 Cheap Dulux Paint. Ok you’ve decided that Dulux is the brand of paint for you – either to apply yourself or have your painter apply. The next question is, “How much does Dulux Paint cost?”. Sorry, I have some bad news for you. Dulux is recognised by many (but not all) as the best Australian paint and is therefore the most expensive Australian paint. That’s not really surprising. But fear not. There are ways of getting a discount on Dulux paint. Read on ... Also please note, the following is based on my experience as a professional interior painter. I've tried a lot of different paints but by no means all of them. I've decided that most paints in the Dulux range have the right combination of quality, price, and availability for the work I DO. Cheap Dulux Paint - Bunnings1. Buy Dulux at Bunnings. Massive buying power means that Bunnings can sell Dulux for less than most competitors. Bunnings is everywhere so it’s a convenient choice too. But wait! There’s more! 2A. Get yourself a Bunnings PowerPass discount card – Part A This card gives you 5% discount on paint. If you have an ABN (Australian Business Number) in some sort of trade you can buy Dulux paint for 5% less. Your trade doesn’t even have to be painting. AND I’ve heard rumours that having an ABN in ANY business, trade or not, can work. It’s worth a try. https://www.bunnings.com.au/trade/powerpass 2B. Get yourself a Bunnings PowerPass discount card – Part B Bunnings website says the following: “Selected organisations and small businesses across a range of sectors and industries such as facilities management, aged care, education, manufacturing and government where building, maintenance and repair work is frequently carried out. If you are unsure whether you qualify for PowerPass in your industry, or you want to understand your options, you can discuss this with a member of our Bunnings Trade Organisations team at Email: organisations@bunnings.com.au Again worth a try. 2C. Get yourself a Bunnings PowerPass discount card – Part C Owner builders can have one. You'll have to quote your owner builder licence number. These seem like fairly broad ranges to try. Basically Bunnings seem Ok to give the 5% discount on paint (using the PowerPass card) to pretty much any business, sole trader or Not-For-Profit that does some sort of construction/repair/maintenance … even if it’s only sometimes! But .... there’s a BUT. As a professional painter I buy nearly all of my Dulux whites, pre-mixed colours, and primers at Bunnings. BUT when it comes to MIXED COLOURS, I’m very sorry to say I’ve just given up on Bunnings (By that I mean any Dulux colour that has to have tint added to the base can to achieve the colour I want). Why? I’ve had 4 wrongly mixed colours in 18 months. Each one I assumed was correct and it wasn’t until I started a wall or opened the can onsite that I saw the mistake. And so did my client, so I looked like a fool. Now this is just MY EXPERIENCE. Maybe I've just been unlucky. And I do buy a lot of paint so the odds of an occasional stuff up are higher. And the Bunnings people do cheerfully replace the wrong colour with the right one. BUT 4 times is just too much for me. You know, time is money!!! And that’s the reason I buy ALL my mixed colour Dulux paint at a chain of speciality paint stores called Inspirations Paint. Cheap Dulux Paint - Inspirations paintPaint is all these guys do and they are very good with advice, service and … giving me the right colour!!! Their pricing is on average 5% higher than Bunnings standard price. But if you join their Inspirations Paint Club, you can get a 5% discount on paint, bringing you back to Bunnings standard low price. You also get 10% discount on brushes, tape, drop sheets etc. https://www.inspirationspaint.com.au/register You also get more specialised paint advice and (in my experience anyway) THE RIGHT FLIPPING COLOUR EVERY TIME! So, there you have it. Dulux is a very good paint brand, and is therefore expensive, but with a bit of effort you can buy it for a wee bit less. Good luck! What is the best brand of interior wall paint in 2021?
