Exterior Painting

Exterior Painting Jobs; Contractor vs. DIY

There are basically two choices for exterior painting of a home; doing it yourself or hiring someone to do it for you. Here are the pros and cons of each of those options.

Advantages and disadvantages of hiring an exterior painting contractor

The amount of time it takes an exterior painting contractor to finish a job is often all homeowners need to hear. An experienced contractor can complete a painting job in less than a week, including prep work and clean-up. Another advantage is that they already have all the equipment for the job, including power washers, paint sprayers and taller ladders or scaffolding. One more positive is that because this is what exterior painting contractors do and they are often capable of doing a more professional job than the average homeowner. One thing that often keeps people from choosing this option is the high cost. Hiring a contractor will cost between $3500-$5000 for a 3,000 sq. ft. home, where the diy option would be closer to $400-$600.

Advantages and disadvantages of do-it-yourself exterior painting

Since the majority of a contractor's price goes to labor (75-80%), the biggest advantage to diy exterior painting is the cost savings, almost 10x less. However, there are some disadvantages to this option as well. The first is the amount of time the job takes an average homeowner to complete. A professional house painter will take about a week; diy could take up to a month, depending on how much time the homeowner can devote to the job. Also, the average homeowner probably doesn't own scaffolding, a paint sprayer or a power washer; though this equipment can be rented by the hour ($75-$100/hr.) at many local home improvement stores. The other disadvantage to diy exterior painting is that a homeowner usually doesn't have the experience to handle any kind of structural problems, such as broken or cracked siding. At this point hiring someone will most likely be necessary, and may even cost more than it originally would.