When choosing a Paint Contractor, make sure to ask about their expertise as it relates to specialty projects that may apply to your situation like: Faux Finishing and Painting, Prepping Interior Surfaces, Stenciling, Texturizing, Wall Murals and Zero VOC Paint.
Go GREEN. More and more painting contractors are using Zero VOC paint and taking practices like 3-bucket rinsing to avoid cleaning their equipment in your back yard and contaminating ground water. A professional painting contractor can offer a level of quality not easily obtained by the average do-it-yourselfer.
Should I hire a painter or do it myself?
House painting is labor intensive and can be dangerous. Both interior and exterior painting will require considerable physical effort. Typically, exterior painting is the most demanding. Some things to consider are; Are you comfortable with heights? Climbing ladders is a major part of any paint job. Are you capable of moving heavy objects, like furniture? Lifting and moving things are also a big part of painting. Make sure you are physically able to do it. Time is another factor to consider. Depending on the project, it could take several days of effort to finish the painting. This is especially true for exterior painting. Can you live with things being unfinished for a while if you are called away? For most people, they only have the weekends to accomplish something; an average exterior could take a month or more to accomplish working only weekends. Experience counts. It’s hard to overstate the importance of experience. There is no such thing as "cookie cutter" paint jobs, where the same procedures can be used over and over with the same good results. Even new construction is a challenge from one job to the next. Every home is different and will require different amounts and types of preparation as well as different mixes of products to achieve lasting results. The more types of paint jobs that a painter does the more they learn. Only the experience of your house painter can produce lasting results.
The right home improvement products, techniques, and services:
Contractors, home improvement stores, and specialty shops in your area may not yet have a complete familiarity with the ‘green’ opportunities, products, system integration, and overall savings potential. So, you may get some resistance, since people in general are typically more comfortable recommending something that they are already familiar with rather than something new. To help break the inertia, use the information across this website like our Return on Investment Master ROI Table. Also feel free to post a question in our forum on the message board about a particular need for your home relative to your area. Our team has spent multiple years aggregating research from public and private sector performance reports and from manufacturers and homeowners across the country in order to provide you with the perspective you may need to see the initial payback and long term advantages. Environmental enthusiasts and leading institutions like the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Realtors, see the value and link into our resources to support their members.
The Green Home:
For your overall home improvement, you can save money, improve your family’s health, and save the planet. Find out for free how much it will cost to do different types of home improvement in your home from a qualified and member approved contractor in your area. Get a FREE Quote . Plus, regardless of the size and scope of your home improvement project, save money and keep your home clean with the top rated chemical free and concentrated Green Home Cleaning Products.
Home Improvement Basics:
When it comes to home improvement basics, look for interior home improvements like creating a clean, safe, and healthy home through sustainable ‘green’ furniture, home décor, zero VOC and Interior Paint, plus ENERGY STAR Appliances and Electronics. For energy and utility savings you can focus on insulation and air sealing, windows, doors, lighting and skylights, water saving plumbing opportunities, and high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems. On the outside of your house, look for exterior home improvement opportunities through landscape design and gardening plus solar energy, wind and other power sources. If you are undertaking a major home renovation, an additions, or building a new home, then take the lead to ‘go green’ in as many ways as possible to save money and the environment.
