials as well as payment schedule.

Pitch in

One way to help the cost of your bill is to help out. If you are comfortable with the cleaning, sanding and other preparations, do it! A bit of elbow grease will help you reduce costs and give you a bit of pride in the job. The manpower required to sand and vacuum is incredible. By doing it yourself, you will save many man hours and still have a great completed project. Do it yourselfers will find it’s fairly straightforward to spackle a ding or caulk a window frame. Do remember, some painting companies will not want to guarantee work that their team didn’t complete.

Check with the estimator about doing preparation work yourself. This includes the following:

Trimming shrubs
Moving furniture
Removing and reinstalling the outlet covers, switch plates and doorknobs
Prep work like patching, sanding and scraping, if you have the skills

Don’t procrastinate

Plan for big paint jobs on a regular schedule. The more time left between full paintings, the more issues that can arise. Paint is expensive but repairs can add up too. Accordingly, by painting regularly, you’ll reduce the amount of damage that can occur, and bring the price down.

Trim the scope

After you have chosen a painter, if your estimate still seems high, consider trimming the periphery work. Can you break the job into two smaller sessions? Are there ceilings or trim that are not yet necessary? This will help reduce the costs of the paint job.

Think color

Dramatic changes in color can look great, but cost on the bottom line. The work is time consuming with extra coats required to get the vibrant or vivid colors to truly shine through. Priming and coats translate to house painter man hours. If you are on a budget, consider keeping the color similar. Also, outside colors that are dark or vivid tend to fade more quickly.

If you’re ready for a new paint job at your home, call our estimators for a free, in-home estimate at no obligation to you.