Painting mistakes are easy to make. Whether you are painting yourself or hiring someone else to do it, here are some do’s and dont’s.

It’s amazing how many painting mistakes revolve around the word “Cheap”. Cheap materials, cheap paint, cheap painting contractor…There are times to bargain shop. Painting isn’t one of those times. If you use cheap, poor quality materials, how can you expect a quality result? Always buy quality painting tools and paint. It is an investment that pays off.

We were recently “hired” to do a painting project. It was actually us coming in to fix another paint contractors mistakes. It was a sizable job but nothing we are not accustomed to doing. So we are told the job is ours and after we buy a lot of materials for the job we are told they wanted additional work done and by the way, wanted to pay $1000.00 less. Well, we used those materials on another job. There is a direct correlation between dollars and quality. It blew my mind that after a bad experience with a cheap painter this homeowner wanted to cut the agreed to price. Oh well.

So don’t scrimp. When getting bids for a painting project, get two or three from experienced, well known paint contractors. Check references, talk to previous customers, look at their work. Then decide. You can always find someone cheaper, you just can’t then complain about the results you get.

A common mistake is not allowing enough time for a project. Interior projects are in a controlled environment. Exterior projects are not. If you are planning an event at your home and would like the exterior to be repainted prior to it, plan ahead. The weather is unpredictable around Omaha.

Paying too much attention to all those home improvement shows. The shows where a kitchen is remodeled and painted in a day. False expectations. Quality takes time.

Trying to work in a chaotic environment. If you or your painting contractor are going to paint a room, you don’t want kids or pets running around the place. Never a good idea. I was painting a kitchen for a customer many years ago and I came back from lunch to discover the family dog chewing my Purdy brush down to a nub. Not happy.

Scheduling your project. More then once we have been spraying an exterior and discovered the lawn crew cutting the grass and spraying the cut grass onto the side of a wet house or had a sprinkler system kick on while working. If you are having several things done on the interior of your home, think about the schedule. You don’t want a carpenter cutting wood in a room that’s getting painted. Talk about painting mistakes!