Wall cracks or ceiling cracks freak some people out! Don’t worry. If you can’t fit your hand into the crack you are usually ok. But there are different kinds of wall and ceiling crack. So there are different kinds of repairs materials for each one. All of the suggested crack repair materials listed below are tried and tested by me. I’ve also tried cheaper versions thinking, what’s the diff? Oh, there’s a diff! In the end I’ve returned to the more expensive market leaders and I’ll explain why. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here. Wall and Ceiling crack fix 1 - Selleys No More Gaps This stuff is perfect way to FIX CONVEX WALL AND CEILING CRACKS. Eg. Wall meets cornice, cornice meets ceiling, wall meets skirting board etc. HOW? – Scrape out any loose or flaky bits. With a CAULKING GUN push a thin bead of No More Gaps along the crack. NOTE: Push don’t pull the gun along. Pushing forces No More Gaps into the gap, where pulling doesn’t. WHY? – No More Gaps sets in about half an hour (longer if it’s really thick).It can easily be painted with oil or water based paint. It’s also flexible and can take some movement. ISSUES? – Selleys No More Gaps SHRINKS. IT is great for many CONVEX cracks and can be topped up if the shrinkage is noticeable. But if you are filling a crack in a flat surface No More Gaps will shrink and show even after painting. OTHER BRANDS? – There are many cheaper alternatives. The generic name for this material is CAULK. But I’ve found the others to be too runny or too thick. Selleys No More Gaps, like Goldilocks, is just right. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here. Wall and Ceiling crack fix 2 - Selleys Spacfilla This stuff is perfect way to FILL SMALL DEEP HOLES/DRILL HOLES where you might have removed a picture hook. HOW? – If you removed a picture hook, blow the dust out, and using the little plastic blade supplied, fill the hole to slightly proud (above) the wall surface. When dry, sand the repair and paint. WHY? – Spacfilla dries in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on depth which is nice but the best part is that it DOES NOT SHRINK. This means only one application is needed and its pretty fast. Also no primer is needed. Two top coats will hide this repair for ever. Another advantage is that if your Spacfilla dries in its tub a few drops of water bring it back to life! ISSUES? – There’s always a down side. Spacfilla is very soft. Usually this is not a problem. But it can’t be re-drilled. OTHER BRANDS? – Most other/cheaper brands of fast drying filler either slump or are too crumbly or dry too hard. There may be alternatives that are as good but I haven’t found one yet. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here. Wall and Ceiling crack fix 3 - Selleys Tradies Bog This filler is a good way to FIX HOLES, CRACKS OR BIG CHIPS THAT NEED A HARD REPAIR. Eg.picture hook holes that need redrilling, doors, windows, timber, and corners that get a bit of wear. WHY? – Selleys Tradies Bog sets HARD! As it dries it can be carved. Or when fully set can be sanded or even sawn like wood. Also it needs no priming before painting. HOW? – Bog is a chemically set filler created by mixing two parts that react and harden very quickly. It can be pressed into holes just like spacfiller, or shaped to re-build a piece that has been chipped of the corner of a wall or door. Because it sets so fast (5 minutes) I find building up layers works best. It can be sanded within half an hour but I’ve found best results by leaving it overnight. ISSUES? – Fast setting is a blessing and a curse. The best approach is to gradually build up the desired profile by mixing small amounts one by one. Being a chemical reaction unsurprisingly there is a bit of a strong smell for a while. And compared to all the other crack fillers on this list Bog is quite expensive. OTHER BRANDS? – I’ve tried alternative/cheaper brands and found the main problem was slump. I’m filling a hole in the wall which looks fine but over an hour it starts to slid or slump. I went back to the more expensive and reliable Selleys Tradies Bog. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here. Wall and Ceiling crack fix 4 - Skim and Strip
