Tis the season to be house-proud. Spring or at least, it soon will be!

Every spring like clockwork, millions of homeowners across the United States begin planning long-overdue exterior home painting jobs. Some go bold, others keep things simple, but all share the same vision of a spanking-new paintjob to make their home shine throughout the spring and summer.

Unfortunately, the desire to save every penny where possible has a habit of leading many homeowners down entirely the wrong path. On one hand, overspending is never a good idea.  Particularly if you don’t have a great deal of money to play with in the first place. On the other, working with a cheap exterior home painter has the potential to prove a costly mistake. Not to mention, a surprisingly easy mistake to make.

The Hidden Risks of a Barrel-Bottom Painters

On the surface, it may seem like something of a no-brainer. Two competing painting companies, two promises of a stellar result and two very different prices. So, why would you not go with the team offering to get the job done for around 50% less cash than the alternative?

The answer…well, you need to think a little more strategically about what you’re actually getting for your money. And for that matter, why it is that some painting teams confidently charge higher prices than others.

Here at Homm CPS, we don’t pretend to be the cheapest painting company on the market. Never have, never will. But when it comes to overall value for money, we guarantee you won’t find a better deal. Low prices and value for money being two entirely different things.

Confused yet? Don’t be – here’s a rundown of just a few reasons why cheaper exterior paint jobs can prove to be costly mistakes:

1. Poor Preparation. Firstly, there’s a reason why we’re constantly banging on about the importance of preparation. That being, it’s important…very. Properly preparing exterior home surfaces prior to painting takes time, effort, skill, knowledge and the use of an extensive range of high-quality tools. One option is to skip or scrimp on the preparation process, though in doing so you’re guaranteed to negatively impact the quality and longevity of the result. Even if things look pretty great, it won’t be long before the whole thing begins deteriorating before your eyes. And when this happens, you’ll have little choice but to pay through the nose to patch-up the damage, or start again from scratch.
2. Paint and Primer Quality. When painting companies charge suspiciously low prices, they cannot possibly be using the very best products money can buy. Even when factoring wholesale discounts into the equation, premier paint and primers cannot be provided for pennies. Some painting teams will tell you that paint and primer quality doesn’t matter. Then again, some people will also tell you that Elvis is alive, well and made a special guest appearance in Home Alone.
3. Insurance and Licensing. Obtaining the necessary insurance and licensing to work as a professional painting contractor is neither easy nor cheap. As such, some simply forego this legal requirement as a means by which to save money. Suffice to say, working with a team that doesn’t carry workers’ compensation insurance and comprehensive liability insurance represents a risk that isn’t worth taking. That is, unless you want to find yourself in the firing line, should anything unfortunate occur while the job is being carried out.
4. Employee Inconsistencies. In order to minimize expenses and overheads, it’s common for cheaper painting companies to use freelancers, subcontractors, temporary employees and painters’ with little to no professional experience. In doing so, they’re able to provide their services for rock-bottom prices. Unfortunately, you’re also looking at a complete lack of consistency, professionalism and quality. Initial savings may be tempting, but not to such an extent as to justify awful service provision.
5. No Warranties. Last up, extensive warranties are a mark of confidence and professionalism. They show you outright that the service provider in question has total confidence in the services they provide. With a warranty in place, you’re guaranteed outstanding results and a certain degree of longevity as an added bonus. In the absence of such guarantees – pretty much standard with cheaper service providers – you’ve no comeback whatsoever. For the sake of peace of mind alone therefore, it’s worth thinking twice about cutting corners, for the sake of cutting costs.

Truth is, even the most outstanding exterior painting services don’t need to be overpriced. It’s simply a case of working with a reliable and recommended service provider you know you can trust.

For more information on any of our services or to arrange an obligation-free quotation, get in touch with a member of the Homm CPS team today.