Do-It-Yourself Interior Painting Is Like Money in the Bank

Trying to decide whether to do some home remodeling this year or leave your money in the bank? You can do both if you remodel with paint.

“The cost of do-it-yourself interior painting is so low, it’s almost like remodeling without touching your bank account,” says Debbie Zimmer, spokesperson for the Paint Quality Institute.

The key, of course, is investing some sweat equity.

“While a professional painter might charge up to $500 or more to paint a room, if you’re willing to provide the labor, you can complete the job for a small fraction of that amount,” says Zimmer.

Looked at another way, do-it-yourself interior painting is a great way to “earn” money. Since painting a room is usually a two-day proposition, if a contractor-applied paint job costs $500 in your area, you’re essentially paying yourself $250 a day to paint.

Absent the labor cost, do-it-yourself interior painting is downright thrifty. Your only outlay is for paint, application equipment like brushes and rollers, and some miscellaneous expenses for things like tape and a drop-cloth. Total cost? “Less than $100 a room,” says Zimmer. That’s little more than pocket-change in today’s remodeling world.

Whether you’ve decided to do your own interior painting to save money or simply to have a hand in beautifying your home, Zimmer offers the following tips:

“Take the time to properly prepare the walls and other surfaces before starting to paint,” she says. “That means cleaning them with a solution of detergent and water, after which they should be rinsed and allowed to dry. If there are any cracks or holes in the walls, this is the time to repair them with spackling compound or a good-quality acrylic caulk.”

Zimmer also recommends using only high quality brushes and rollers. “These will help you apply the paint more evenly to get professional-looking results, even if this is your first time painting,” she says.

When applying latex paints, be sure to use brushes and rollers with synthetic bristles and covers. According to Zimmer, the brushes will maintain the proper stiffness and the rollers will maintain their shape even when exposed to a lot of water.

Lastly, Zimmer recommends that do-it-yourselfers buy only top quality 100% acrylic latex interior paints, which she describes as “the do-it-yourselfer’s best friend.”

“If you’re going to spend time and effort doing your own interior painting, you want the job to last, and that’s where these paints really pay off,” she says. “Top quality 100% acrylic latex paints are extremely durable, plus they resist fading, so your paint job will look great for years to come.”

So if you think you’re up to the job, put yourself to work doing your own interior painting. You’ll be rewarded not just with the money you save, but also with the satisfaction of a job well done.

For more information, visit www.paintquality.com.

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