This solution is a process using skim coat (smooth wall plaster) and a reinforcing strip (like a bandage). Skim and strip is the way to FIX LONG CRACKS ON THE FLAT PARTS OF WALLS AND CEILINGS. It’s a bit of a process but when finished is invisible and give the crack its best chance of lasting. WHY? – The reinforcing tape (paper, fibre glass mesh, or fibre glass matt (Fibre Fuse) – which I prefer) gives a strong tensile aspect to this repair. The skim coat (which is usually premixed plaster and other ingredients) gives a super smooth hiding effect to this repair. HOW – 1. Apply a (6 inch/15cm) strip of skim along the crack. Cut a length of fibre fuse tape and press this into the skim with a plasterers blade. Smooth everything out as much as possible. Wait 24 hours. 2. Scrape any high parts of the now dry skim. Apply a wider strip (8 inch/20cm) of wet skim over everything and smooth this down. Wait another 24 hours. 3. Lightly sand the dry repair. I us a sander attached to a vacuum cleaner because there will be a lot of dust! 4. SEAL the repair with either diluted paint or Zinsser Peel stop – which I prefer. If you don’t seal the repair any painting over the top will peel off within months. ISSUES? 1. This is a difficult craft and it takes many attempts to get right. 2. Its very dusty unless you use a vacuum. 3. Sometimes you are fighting against a house that is moving around on it’s foundations. No amount of skim and tape will win that fight! I tell people this crack repair will give your home its BEST CHANCE. OTHER BRANDS? – I use BORAL FINAL COAT. It’s a pre mixed skim that works well. GYPROCK have a similar product called GYPROCK TOPPING COAT and its fine too. With the tape, the main thing is to find one called Fibre Fuse (rather than paper or fibre glass mesh). This tape is a fibre glass mat – a lot like the stuf they make fibre glass yachts out of. Its very strong and hides better that the other options. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here. Wall and Ceiling fix 5 - Sikaflex Pro This is the stuff you get when the crack or gap is between two MOVING MATERIALS. Say a wooden skirting board against floor boards that move a lot. WHY? – SIKAFLEX PRO gives maximum springiness or stretchability. It can go on slightly damp surfaces and when set is waterproof. But unlike similar SILICONE, this product can be painted. HOW? – Apply two parallel lines of masking tape with the desired filler gap between. With a caulking gun push the filler along the gap. With a rag dipped in turps smooth the filled gap. Then IMMEDIATELY remove the masking tape. ISSUES? – Need to mask, clean up with turps, a bit smelly, more expensive than No More Gaps, and a bit tricky to apply. OTHER BRANDS? – In the past there were paintable, water-based caulks (No More Gaps) OR very NON-paintable, oil-based Silicone. SIKAFLEX PRO is a great compromise between the two and similar products are coming on the market all the time. I haven’t tried them all but I find Sikaflex Pro to work well in the ‘paintable, very flexible, water proof, caulk gun’ filler. Need an interior crack repair AND painting expert? Click here.
House painting is a labour-intensive job. And labour in Australia is relatively expensive.
So, unless your surname is Packer, it makes sense to think carefully about what needs to be painted in your home and what doesn’t. I’ve visited a few homes where the home owner waves airily at the whole interior and says, “Give me a quote to paint everything.” And then they get a shock when the cost to paint everything hits. If you want talk to me (The Tidy Painter) about fixing your cracks and painting your walls and ceilings (and you live on Sydney's Lower North Shore) click here. So here are 3 tips to help not break the bank and still transform your home. I’m happy to discuss any of these with you. 1. Do you really want ALL rooms painted or just the ones your friends see? By NOT painting the bedrooms in a 4 bedroom home you can save about 30% of the cost. 2. Does it ALL really have to be done in one hit? I’ve painted quite a few interiors, in several stages, over several months. My clients paid as they earned enough money to pay for each stage. Kind of old fashioned but it works! 