Prices can vary wildly when it comes to residential house painting in San Diego. You may be able to find a handyman or someone who paints houses “on the side” to do the job for far less than what a professional house painting company would charge. But as they say, “You get what you pay for.” This is almost always true when it comes to house painting. Pay cheap prices; get cheap work.
But what differentiates a good paint job from a bad paint job? Often, it has to do with how long the paint job lasts. A poor-quality paint job will start to peel or chip over time, whereas a good paint job will look great for many years. With a poor paint job, you may also see a lot of overspray—where paint has gotten on places you didn’t want it—or drips. There may also be spots that were missed—especially if a wall is heavily textured. A good painter will apply two coats of paint when needed to provide adequate coverage.
Here are some other factors that can affect the quality of work done by a San Diego house painting company:
The Quality of the Paint and the Equipment Used
It should go without saying that a professional house painter should use high-quality paint, but unfortunately, not all do. Quality paint will provide better coverage and last longer than cheap paint. Make sure you ask a painter what type of paint they plan to use on your project, and then do your research on it.
Quality paint sprayers are also crucial—especially when painting with glossy paint. If you’re having your kitchen cabinets painted, and the painter plans to use a roller or brush—run! The cabinets will not have the smooth finish you are likely hoping for.
The Amount of Prep Work Done
How well a paint job holds up has a lot to do with how well the surfaces are prepped before they are painted. Different surfaces have different needs. For example, a stucco wall should be power washed before being painted. Areas with peeling paint should be thoroughly scraped. Other areas may need to be sanded, caulked, or patched. These things all take time, and these are the areas where cheap house painters will typically cut corners.
A good house painter knows how important proper prep work is to the durability of a paint job and won’t skip these steps. However, their prices will reflect the inclusion of this extra work.
A Guarantee
Guarantees are funny things. Some people assume that if a company is offering a guarantee, they know that their products or services will require fixing down the road and are therefore inferior to begin with. In fact, the opposite is usually true. The painting companies that offer guarantees or warranties on their work are typically the ones that don’t have to go back and fix mistakes very often. They guarantee their work because they know it’s good. A company that doesn’t offer a guarantee of any sort is essentially saying, “You’re on your own after we leave. Our mistakes are now your problem.” Companies that produce poor work would go broke in no time if they had to fix every shoddy job. That’s why they don’t offer guarantees.
Hiring a company or individual who offers a guarantee doesn’t ensure that you’ll get a quality paint job, but it is a good indication of someone who, more often than not, does quality work.
Final Thoughts
If you want a paint job that lasts, you need to ask lots of questions. Don’t assume anything. Actually read contracts before you sign them, so you know what is included in their price and what isn’t. Read reviews, and make sure the company or individual is licensed, so you have some recourse if anything goes wrong and the company refuses to fix it.
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