Painting Services
 

My sister wants to paint her house but she's not sure whether hire a company to do it or doing it herself. I told her that there are some college students that do this kind of jobs over the summer for less money than any painting company.
What do you suggest? Hire college students or a company?

Wel,l I have some painting experience and I would want references myself.I know what a mess inexperienced painters can make. If they have no references at all I would go with a painting company or at least someone who has some experience.

To me it really depends on how much you are wanting to spend. I have known inexperienced painters who have done an excellent job. As long as they have done it before they should not have a problem. If she chooses to do it her self, then she may want to consider these facts. When you paint you have to paint evenly to ensure the coat goes on right. Primer the walls if necessary, and be sure not to paint over a wet area as this can cause the paint to be thinner, unless you plan to paint two coats of paint.

My concern about college students would be whether they were sufficiently insured. I almost wonder if doing it oneself for no more than the cost of paint may be as good as hiring students. Of course, I'm sure some colleges students would do an excellent job.

Another option may be to look for an out-of-work handyman. One woman I know did this. The only problem was the handyman offered to get the paint that matched the home's existing paint, but once the paint was on it wasn't the charcoal gray she'd wanted. It was more of a blue.

I lean to a professional painting company. Some painting companies will point out that they're careful to do things like cover all the bushes and generally be careful not to leave behind a big mess.

I do not see anything different between doing it yourself and having students do it, other than the time it takes to complete the job. Having others do it you can monitor and ensure that there are no missed spots, as well as get it done. If you are the only one doing it, it will take more time to complete the job.

Hi!

Some painting companies hire college students to do the job. But they do pick their workers carefully since their reputation depends on it. Hiring students directly might be cheaper but we can't be sure if we're getting the better end of the bargain. But some local companies might know and willing to refer a few students.

Tell her to ask if any of her close friends know how to paint or even you have experience? I wouldnt hire someone to do it, it's a fairly easy job unless she's doing more then just 1 simple paint job. I say try it on your own first, if it goes bad, redo it and hire someone else.

Yeah... that's exactly what she did... Well, she had me paint her house and the deal was that if it looked bad she'll do hire someone to finish up, redo, or fix my the job.
Everything went well, I did a pretty decent job but my brother in law had to finish the higher parts since I'm somewhat afraid of heights :eek:

We have always painted our own walls! There's nothing quite as satisfying as being able to take a step back and look at your handiwork. Plus, our family tend to become somewhat bored fairly quickly and thus hiring out painters do the walls every 2 months would rack up quite a bill.

I usually do my own decorating, and I agree that seeing your own handiwork is rewarding. My brother in law is a painter and decorater and I will sometimes ask his advice on colour schemes as he usually knows what colours are in and can advise on painting methods. ie; rag rolling.