3. Do you really need walls, trim AND ceiling to be painted? Let me answer that. You DO need your walls and trim painted. But sometimes the ceiling is pretty good. Walls and trim get bashed around and fail much faster. NOT painting ceilings can save up to 10%. NOW, here are 3 more tips that save money … but will leave you angry and feeling ripped off. I will NOT work this way. But some painters will. 4. Do you really need to prepare the surfaces? YES!!!! Skimping on surface preparation is the number one way cheaper painters can be cheap. The ‘minimal preparation scam’ works so well because it saves a fortune - 15 to 30%. And the surface looks fine … for a few months . Then it starts to peel and you are worse off than before. One guy quoted a badly cracked interior at a quarter of my quote. So the client saved 75%!!!! Happy days! Until the whole job failed 3 months later. 5. Do you really need to protect your things? YES!!! The second way El Cheapo painters save money is by not taking the time to protect your floors, furniture, lights, wardrobe contents, cat etc. A good interior painter will apply masking tape along the timber floors or carpet, then a wider strip of protective plastic or cardboard, then thick drop-sheets. All small items will be moved and big furniture (and hanging lights) are wrapped in plastic. A cheap painter will kick a single drop sheet along the wall as he paints. He might even catch some of the spilled paint this way … but not all of it. Not bothering to protect your home will save between 15% and 30%. But what will it cost to replace your best clothes, furniture or carpet when they are splattered with paint? 6. Do you really need quality materials? YES!!! Here’s where it gets tricky. Cheap painters have cottoned on to the idea that clients know Dulux is probably the best quality paint brand, so they wave the Dulux cans around and give the impression of being serious players. Using Dulux (over cheaper brands) only adds a maximum of 1% to most jobs (Because as noted above, labour is the big cost) The question should be, what went UNDER the Dulux paint? What plaster, fillers, primers? What is the foundation gripping to the walls, doors and ceilings that the lovely Dulux paint sits on? By now you will have guessed that crummy painters use cheap, nasty, or NO plaster, fillers or primers. And you’ll only find out when the good paint peels off. (Another exasperating story: Cheap painters did a dud job on a lady’s bathroom. I quoted to remove the peeling paint, prime the area properly and then … paint it. Her husband said no, he wanted to go cheap again. Ayah! Maybe I’ll be asked to be the THIRD painter. Who knows.) So that’s it … 3 ways to save money that still gives a high quality, long life job. And 3 ways to save money that result in a bad job and damaged possesions, then the cost of rectification, then the cost of painting properly. What causes mould?Most people think mould in their home is caused by some sort of leak. But in my entire career as a painter (and all-round wall/ceiling obsessive) I’ve come across leak formed mould … once. The vast majority of Mould outbreaks are caused by: too much CONDENSATION (man-made dampness) plus too little VENTILATION (air movement). With cooking, washing, using a clothes dryer and just breathing, an average family can create up to 15 litres of air born moisture a day! Which is fine if the windows are open and a lovely fresh breeze blows all that moisture away. But in winter, doors and windows are shut, heaters are on, and ventilation all but ceases. AND your nice warm, cosy interior meets your homes cold exterior. The difference in temperature turns water vapour into … water. A winter home is like an inside out can of frosty beer on a hot day. Cold meets hot and water condensation occurs. Mould loves condensation. Mould loves a lack of air movement. Mould loves warmth. And mould loves a nice porous surface to hook into (walls and ceilings). As a result I get heaps of calls from people concerned about a sudden and unexplained mould outbreak at the end of winter. At other times of year I’ve seen mould behind pictures, pianos and other wall hugging furniture and in high corners of under-used rooms. This is all caused by a lack of air circulation. Should I be terrified of mould?
