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Yes, Absolutely! As a journeyman painter, my opinion is certainly biased, but I've had to correct an awful lot of DIY "horror shows" over my career. In many cases, the cost of returning the property back to a professional level of quality is double. That being said, it is possible for a handy homeowner to do a nice job, especially if the amount of prep and repair is minimal. A job with no snags or pitfalls is rare though. (We'll assume a homeowner with renovation experience, a love for painting, and lots of spare time won't be interested in this article.)

It's tough to match the speed and quality of a professional painter, for three basic reasons: Experience (practice), knowledge, and equipment. It takes practice to develop the skills and knowledge, and quite a bit of money to acquire excellent tools and equipment. A painter works closely with his suppliers and is kept abreast of the constantly improving industry. You might spend a month of weekends working to accomplish what a professional could have done in a single day. It's likely you could use those weekends doing something far more productive.

Painting interior walls is the easiest to do, but if the drywall repairs and prep are not done thoroughly, the finished product will still be disappointing. Properly repairing and prepping the drywall commonly takes longer than the actual painting. A house without holes, dents, gouges, and cracks is pretty rare. In fact, a newly constructed home will often require more work after a year or so than an older one, due to settling and cracking. Slapping on a coat of paint really doesn't change much. If the old finish is alkyd based and not identified and dealt with, the new paint job will certainly not adhere well. All of the paint will have to be scraped off. Not identifying lead based paint is an insidious health risk if it gets sanded. There is also a risk of doing expensive damage when removing old wallpaper.

Damaged ceilings are even more difficult to repair and paint, especially if they are textured. Cracks and water damage are common. The drywall often has to be cut out, replaced, and finished the same as a wall, then the texture has to be sprayed on. Setting up the machine to spray exactly the same texture is tricky. These textured ceilings are normally painted with an airless sprayer and nasty alkyd based paint. Not using a respirator is dangerous. If the homeowner attempts to cover the texture with a roller and latex paint at least some of the texture will

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