Is It Best to Hire a Professional Painter or Do It Yourself?

Over the years, television programs about home renovations have come quite trendy. Perhaps your clients have been inspired with the DIY movement to do their own paint jobs rather than using your services. To everyday people, painting seems like a simple job, right? They may even think it will be fun to pick paint colours, buy paint brushes, and do the work themselves. As a bonus, your customers will be delighted to save a little money by doing their own painting. It’s all the little things the general public doesn’t know about painting that will cause them great frustration and possibly cost them more money than they intended on spending.

Read more: 3 Reasons Why Maintaining Your Business’s Exterior Matters

The same is true for professional paint companies that decide to avoid buying painters public liability insurance. Professional painters, like yourself, might decide to avoid paying insurance premiums and instead pay out-of-pocket for a liability claim alleging negligence. What those pro painters don’t realize is public liability insurance is designed to protect your painting business. This type of insurance will cover property damage and personal injury claims, as well as the legal fees associated with defending your business.

BizCover has an amazing platform for quick online comparison of public liability policies across multiple insurers.

Here are the most common mistakes or falsehoods “regular people” don’t realize when they opt out of hiring your painting crew to DIY.

1. Time: These days most people are constantly in a rush. Families are overworked and overbooked with little down time. Tackling a home improvement project may not be right for people with hectic schedules. Many customers underestimate the amount of time painting even one room will take. For example, pro painters like yourself know that you can’t just start painting a wall. Instead you must first correctly prepare and clean the surface before adding a tin of paint. Rushing to get this task done could result in a poor job. So, customers must take into consideration how valuable their leisure time is and how they want to spend those precious hours. Doing it right takes time. If a client doesn’t have the time, then their best option is hiring a pro painter.
2. Savings: Many customers probably figure painting on their own may waste time but will save lots of money. Wrong! By the time all the necessary painting accessories are purchased, there may not be much savings. For example, professional painters already have drop cloths, sanding equipment, scrapers, paint brushes and rollers, extension poles, and scaffolding. The client that hires a professional painting service is paying for the convenience, including the cost of labour and materials.
3. Safety: Professional painting crews are trained in proper safety procedures. They know how to safely handle dangerous chemical solvents and poisonous lead paints. Professional painters also know how to climb ladders, stand on scaffolding, and manage other tricky situations properly. DIY clients may not be prepared for what could go wrong when you’re painting a room. It’s not as simple as one might think.
4. Stress: DIY painting seems like a lot of fun when you read about it in a magazine or watch it unfold on television. When a nonprofessional decides to paint their bedroom or freshen up their living area, they picture themselves slapping brand new satin finish paint on the wall then standing back to marvel at their work. Professional painters, like yourself, know there’s also time devoted to moving and storing furniture, removing pictures and wall decorations, getting the perfect amount of wall paint the first time. There’s not only prep work to prepare the area for painting but also clean up duties to do after everything is done.
5. Technique: Your professional painting service has the experience to work quickly and efficiently. Pro painters create less mess, understand how to maximize the paint supply to evenly cover different surfaces, know how natural light will influence paint colours, and easily remove paint splatters. Professional technique is worth the price of hiring a painting service. That’s why many DIY people later wish they had just hired the professional painter.
6. Insured: The public isn’t insured when it comes to damage or injuries caused by their painting projects. However, hiring a professional painting service comes along with insurance that’ll cover ruined carpets, damaged walls, or other disasters that could unfold. This is yet another reason why all pro painters should get painter’s public liability insurance because it will make clients feel reassured.

It’s always exciting when a client decides to hire your company to paint their new home or spruce up their office. Obviously, there are some people that decide to DIY their painting projects, but they may regret doing so later. Be sure you’re ready for any opportunities that come your way by having a quality painting crew, all the necessary resources and equipment, and the right painter’s public liability.