Everyday condensation-formed mould is not healthy. It can irritate the breathing of asthmatics, babies and old people. But its not nearly as dangerous as people think. I’m an asthmatic and I clean it up all the time. And look at me! Apart from occasional blindness and a near total loss of memory, I’m fine! (That was a joke). Leak-formed mould is more serious, often because it has sometimes been growing for years. It is usually embedded in the fabric of your building. Expert removal is required. (And condensation-formed mould that has been left to run rampant for years would need expert removal too.) Unfortunately a visit to Dr Google is full of horror stories implying that your basic surface mould is some sort of deadly killer. These stories are brought to you by mould removal companies. They are probably brilliant at removing the really nasty stuff but are not essential for basic surface mould. How do I get rid of mould? Google again offers about 10,000 different ways but the general idea is as follows: STAGE 1 - Put on a mask and remove what you can by any of the following: 1. Vacuuming (using a special HEPA filter so the mould spores don’t shoot out the other end of your vac). 2. Wiping and rinsing with dish washing detergent and water. 3. Wiping and rinsing with Vinegar. 4. Wiping and rinsing with Baking soda diluted in hot water. 5. DON’T USE BLEACH. Its pretty noxious and while whitening the area, it does not kill the mould. Someone said it was like a shaving a face – the visible whiskers are gone, but the roots are strong and healthy and will push up more whiskers tomorrow. 6. DON'T MIX CHEMICALS. The results range from 'turns into water' to 'turns into poisonous gas'. If you want to use various mould killers, do them one at a time and let each one dry before applying the next. STAGE 2 – Put your mask back on and spray or wipe and leave 24 hours with any of the following: 1. A few drops of Oil of Cloves diluted in water. 2. A few drops of Tea Tree Oil diluted in water. 3. Vinegar. 4. A product called Mould Action (available at Bunnings) The key here is to let your chosen fluid just soak deep into the mould roots then DRY OUT. Wait until the next day or longer before moving to the painting stage. STAGE 3 – Paint with added mould inhibitor. The previous 2 stages will kill most of the mould but will usually leave a few stains and marks. (That’s why people love bleach – everything ‘looks’ white. Don’t do it!) 1. Paint the affected areas with a good quality mould killing primer. I use Dulux Precision Stain and Mould Blocker. This hides the stains and works long term on any mould roots that have escaped the previous stages. It also seals and hopefully suffocates these escapees. 2. Paint one or two top coats with a quality ceiling paint. I use Dulux Ceiling White which comes with ‘Mouldshield Technology’. THE PURPOSE OF PAINTING IS TO CREATE A NEW, CLEAN, INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENT THAT NEW MOULD FINDS VERY HARD TO GROW ON. And if your mould affected area is a bathroom or kitchen ceiling, here’s one more trick! 3. Paint the ceiling with a Low Sheen finish rather than the usual Flat finish. This is shinier and makes gripping that much harder for new mould. I use Dulux Wash and Wear +Plus Kitchen and Bathroom Low Sheen paint. In fact, that’s what’s on my own bathroom and ceiling, in an old house, and we don’t use the fan much. We’ve been mould free since I applied it years ago. How do I stop mould coming back? VENTILATE, VENTILATE, VENTILATE!!!
1. Especially in winter, if you get a dry windy day, throw all your windows open and let the breeze through as many times as you can. 2. Use ceiling fans. 3. Open up unused rooms as much as possible. 4. Get vinegar or oil of cloves onto any new mould spots as soon as you see them, before they grow. So while this is a bit of work, it’s not impossible to do yourself. I’d be glad to help with your condensation-formed mould problems AS PART OF A MULTI-ROOM INTERIOR PAINT JOB but I’m afraid my business model doesn’t work for ‘just one ceiling’. Click here to find out more about how I can help you. Cheers Tony - The Tidy Painter. How long does a single average bedroom or study take to paint?
Short answer: Modern home/unit – 2 coats walls only – 6 hours Modern home/unit – 2 coats walls and ceiling – 12 hours Modern home/unit – 2 coats walls, ceiling, 3 coats door and skirting boards – 18 hours This includes adequate masking, floor and furniture protection, and sanding/washing/primer on door and skirting. (NOTE: Cheap painters don’t do this). Historic home/unit – 2 coats walls only – 8 hours Historic home/unit – 2 coats walls and ceiling – 16 hours Historic home/unit – 2 coats walls, ceiling, 3 coats door, WINDOW, PICTURE RAIL and skirting – 30 hours This includes adequate masking, floor and furniture protection, and sanding/washing/primer on door, WINDOW, PICTURE RAIL and skirting. (NOTE: Cheap painters don’t do this … either). If you want talk to me (The Tidy Painter) about fixing your cracks and painting your walls and ceilings (and you live on Sydney's Lower North Shore) click here. Long answer: Most people are surprised at how long it takes to paint a room … until they try it themselves. Painting is LABOUR INTENSIVE!!! (Well, decent painting is. Crappy painting that fails almost immediately is really fast!) The steps to a great paint job are as follows: 1. PROTECT YOUR STUFF. Small items must be moved out. Big stuff like furniture must be wrapped in plastic. Floor coverings, like carpet and floorboards must have drop sheets laid over AND masking the appropriate tape applied around the entire perimeter. Then curtains and blinds must be removed. 