Money-Saving Tips for Your Next House Painting Project

Here are some useful tips to help you save money as you launch into your next home improvement project:

-Don't wait too long to repaint your home-

Although this may sound more expensive, regular attention will protect surfaces and prevent costly repairs. Too many homeowners think they can save money by putting off needed painting of their home. while in reality, they are just exposing themselves to the possibility of peeling or failing paint, cracking, dryrot, mold or mildew, and water damage. Fixing these problems will turn out to be more expensive in the long run

Also, the lion's share of the costs for any painting job will come from the labor costs. And the longer you wait to repaint your home, the more you will need to pay for labor such as scraping, sanding, caulking, priming, and other repairs that your home might need. That's why in the long run, it's cheaper to stay ahead of the game by painting your house regularly. It's better to pay for one fresh coat of paint and easy surface preparation every 5 years than to pay for the more costly work that comes if you wait too long. The savings could very well be in the thousands.

-Pay for the best-

The saying "You get what you pay for" is as true for house painting as it is for so many other things. Buy quality paint when you can. Not only does it look nicer, but it will help protect your home from the elements much more effectively.

Quality is also important when you hire a painting contractor. The lowest bidder might rush the job by doing poor surface prep so the paint won't hold well, and you'll eventually just have to pay for someone else to do the job again. Always find a reputable house painting contractor who you know will do the job right the first time.

-Timing, timing, timing-

Painting is a seasonal business and you can save money by hiring painters during their low seasons. For interior jobs, winter is a great time to save money. For exterior jobs, March and November could be a good time to take advantage of lower rates and special promotions. August and the major holidays are good times for any home improvement painting project. So be flexible and plan in advance. Contact your contractor early and see if you can get a good deal. All you have to do is ask.

-Purchase in bulk-

Another common mistake people make is to paint only one room or part of their house at one time, then paint another room a few months later, and so on throughout the year. It's actually more expensive to hire a contractor several times. Rather, if you can group all of your projects together at one time, your contractor can probably give a you a volume discount for doing one, larger job.

Much of the costs are in transportation, setting up and cleaning up. The contractor will save time and money and he can pass some of those savings on to you.

If you have a neighbor who needs house painting, recommend your painting contractor to him. The recommendation means more business for your contractor and you can usually get a discount for the referral.

-Share the effort-

A big part of any painting job is moving furniture, taking down wall decorations, etc. and putting everything back again. Your contractor will usually include these tasks in his bid. But if you can take responsibility for some of the set-up and putting thing back, you can usually get a price break from the contractor. Just ask. Then he can focus on what he does (and likes) best - the painting.