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House Painting San Ramon: Ways to Save When Interior Painting

House Painting San Ramon: Ways to Save When Interior Painting

House Painting San Ramon: Ways to Save When Interior Painting

You have decided to do house painting in San Ramon by yourself basically because you want to cut down costs and save money. However, is doing the work on your own really the best way to save money when doing interior painting?

The number one reason of DIY house painting is to save labor costs associated with having to hire a professional painting contractor. However, if you have to do the work by yourself, but will you save money when you have to buy the paints and tools? While some tools are not a necessity (scaffolding for a one-story house) there are some items that will be definitely worth the money you’ll spend.

These tips will help you save money when house painting in San Ramon:

  1. If you use fewer colors, you will be able to save money as well as time and effort. It will enable you to use up most of the paint, thus you will have less excess paint that has been unused. It will also save you time from creating clean lines as well as cleaning the paint brushes and rollers.
  2. Rather than changing the colors altogether, refresh the existing colors on the surface. This means you only have to apply one coat of paint.
  3. If you hire a professional painting contractor, do the cleaning and clearing out of your room, covering the furniture, and removing the fixtures by yourself. You may also do the prep work on the surface as well if you know how to do it. A contractor will charge more if he has to clean and do the prep work.
  4. As long as the existing paint on the surface is latex (water-based) or if the surface is new and has not yet been painted, use latex paints. They are quick to apply and dry faster, as well as allow you to clean up more easily.
  5. Instead of painting the whole room, you may want to just add accents or decorative touches in your room. Painting the trim, the door or window frames, baseboards, or adding a mural painting to your wall will completely transform the look and feel of your room.

However, it is best to not cut corners on the following:

  1. Good quality paints. Buying cheaper paints will save you money up front, but in the long run they won’t last as long as the good quality paints. Cheap and inferior paints tend fade more easily, and will also require you to spend extra time and money by applying more coats.
     
    High-grade paints will look better for a longer time, plus they are more resistant to fading and scuffing. Because of these paints’ high quality ingredients, they will also allow you to cover the surface in a fewer number of coats, thus saving you time, money, and labor.
  2. Good quality tools. Buy the best tools (brushes, rollers, ladders, etc.) that you can afford by making sure that they are made of high grade materials. Cheaper rollers and brushes not produce the results you want.
  3. Prep work. No matter how good the quality of your paint is, it will be nothing if the surface is not prepped (or not prepped well). If the surface is rough and uneven, or has noticeable flaws (such as cracks or nail grooves) or peeling old paint, prep work is essential because it is the key to a good paint finish. If the surface has suffered extensive damage, repairs may also be needed.
  4. Safety. Never risk your own safety or the safety of your family by using improper materials and attempting risky procedures. For instance, using poor-quality ladders is dangerous, choosing plastic over canvas for drop cloths can cause tripping, or stacking stools on top of chairs instead of using a ladder isn’t wise. You also do not want to hire a contractor that is uninsured or unlicensed — chances are their safety record isn’t good. It is also good to use drop cloths and tape to cover all surfaces and items that you don’t want to paint.

You must remember that some ways of cost-cutting might undermine the quality of your work. As long as you have spent money on good quality paints and materials, as well as practiced safety procedures, doing interior house painting in San Ramon by yourself will come out as good as you expect.

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