2. FILL THE HOLES/CRACKS. Nearly every room has cracks or picture hook holes that need to be filled and dried ready to paint. 3. MAKE THE TRIM ‘GRIPPY’. All the glossy stuff like doors, wooden windows, skirting boards, picture rails, wardrobe doors, even wooden fire places need to be de-glossed, or the new paint will peel off. De-glossing is done with sandpaper and/or a special primer. These 3 steps are called Protection and Preparation. These steps can take up to 50% of the time allowed for a long lasting, good looking paint job. Cheap painters just don’t do this stuff and that’s why they can present quotes that are half as much as a real painter. Sadly a lot of home owners opt for the half price option and are very disappointed with the results. AND the inevitable fix up costs even more because of the damage caused the first time around. Only then does a good painter do the painting part. Even here there is a huge difference between good and cheap painters. The good guys take TIME to apply the paint correctly so there are no bare patches and no dribbles or runs. They take TIME to let the first coats dry before applying the second coats, while the cheapies apply one super thick coat and call it done. A good painter doesn’t just chuck the paint on and run out the door. They apply, let dry the evaluate whether the RESULT is correct. If not, they make sure it is correct. So they next time you look online for the answer to: How long does it take to paint a house interior? Make sure you separate the cheap answer from the quality answer. Asking yourself WHY DO I NEED A PAINTER? will help you decide WHO you should engage.
If you want talk to me (The Tidy Painter) about fixing your cracks and painting your walls and ceilings (and you live on Sydney's Lower North Shore) click here. Some people think ALL painters are ok at ALL types of job. So hiring the cheapest one (who doesn’t smell of whiskey) is ALL that’s needed. This is not true. (Well, avoiding the whiskey smell is). Go on, just ask yourself WHY DO I NEED A PAINTER? If the answer is because … I WANT TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF MY 12 STORY UNIT BLOCK … you would obviously look for painters experienced in large scale exteriors, scaffolding, abseiling, insurance, body corporate work etc. This would certainly be a large well established firm. But if the answer to … I WANT TO PAINT MY DAUGHTERS BEDROOM AS A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE … maybe the unit block guys would not be right. Here you certainly need a person who is meticulous with painting AND not getting your home messed up. I’m exaggerating here … but only a bit. I get calls all the time from people who want … a painter. My first question is WHY? Do you need a painter tomorrow to touch up a scratch in the wall before your mother in law arrives? If so, I’d recommend finding a good handyman. Most handyman are ok at small, urgent touch ups. Whereas most good full-time painters are booked weeks out. So SPEED is your why. Do you have a rental that needs a quick once over between tenants? If so, CHEAP AND FAST is probably your why, with QUALITY way down the list. Do you have an older home with cracks and mould that need fixing before painting ? If so then REPAIR PLUS PAINT is your why. (Also, call me. That’s what I specialise in.) Other whys might be: If I spend another day with peach coloured walls I’ll vomit. I like my wall colours but they are old and marked and I want a freshen up. I have stains from water damage. My paint work is just so old its peeling off. My builder has finished our reno and now I want the work painted. I have historic plaster work that needs repair and painting. I have a mould problem. I have a crack problem. Having decided on your WHY, you can now set about finding the RIGHT painter. Look for a painter who has evidence of solving your problem. Google is the best place to start. Just chuck in all the things you want and Google supplies lots of business sites. Eg. Mosman painter plaster cracks mould And finally, I’m really sorry if I’m teaching you to suck eggs, but … I suggest reading the websites supplied to make sure they have what you want, BEFORE ringing them. You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache and wasted time. How many coats of paint do I need?
