by Laura Lee Winger

Created on: August 19, 2009

A big debate in home improvement is whether or not it is worth the expense to hire a professional painter, and it is not an easy debate to have. There are many factors that go into the DIY or hire decision in painting, namely, the dimensions and conditions to be painted and the resources available. What's worse, this is not a small decision to make; hiring a painter can be very expensive, and doing it yourself can be disastrous. Nevertheless, my opinion is that with a little research, the right resources, and determination, painting a house or a room yourself is totally doable, and well worth the effort and savings from not having to hire someone to do the job.

The first factor to consider in this decision are the dimensions and conditions of the area to be painted. Painting tall, multi-story walls are more difficult than single-story walls, and painting high ceilings are harder to paint than low ceilings. Painting interior walls is considerably easier than exterior, and likewise painting walls is easier than painting ceilings. Also, painting large areas, painting over dark colors or painting rough textures will take longer and possibly more coats than painting small areas, light colors and smooth textures. Finally, painting around fixtures like toilets is more difficult than painting clear and open areas. These conditions considered, it is easy to see that it may make a lot of sense to hire a pro for extremely large or complex painting projects, and to do it yourself for small, simple projects.

The other important factor to consider is what resources are available. Clearly, if you are limited in time, tools and manpower, but have enough money to comfortably hire a professional painter, then you will likely favor hiring. Many of us, however, do not have the excess funds available, or would rather spend our money elsewhere. To take on large, complex painting projects, you will need large amounts of time, which could mean two or three days over a weekend, or several hours a day for a week or two. It is also nice to have friends and family help tackle the project with you; this will make things progress quicker and can make it more fun. If large furniture has to be moved, you need the manpower to be able to move it. Tools are essential to painting projects, and it is of utmost importance to have all the right tools. For external surfaces like brick and stucco, for example, renting a large paint-sprayer is a really good investment (and is

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