Do I need to be picky about house painters?

[Anonymous]

Need our 3,000 sq foot wood siding house painted. There are spots on the sunny side of the house that are starting to peel.

We live in an affluent neighborhood and I see a lot of the same companies painting exterior houses.

Do I need to use one of these reputable companies that will charge me $$$$$ or can I hire regular painters? What about a guy with a card who is insured and posted on next door?

The house will be painted the same color and it’s a two story house with nothing unusual going on.

[Anonymous]

A good paint job is 70% prep, 20% quality of paint, and 10% luck. A good painter will insist on top paint (like Ben Moore) and is going to bid high because they will recognize they have to spend far more time prepping than you can imagine needs to happen. Anyone can slop paint up, even neatly. Only the best can make it stick.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to paint over/repair the handful of places that are peeling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to paint over/repair the handful of places that are peeling?

It's called sandpaper.

[Anonymous]

figure out why it's peeling, before that can be answered. (because more may be peeling soon)

[Anonymous]

2 coats or 1? Ceilings? How many colors,? They supply paint or you?

[Anonymous]

After hiring one of those big paint companies and having it be a complete disaster, the next time I needed to paint, I hired a guy from Nextdoor. He did an amazing job. I think it's a crap shoot either way, but if neighbors are saying good things about the guy, then I think that's a better recommendation than some anonymous internet site.

[Anonymous]

To add to my previous post, as someone pointed out, the paint makes a difference. Spring for the Benjamin Moore; it really is better.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Try them out for one room and really inspect their work. Don’t front more money than for one room unless it’s for paint they will leave on premises.

Most painters stink.

Specify what level finish you want or you get crap. A cheap painter stinks - if they were good they’d charge more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Try them out for one room and really inspect their work. Don’t front more money than for one room unless it’s for paint they will leave on premises.

Most painters stink.

Specify what level finish you want or you get crap. A cheap painter stinks - if they were good they’d charge more.

Your level of reading comprehension is off the charts.

[Anonymous]

Ask your neighbors who had work done if they were happy with the job the painters did. Hire someone with good reviews from a neighbor.

[Anonymous]

I think there is a difference between interior and exterior painting. I would hire a pro for exterior and a random dude for interior.

[Anonymous]

We hired tech paint to do our exterior for a historic wooden row house. The job involved carpentry work because of some rotting boards. Like a prior poster noted, most of the work was prep (cleaning, sanding, priming, and also caulking). We also worked with their color consultant to select colors. The end result was truly transformative, as our house became one of the most stunning homes on the block. Two years later we wound up selling in a bidding war well above asking price after just one weekend of open houses. Our realtors credited our “curb appeal” as a primary reason.

For us it was well worth the cost.