Q. One coat of paint or two? A. Often it’s 3 (counting the primer). If you want talk to me (The Tidy Painter) about fixing your cracks and painting your walls and ceilings (and you live on Sydney's Lower North Shore) click here. Have you ever thought that only one coat of paint on interior walls would do? In the words of Mary Ellen from A Walk in The Woods, “Big Mistake.” This thought is usually an attempt to save money. But only applying one coat of paint will unfortunately cost you money I the long run. Here’s why… The top coat that you see (and wipe crayons marks off) is not sticking to your walls. Wait. What? Nope! Top coats stick to primer (or old wall paint which is itself sticking to primer). They never actually stick to new plaster, timber, whatever. Or if you try it doesn’t stick for very long. The primer’s job is like a house foundation. Its not meant to be seen. It’s meant to hang on – tight. And to hang on it has to sink into the microscopic nooks and crannies that make up the substrate. When primer dries it’s a bit rough, or a bit shiny, or whatever. It’s not meant to be seen. Then the first coat of top coat goes on. And it’s a still bit rough. AND it’s a bit thin; you can see through some parts. Where it goes over (primed) plaster repairs the first coat may be shinier or duller than the rest of the wall. And there’s always a few tiny missed spots. So the second top coat goes on. It smooths the overall finish making the job look better. It creates a uniform solid colour. It doubles the thickness making the skin able to be wiped and cleaned without coming off. And any micro-misses are covered up the second time through. And the biggest bonus of all is the this fresh, colourful, easy-clean painted wall or door now has a TOUGH skin that can move and take a few knocks. So it LASTS. Much longer. And doesn’t need to be repainted for a long time. AND you don’t even save much money doing one coat. Its not like half the price of two coats. Because most of the work of painting a wall is in the protection (masking, covering) and preparation (washing, scraping, filling, priming). The painter is there all set up with a roller wet with the right colour ready to go. Its nuts to say, “Ah, just skip that second coat. I want to save 3% on this job.” So, it’s either two coats or don’t even bother. GOOGLE REVIEWS PAINTERS
One of the best ways to help select a high quality house painter is with Google reviews. Google reviews for painters are probably the best because they are the hardest to cheat on. Facebook is another good place to see what previous clients have experienced. There’s also Product Review and Yelp. To see The Tidy Painter’s reviews click here. Its important to take Google reviews for painters with a grain of salt but they are very good for getting an overall impression. Here’s my very un-scientific review of review rankings: All 5 star reviews Obviously pretty good. But be sure to read the actual comments. Past clients might talk a lot about cleanliness or speed or accuracy. This helps you narrow down the KIND of painter YOU want. We are not all the same. 5 and 4 star reviews Still very good and an indication that these reviews are real. Cheaters only ever give themselves 5 stars and their competition 1 stars. 5 stars (and 4 and 3 and 2 and 1 star) reviews TOGETHER This might indicate inconsistency. It might also mean that within the same company one painter is great and another is very average. Which one will you get? 3 star reviews A very ‘just OK’ review. Most clients are either delighted or disappointed with their painting job. 3 stars says, “They came, they saw, they put paint on the walls.” Nothing good. Nothing bad. Fine if you just don’t care. 2 star reviews Very unhappy. But not quite furious. 1 star reviews These poor folks are fuming! There are three kinds of 1 star reviewers: First - clients who were very badly let down. Second – clients who never became clients because no one called them back (or one poor guy who was hung up when he revealed he was gay). Third – people who didn’t have painting done but are just mad at the company. Bad driving, a poster for the painting company they don’t like, a neighbour’s painters who poured old paint on the grass etc. 0 Reviews Not professional. Not trying. A total gamble on your part. Why would you let someone into your home who was totally unknown to you? Unless you Mum recommends this painter I wouldn't go near them. Exceptions! If a painting company has all 5 star reviews and one 1 star review (from a neighbour who didn’t like the music the painters listened to) I’d let that one slide past. How many reviews? Just to the right of the Google star rating is a grey number in brackets. This shows HOW MANY people have given reviews. If only one person has given 5 star review, we can be pretty sure that it’s the guys sister in Perth who gave it, and it may not be 100% unbiased. So don’t just choose your painter based on price. Meet the painter, look at the website, call a few past clients and dig through his/her online reviews. Soon you’ll have a very good picture of who’s right for YOU and YOUR situation. House painting - expectations vs reality
