24, Jan, 2023 | Home Painting Tips
Even if you’re an experienced DIYer, painting the exterior of your home can feel like a daunting task. It is more complex than painting interiors as you have to think about environmental conditions. Plus, it feels more dangerous as you have to spend time balancing on a ladder.
Even if you paint your interiors yourself, hiring a professional for your exteriors seems like a good call. If you’re wondering if hiring a professional exterior painter in Sydney is the right decision, here is a list of pros and cons that can help you make that call.
Pros of Hiring a Professional Exterior Painter
There are many benefits to hiring a professional exterior painter.
The main one is safety. Painting exteriors is a different skill set than painting your interiors or doing basic detailing work. It is more dangerous because painters have to balance on ladders and reach high to finish the job, especially if your home has more than one floor. Professional painters know how to do this safely and, as a bonus, are covered by insurance in case of an emergency.
Hiring a professional exterior painter is more secure in another way as well. Professional exterior painters offer you the security of knowing that the job will be done right. Painting your exteriors is not just about aesthetics but also about protecting the substrate below, so the stakes are higher. It’s also harder to fix if it isn’t done right, so it pays to hire someone to do it right the first time.
Finally, painting exteriors is a time-sensitive but also a time-consuming job. It can take several days to prep the surface, apply primer, and paint. However, painters must work quickly to ensure everything is dry before it starts raining. Professional painters have the efficiency to get everything done properly and on time. They also know how to judge weather conditions and determine the right time for painting.
Cons of Hiring a Professional Exterior Painter
Of course, there are a few drawbacks to hiring a professional painter, which you should consider before making the call.
The biggest con is the cost. Hiring a professional does cost more money than it would to do it yourself. However, when you factor in the cost of tools, paint, and the time you will spend painting that you could spend on other things, the cost of hiring a professional doesn’t seem that high. Read this article to get more info on potential painting problems.
Another drawback is that many homeowners are wary about trusting someone else with their home. If you hire a painter with a bad reputation, they could do a shoddy job and maybe even overcharge you. Even if you’re nervous about trusting someone else with the integrity of your home’s exteriors, some research and asking your neighbors for recommendations can help you put your mind at rest.
There are so many benefits to hiring a professional exterior painter in Sydney, including saving time and staying safe, that it is an easy choice to make.
13, Jan, 2023 | Home Painting Tips
If you’re feeling daunted looking at all that you have to do just to touch up the paint in your home, it might be time to hire a professional painter. Lots of people hesitate when it comes to hiring a professional painter because they think this is a job they can do themselves or should be able to do themselves.
There are many benefits to hiring a professional painter in Sydney, including the five we explain below.
1. Save Time
Maybe one of the most important benefits is the time that you will save. Painting even a small room usually takes a full day, if not longer, if you are applying multiple coats. That means taking time off work or giving up some of your precious free time.
Hiring a professional painter in Sydney frees you up to do other things with your time. They say time is money, so think of it as an investment that will give you more money. Plus, professionals will finish the job faster than you can.
2. There Will Be Fewer Errors
Painting only seems like a simple job to amateur DIYers who have never tried it before. However, it is actually more complex, and there are many ways to make mistakes, from not prepping the surface properly to using the wrong kind of paint. If you make a mistake, you have to redo the whole job.
When you hire a professional, there will be fewer mistakes, if any, because you are hiring someone with years of experience painting who knows how to avoid common mistakes.
3. Painters Know Which Tools to Use
Another factor that explains why painting is more complex than you might think is the many tools available. From rollers to brushes, there are countless ways to apply paint, and using the wrong tool for the occasion yields poor results. Painters know how to paint the right way.
Plus, choosing the right type of paint is difficult. A professional painter will make sure you have the right paint for the situation.
4. You Might Actually Save Money
Unless you already have paint cans, rollers, trays, and other tools at home, you will have to buy them all from scratch. Paint supplies cost a lot of money, especially when you have to buy multiple tools whose costs add up. When you make those calculations, hiring a professional painter in Sydney is not that much more expensive.
5. You Will Have Peace of Mind
Your home is your sanctuary, your castle. You want it to be a place where you feel safe and comfortable. If you’re constantly stressed about how your paint job will turn out and if you will have to redo it, you won’t have the peace of mind that you should have at home.
When you trust a professional, insured painter to do the job for you, you have the peace of mind that you know it will get done right.
24, Jun, 2018 | Commercial Painting Tips, Home Painting Tips, Industrial Painting Tips
Painting can be quite technical and there are many things that can go wrong. In this blog, we will cover a few of potential issues that can affect your paint job. Utilising a professional painting company like Painting Pros can prevent painting problems.
