DIY has become a hot new way to design your home with a “low budget” in mind. However, some projects are done better when using professionals to ensure that costly mistakes aren’t made. One type of DIY project that many people love to do but can go wrong very fast – is DIY painting!
6 common DIY painting mistakes
There are a variety of things that can go wrong when it comes to DIY painting, even for the most seasoned DIYers, and we don’t want you to make those mistakes, too! We’ve curated a list of common things to avoid during simple DIY painting projects and noted which projects likely require a professional!
1. Forgetting to do prep work
Prep work needs to be done before the paint can even hit the walls to ensure the project runs smoothly and the walls end up looking nice, such as washing walls, filling in holes, setting painters tape, laying a drop cloth, and gathering all the necessary supplies. Additionally, it’s important to note the condition of your walls, the amount of old paint already applied, and the height of your ceiling. These walls will require a professional to safely reach those high heights, strip old paint away, and ensure your walls are in good condition for DIY painting, as noted by House Beautiful.
Hiring a professional to take care of the more complex painting jobs (or even the simple ones) ensures that all necessary prep work is done, the right tools are on hand, and your walls look good enough for a magazine article!
2. Working with inexpensive painting tools
There are several low-quality painting tools on the market, and you might not think twice about it because it’s a great way to stay within a low budget. However, cheap paint, brushes, rollers, and tape can lead to costly mistakes that we’re trying to avoid. Professionals will only use the highest quality materials and have painted long enough to know which ones really are the best!
3. Skipping the priming process
Newer painters might look at the primer and think, “paint is painted; how is this primer going to help?” and we totally get it! However, priming your walls is one essential part of the preparation process that can’t be avoided. Primer ensures that your paint will go on smoothly, cover up the colors underneath and keep you from spending excessive time and money on the paint color you’re applying.
4. Choosing the wrong paint
Choosing the wrong finish, not sampling multiple colors, and applying only one coat will leave you feeling dissatisfied with the way your walls turned out after all the hard work and time you just put into them. Whether you have already done this and you’re ready to consult a professional service, or you would like to skip this issue altogether, a professional will do a full consultation to make sure they understand exactly what you want and therefore deliver exactly what you want!
5. Painting kitchen cabinets
We’re not saying kitchen cabinets can’t be painted; we’re saying that it’s a very meticulous process that can go bad fast. Using the wrong paint, applying the paint incorrectly, and putting doors back in the wrong places are just a few of the things that can go wrong with a DIY cabinet painting project. Hiring a professional paint crew to come in and paint your cabinets will save you money that you would spend on new kitchen cabinets but leave you with cabinets that look beautiful and brand new!
6. Painting trim
Similar to painting cabinets, DIY painting your trim is an elaborate process if you want it to come out looking nice! It’s easy for DIY trim painting to come out looking thick, off-colored, uneven, and drippy because it’s not an easy thing to paint. Professional painters are pros and trim work, however, and will leave you with nice, clean trim work throughout your home.
In conclusion
We’re not saying we don’t attempt DIY projects because there are many that come out looking nice for even the first-time DIYers, and we know that not every painting project requires a professional. However, we know how tricky and lengthy DIY painting projects can get, and the results are permanent and can be costly and overall timewasters. We’re here not only to help you but work to stick within your home renovation budget. Contact us today to talk about how we can help with your DIY painting needs!