Most people have never painted a full house interior themselves. So there is always a bit of a difference between expectations and what really happens. Nothing wrong with that at all but if you’d like to know what surprises people the most read on ... Expectation 1 “This should only take a few days right?” Realty: An older style home will on average, take 1 painter about 1 week to paint 1 room. This includes repairing, preparing and painting, ceiling, walls, door, windows, picture rail and skirting boards. Expectation 2 “You’ll be painting the top coats the day you arrive right?” Reality: ALL of my clients are surprised at how much work is done before the ‘painting’ starts. Most people realise some sanding and cleaning will be required. But in addition there is a huge amount of ‘protection’ to be done. This includes moving furniture, pictures etc, taping the perimeter of the room, putting down drop sheets and protective plastic film. I estimated once that about 30% of my time on your paint job is used in protection and preparation. Expectation 3 “You’ll treat my home like your home right?” Reality: I do. But not all tradesmen do. Some painters see your home as a building site and others see it as your home. In fact this split applies to all tradesmen. For example a newly constructed house is a building site until it’s finished. A new house painter can spill as much paint on the floors as he likes if they are going to be sanded or carpeted. He can chuck his empty cans on the junk pile that will become the front yard. And that’s all fine. But if the same painting or plastering work is to be carried out in your immaculate lounge room ... a very different approach is required. That’s why I keep harping on about finding a painter who has lots of experience working on YOUR type of situation. Expectation 4 “The guy I met at the quote will be doing the work right?” Reality: I DO. But most bigger painting companies have a sales person/owner/estimator whose job is to sell you that companies services but NOT actually do the work. Thats fine as long as you know thats the deal AND your initial discussions make it to the team doing the work. There are basically 3 company structures when it comes to WHO does WHAT. 1. You meet the owner. He does the work (sometimes with help). Communication should be at its highest. 2. You meet the salesperson/owner/estimator and they pass your agreement on to their 'regular team'. Communication can get a bit lost, and you have to hope you like the team you are given. 3. You meet the salesperson/owner/estimator and they pass your agreement on to .... whoever they can find to do the work. Some guys are really just brokers finding work for other companies and taking a slice of your money. This is a great way to make a lot of money but I don't think you the consumer get very good value at all. Expectation 5 “The quote is fixed right.” Reality: Painters that give super cheap 'quotes' often have a nasty habit of finding unexpected problems a few days into the job. Funny that. Your home is in disarray, the guys are standing around doing nothing and you get the news that the price has jumped. Its blackmail and it works. Be very careful that your QUOTE is not just a dodgy GUESS. Make sure it is a fixed quote. And theres probably a dozens more expectations! The main thing is to find a painter who you feel you can TALK TO. Then you can ask dumb questions and not feel dumb. And they can explain whats going on at the beginning and throughout the job. Google reviews are THE BEST WAY TO CHOOSE A PAINTER!
Choosing a painter (or any tradesman for that matter) is hard work. You want a quality job, a person you can trust around your home, someone that you can communicate with, and a fair price. Asking friends isn’t a bad way to find a good painter. But what your friends needed and what you need could be very, very different. That’s why Reviews are so helpful. For an example of a painter's reviews click here. Expert reviews It’s possible to find a person who had similar painting needs to you, who found a really great painting specialist for their needs. If, say, you have an interior full of cracks and peeling paint you will be looking for a 5 star rating and positive review for an expert in those problems. But beware! Some reviews are fake. Google probably has the most trustworthy reviews. It’s very hard to ‘game’ Google Reviews. And if you get caught ... that’s the end of you, on Google anyway. Other reviews can be found on Facebook, Product Review, Amazon, and many others. You can find genuine reviews (and ignore fake reviews) by looking out for the following warning ‘suss’ signs.
So check out Google Reviews and any others, but watch out for fakes. And after you meet a prospective painter the very best review you can get is a list of happy customers you can actually phone and talk to. |
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