Designing a Nursery

Arranging for your home to be painted takes time when done properly, even before any actual work has started. A paint job is a big deal, and whether you're having the inside or outside of your home painted, you should be careful to understand everything that's going into the process of changing your home's color. You'll meet with someone from a residential painting company first so they can evaluate what your home needs. This is your chance to ask questions that will help you choose the paint and get your home ready.

Always Discuss Paint Warranties and Your Home's Base Material

Painting your home is not as easy as slapping on some primer and paint. The material the paint will go on has a huge effect on how well the paint job sticks, and that's going to affect the warranty. For example, if the paint is going on wood that's been chemically treated, the paint could start to peel within a few years because of the oils and chemicals that gradually rise to the surface of the wood. That causes the paint layer to separate from the wood layer. That's a lot different from painting something like stucco, where the paint can sit intact for years. But those issues affect the warranty because the paint company isn't going to guarantee paint against peeling for decades when they know the base surface will cause peeling within a short time. You can discuss all this when you meet with the painting company.

Get Clear on Who Does What Preparation Work

Preparation work for house painting is full of variations. There are removing furniture from a room and taking down curtains; chances are that you'll get to do most of this work. (If you have very heavy furniture that you can't move on your own, the paint company can work something out with you to help you.) If the house is very dirty on the outside and you're planning to repaint there, you'll need to have the house pressure-washed first. At the same time, covering trim and other places that you don't want to be painted should be the job of the paint company.

Find out About the Process of Repairing Wall Damage

Another part of the preparation that the paint company should handle is the repairs to the walls before painting. For example, drywall holes need to be patched, but the painting company should be able to do that for you. If damage is discovered during painting, such as dry rot, then the painting company should have a procedure for fixing that before continuing with the paint job. Even though the painting company will handle these issues, it's good to know about them so you know why the painters are doing something.

Start writing down your questions now as they occur to you, and add them to the list as needed. Your meeting with the painters can go more smoothly when you have all your questions ready beforehand.