We’re often being asked why painting the exterior of the house is more expensive than the similar interior job. Well, the exterior painting involves other timing, some extra risks and work, other tools and paint and not everybody wants to do it.
And yes, there are teams and professional that are specialized on exterior painting only. The job requires a good knowledge of the materials one can use for such a job, a lot of experience and quite expensive tools.
The Timing
Every home improvement project requires some planning. In fact, the planning and preparation process is one of the most important steps. Regardless who’s doing the planning (yourself or the professional painter), it must be done and you should expect it. One of the very first things you should do when having the exterior of your home painted is to determine if there is any prep work that needs to be done prior to painting. This is when you should be repairing any rotted siding, window sills, hand railing, or window and door trim.
You should consider the height of your house and how many wooden windows there are before making a budget for exterior renovation (decorating and painting that is).
- if the house is very high and there lots of things to be fixed before the painting process the painter may need a scaffold. That takes time and not everybody is licensed or has the skills to do it. If not using scaffolds, the painter has to work on a long ladder or tower and this way he can only work on a small surface and move the ladder many times.
- if the house has many old wooden windows the painter will have a lot of work to do before making those windows look good enough to apply paint on them.
Another aspect of the timing issue is that the painter depends on the weather. He/she won’t be able to work if it’s raining, very windy or too cold and, of course, the painter can’t charge you by hour or day. The time wasted waiting for a better weather isn’t coming with bonuses, as he/she cannot take another job in this period.
The Extra Risks
Working the interior of the house comes with some risks for which the painter should be insured. Either way it goes, the risks are quite small and any freelancer can afford few days off once in a while. Working the exterior of a house however, comes with greater and more serious risks and can put a painter out of the business forever, even with a big insurance behind.
As we said, not everybody is willing to take such risks.
The Materials
As expected, the materials for exterior painting and decorating are more expensive for they have to be more reliable and resistant on the weather conditions and continuous exposure to sun.
Using budget-priced exterior paint can lead to quick deterioration, thus to a bigger investment on a long term for the homeowner. In other words, being cheap with the materials will cost you more. Our recommendation is to always use the best materials on the market for a durable result.
You know more reasons why exterior painting is more expensive than interior painting or you disagree with some of the points above? Get in touch with us and we’ll be glad to add/answer any of your arguments.
Want a free quote for your exterior house painting? Call Home Painters Perth now at (08) 6225 2392 for more information.