Efflorescence
Efflorescence (means to “to flower out” in French) is a technical painting term referring to the white mineral deposit found on concrete or masonry surfaces, particularly brick. It occurs when salts migrate to the surface of a porous material and forms a coating
Efflorescence (which means “to flower out” in French) is the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating
Trained, experienced painters such as Painting Pros recognise situations where efflorescence may occur and can use a number of techniques to reduce the possibility. For example treating the surface to ensure it is clean, dry and does not have any traces of mould or algae. In addition, alkali-resistant sealer and specific topcoats can be used.
Typically, efflorescence occurs during initial construction. Therefore, curing the surface (waiting for approximately 30 days prior to painting (or 10 weeks in the case of fibrous or set plaster)
Surfactant leaching
Surfactant leaching is when blotchy, oily, or sometimes glossy, marks appear on painted surfaces, usually within the first few weeks of painting. The marks can vary in colour from clear, white, orange, tan or brownish in colour.
This phenomenon can occur with either external or interior painting and occurs when drying conditions are sub-optimal
Utilising experienced, trained painters, such as Painting Pros, can ensure issues like these do not occur.
Drying and Hardening of Water-Based Paints
Water-based paints go a two-phased drying process:
Phase 1: Evaporation
Phase 2: Coalescence
The final hardening of the paint is dependent on the final coalescence leaving the paint film which can take up to two weeks under optimal conditions (temperature of 20-25 degrees and humidity less than 50%). Longer under sub-optimal conditions. Precautions should be taken prior to complete drying, such as avoiding moisture, humidity, rain, cleaning of surfaces and resting objects on freshly painted surfaces.
Therefore despite the paint surface looking and feeling dry, the paint may not have hardened. Therefore experts such as Painting Pros can advise the best way to treat your newly painted surfaces.
Chalking – as defined in AS/NZS 2310:2002 – Glossary of paint and painting terms, is “The appearance of a loosely adherent fine powder on the surface of a paint film, arising from the degradation of one or more of its constituents”.
Chalking is due to the paint coating breaking down due to UV light. Some chalking is inevitable. However, the use of specific paints and techniques can reduce the time taken and the amount of chalking.
Painting Pros use specific products such as The Dulux® Weathershield® which guarantees premature blistering, flaking and peeling of the coating system.
Stay tuned for part two when we will investigate some more potential painting problems.
12, Feb, 2018 | Home Painting Tips, Commercial Painting Tips, Industrial Painting Tips
Painting your property can have significant benefits. See our blog on benefits of painting your home’s exterior and benefits of painting your home’s interior. Choosing the right painting company can maximise these benefits. However, conversely the wrong painting company may mean that you are not gaining the benefits you might otherwise achieve. Many of our customers have asked our advice on how to choose the right painting company. So we decided to write this blog.
Meet your painting company representative prior to the job
Meeting your painter enables you to check on a few things before choosing the right painting company. Things you may want to note are their timeliness, knowledge of paints, surfaces and similar jobs. You have the opportunity to ask them questions face to face so that you are able to judge the way they respond. Below are some questions to may want to consider.
Questions to ask when choosing the right painting company
- Do they offer a guarantee?
- Do they have the proper qualifications/Are they licenced? Note: (You can check painting company’s licence status (including any insurance claims) on the NSW Service website:
- Are they insured?
- What type of paints do they use?
- Low VOC paints? (low Volatile organic compounds)
- Light-resistant paint?
- Fade-resistant paint?
- Non-slip coatings for commercial/children/elderly
- Do they have a tried and proven methodology?
- How long have they been in business?
- Do they prepare surfaces properly?
- How will our work/home be disrupted during painting?
We look forward to answering all these questions for you. We have published most of the answers on our Painting Services page. However, we look forward to discussing them with you in as much detail as you need.
Reviewing the Quote
Find out what is included in the quote. You should expect the following: scope of work, sequence and timing of paint to be completed, specification of preparation, the number of coats, products included i.e. types of primer, paints etc, cost and payment schedule, and the workmanship guarantees.
As tempting as it may seem to accept the cheapest quote, it may not be the cheapest in the long term. If the quote seems very low and too good to be true, it is probably is. It may seem that you are saving money. However, in the long term you may end up with cost over-runs and re-painting. Reputable professional painters have the right tools, paints and products to ensure a long-lasting, quality result. Therefore, they may not be the cheapest quotation.
Make sure you read the contract carefully before signing and ensure the contract contains a payment schedule and timings as well as any special conditions you agreed up front.
Pay it forward
When you are happy with your painting job, pay it forward. Help the next client by posting a great review on Google or on your painter’s website.
You may be surprised to find out how hard it is to garner reviews, even when your clients love your work! We would love to get your Google review here or individual review on our website
14, Dec, 2017 | Commercial Painting Tips, Home Painting Tips, Industrial Painting Tips
Should I paint my home?
