Painting your house on your own is a commitment of both time and money. Every homeowner has the option to hire a professional painting service. However, if you choose to do it yourself, you will save money, but you need to invest your precious time while managing your daily tasks at the same time.
The professional painters take approx 120 hours of time to paint an average size home. If professionals like house painters Ashfield take this much of time, homeowners are sure to take much longer. It is quite evident that you need to take leave from your work to paint your house.
DIY Network
Painting yourself can be stressful if you have less time and a low budget. However, if you plan the things and do them in a precise manner, it is possible to paint your house in less time and within your budget.
Washing the walls
It is essential to clean the walls before painting them as there is a lot of dust and debris that is not visible but it can hamper the walls to absorb the paint. Using a power washer can be expensive even if you get it on rent. Instead, use a garden hose and brush with a long handle.
Mix the Tri Sodium Phosphate in a large bucket and use the scrubber brush to clean the walls off dirt and stains. After cleaning the walls, use your garden hose to wash the surface of the walls. If your walls are highly stained, you must use a pressure washer gun on your hose to wash off the dirt and stains.
Don’t use the spray equipment
Buying or renting paint spray equipment adds to your expenses. Instead, use rollers and brushes to paint your walls. Check the prices and rent of the rollers and brushes. Sometimes you need them for a month, and the rent is more than their cost. However, if you need them for 6 to 10 days, renting is cheaper than buying. Using rollers and paint brushes can save you money that others spend on the spray equipment.
Prime only the problem areas
Primer protects the surfaces from pests and corrosion. While it is beneficial to prime all the surfaces and walls, but it will take more time to paint your house. To save on time, it is better to primer only the areas such as raw wood and dry wood fillers.
Use a brush to prime all the problem areas like bare spots on your walls and wooden surfaces. It is better to prime all the wood and metallic surfaces as they are prone to pest attacks and corrosion.
Scrape as less as possible
Scraping the old paint does not mean wasting your time. The problem with scraping is that no matter how little you scrap, it leads to more and more. Try to scrap only the necessary areas on your walls.
If you want to scrap as much as possible, hire a helper to do the same. It will save your time and allow you to perform other pre-painting activities.
Hire a helper
Hiring a helper would not cost you much, but it can save your time. Look for a helper with some experience in house painting as it will make things much easier and faster. A helper can help you while scrubbing, scraping, feathering the blister and peeled areas. Also, he can save your time while stirring paint, running errands and cleaning up the surfaces.
Consult your friends and colleagues to help you find a helper. Most people know about guys who work as helpers to make a living. You can also search online but those are associated with small firms, and they are much expensive than local helpers.
Work from top to down
Painting from top to down will help to handle the more onerous tasks in the paint job. Working from top to bottom helps you to cover the drips with the new strokes. Also, it is better to work in the direction of your dominant hand.
For example, if you are a right-handed person, paint from left to right as this will keep your body in a safe and natural position. Working in your natural direction also allows you to paint the walls faster. Moreover, you don’t get tired too soon as you move your body in a natural motion.
Use the same color
If you choose to paint your house with a new color, you need to work more as you need to double coat the paint. If you use a single layer of the new paint, the old paint will be visible through it.
This happens especially if the old paint is darker than the new paint.
Therefore, you will need to double coat with the new paint to conceal the old paint entirely. Using the same color allows you to paint in a single coat which saves time and cost.
Use Rollers wherever possible
Painting with the rollers is faster than using a brush. Rollers help you to use longer strokes than a brush. More they help you paint more uniformly, and the paint gets absorbed into the surfaces more evenly. Using rollers for maximum surfaces can reduce the painting time to half.
The professional house painters Ashfield, Sydney use both rollers and brushes to work quickly and efficiently. Using the correct tools, they usually complete the project in a fast and precise manner.
Final Words
These are the best DIY tips to paint a house in less time and a less cost. For the people who can spare time to paint their house can save both cost and time using these tips. However, every homeowner does not feel comfortable painting their house. They can hire professionals like the house painters Ashfield to paint their house. It can save your time and allow you to focus on your regular job or business. However, you need to research the painting services that fit your budget and requirements.