Many people ask themselves: “Should I paint my home or should I hire professional painters?”. We are often asked: “Why hire professional painters?”
You may think that painting is easy. However, it takes real skill to achieve a great result, especially if it is important to get the job done quickly. If you hire professional painters, they should be licensed, trained and qualified to do the best job for you.
The purpose of this blog is to understand the benefits of professionals when choosing between DIY or Professional Painters.
Time
Our most frequently asked question is “how quickly can we get this done”. Most people want the paint job completed quickly. If you DIY it usually takes a great deal longer. The experience and expertise that professional painters’ possess means they can complete the job more quickly and get a better result. A reputable professional painter will give you a timeframe and stick to it
Result
The results that you achieve from a reputable professional painter is outstanding. Which is not surprising since its their business. Their experience, expertise and training means that they know what they’re doing and they have tricks of trade to get the job done more efficiently and with better results. They understand that detailed preparation leads to an outstanding finish and know the right tools and paints to use for each surface
Details
Professional painters pay attention to the details because they know that if they compromise on the details it will show in the end result.
Insured
Professional painters have a licence which means they have insurance. Therefore, if anything is damaged, they can cover it through their insurance. You can have the peace of mind that is something goes wrong with the job, you are covered. There are conditions, so make sure you discuss this with your painter prior to commencement
Preparation
Preparation can be very time-consuming. Professional painters know how to prepare to ensure a quality finish. A reputable painter knows that proper preparation leads to excellent results. If you were to DIY, you may not know how to do so or what tools to use to prepare. If you do know, it maybe a costly, time-consuming and physically laborious and taxing process to prepare properly.
Tools
A good paint job requires more than paint and a paintbrush. Depending on the job, it may require safety tools. If you were to purchase the high-quality tools that a professional painter uses, it would be very costly.
Expertise
A professional painter knows the right paint to use on each surface to ensure the right finish and durability
Ideas
A professional painter has vast painting experience and can offer ideas and suggestions you may not have thought of.
Safety
There are hazards to painting. Professional painters are trained in safety measures and won’t take risks when it comes to your home or your safety. If something goes wrong, they are insured. However, a DIY painter is subject to risks.
We hope that we have helped you answer the question: “Should I hire a painter or do it myself?”
Painting Pros specialise in painting. They know the tricks of the trade and have the know-how to achieve a great result in the shortest timeframe. Painting Pros pride themselves on getting the job done on time with minimal disruption to you and with an outstanding finish. So go ahead, fill out an enquiry form today.
17, Nov, 2017 | Home Painting Tips
4 Reasons You Should Paint the Interior of your Home
Why you should paint your home? There are numerous reasons. We have broken down the subject into two blogs. This blog will focus on why you should paint your home’s interior.
1. Protect and rejuvenate surfaces
Paint can protect walls against moisture, mould, pathogens. This is why it is important to use paint experts like Painting Pros who can advise on the best paint for each area and for maximum durability.
2. Keep up to date with the latest trends
There are definite colour trends and changing the colour of your interior paint is the easiest way to update the aesthetics of your home’s interior. For example, let’s look at the colours of 2018
Colours for 2018
PPG Paints has chosen Black Flame as the 2018 colour of the year
Domain mentions Dark Shades of green will be on trend in 2018:
“Dark shades of green will become the new must-have dark interior colour as we say goodbye to navy and midnight blues.
“Dark green as a paint colour for rooms such as a bedroom creates a wintery Scandi backdrop for tan leathers, reindeer furs, brass lamps and natural linen,” Macer says.”
News.com.au says we should “prepare to see a lot of green and terracotta walls in homes around Australia” and go on to identify “six on-trend paint colours of 2018:
- Snowdownia
- Terrocotta
- Black
- Beige
- Neutral Soft Pinks
- Green
Mydomainhome.com.au confirms this:
Among its other colour predictions for the next year [after noting Black Flame is 2018 colour of the year]: a twilight colour palette made up of dark blues, greens, and charcoal tones paired with warm golden yellows and muted pinks—suggesting that warm neutrals aren’t going anywhere.
3. Reduce Dust and Dirt
Painting interior walls and trims can reduce dust and dirt, especially on plaster.
4. Hide Stains and imperfections
Painting covers stains and wall imperfections to produce a fresh, clean new look.
Summary – Why You Should Paint Your Home’s Interior
The four main reasons that you should paint your home’s interior are:
1. Protect and rejuvenate surfaces
2. Keep up to date with the latest trends
3. Reduce Dust and Dirt
4. Hide Stains and imperfections
In summary, aesthetic appeal and protection of surfaces.
Painting Pros are professional Sydney painters who have the expertise and knowledge to ensure that your interior paint job will last. Call us here or fill out an enquiry form
here
