Whether you want to paint your home for a fresh new look or to alter the colors of your walls, you will want to hire a dependable house painter at a fair price. Painting your home is a reasonably quick and simple project, so you want to hire the right painter to make it stress-free.
Many people in Southern California don’t know where to start when looking for a reliable painting service because there are so many to choose from. So, let me share some tips and guidance on how to find a good house painter in your area.
Here at GreatBuildz, a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura or San Diego with reliable painting contractors, we speak to homeowners every day about planning their painting project – here are some considerations, ideas, and tips to get you started.
How to find a good house painter near me?
Your home’s exterior paint is not only an important defense against the elements but it’s also what gives your home its attractive curb appeal. And your interior paint has a major impact on the style and design aesthetic of your entire home.
The wrong paint can ruin even the most impressive spaces. So, when it’s time to paint, make sure you get a painting company you can trust to do the job right.
Requesting referrals for a house painter from trusted acquaintances, neighbors, or coworkers is a good start. If you seek advice on social media, you should only consider the comments of “real-life” friends. People you do not know tend to be biased; for example, they may promote their brother’s painting company.
Consider working with a firm like GreatBuildz that performs extensive painter screening and gives customized introductions to reputable Los Angeles and SoCal painting contractors. It is not advisable to choose a painting service at random from an advertisement in junk mail or from a flyer they left on your door.
What to look for in a good house painter?
The first thing to know is that you should only work with a painting contractor that is licensed and insured. A painter should hold a C-33 painting and decorating license from the CSLB. A good painter should also have liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. They should be able to show you a copy of their insurance certificate that evidences a current insurance policy in effect.
Are there house painters out there without a license? Sure. But, do you want to spend thousands of dollars on a painting service that is working without the proper qualifications? If the job is done poorly, you will have little recourse. Additionally, painters are often using ladders to reach high places, and there is a possibility that an accident could occur during the job. Without the painting contractor having proper insurance, the liability falls on you.
A good painting service will provide you with a written estimate, contract, and guarantee of work. Like any other professional, a quality painting service will provide you with the appropriate paperwork that indicates the scope of the service, the cost breakdowns, the specific materials to be used, the payment breakdown, and the warranty of their work. Without this paperwork, you cannot be certain that you will get what you expect from your painter. (For example, whether the ceilings are included in your painting project).
A good paint contractor can work within your schedule. An entire painting job takes very little time; from 3-7 days. You should look for a house painter that can start the job quickly and perform the work without any major breaks in between (except weekends and holidays). You want a painter with a crew that can work full days, every day…and not leave your job for other projects or runs to Home Depot.
Lastly, in order to hire a good painter in Los Angeles, you should be able to take a look at their previous projects or even call their previous clients for feedback. If the painter gives you a few addresses of their completed or in-progress exterior paint jobs, drive by those homes and take a look at the quality of the work.
For interior paint projects, get the names of a few past clients and call them to see if they were happy with the house painter’s work. Be sure to ask the question “If there was one thing they could have done better, what would it be?”. This usually elicits an honest response.
Home Painting Cost
How much does interior home painting cost in Los Angeles?
Painting a typical home’s interior in Los Angeles costs $3-5 per square foot. For a 2500sf house, the total painting cost would average $7,500 – $12,500.
Obviously, every home is different so every paint project cost will be based on a unique set of needs. The majority of the painting cost is labor, so the more time that is required for your project, the more it will cost.
The cost of painting a home includes the following items: Moving and covering furniture, covering and taping off areas like windows, cleaning or sanding walls, making repairs to drywall cracks or holes, caulking certain areas, priming, and finally painting and cleaning up. If your project requires extra time or effort for the house painter to accomplish any of these tasks, your total price for painting could be higher than average.
Items that make an interior paint project more expensive include:
- Excessive need for wall preparation & repairs
- Multiple coats of paint (ex. to cover an existing dark color on the walls)
- High ceilings or hard-to-reach places
- High cost of labor when painters and painting contractors are busy
- Using a premium paint brand
- The property is challenging to access (ex. hillside, narrow streets, etc.)
Related: 10 Ways to Renovate on a Budget
How much does exterior home painting cost in Los Angeles?
The cost of painting a typical home exterior in Los Angeles is approx. $4-6 per square foot, therefore a 2,500sf house would cost $10,000 – $15,000 on average to paint.
The cost to paint a home’s exterior is quite similar to painting the interior. With the interior, there is more work involved to move furniture and there is more surface area to paint (all the walls and ceilings). Exterior painting, however, could require more labor time, often with ladders. Also, exterior paint is more expensive as it has to withstand the elements.
Exterior painting costs include the labor, power-washing the walls, any scaffolding needed, any repairs to stucco or wood cracks/gaps, caulking areas, the paint itself, and other tools & supplies. So, if the exterior of your home hasn’t been painted or maintained in a long time, the repairs and prep work will require more time and therefore a higher cost to hire a house painter.
Items that make an exterior paint project more expensive include:
- Two or three story homes
- Hard-to-access areas around the house
- Lots of repair or replacement of the wood trim
- Wood siding or a material that requires a lot of sanding before painting
- Multiple coats of paint
- Extra areas that need to be painted like fascia, casing, trim, doors, etc.
Related: How Much Does It Cost To Paint a Home in Los Angeles
When should I paint my house?
There are two major reasons that someone might want to paint their home. The first is for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons and the other is for maintenance and upkeep, or of course, a combination of both. Because the paint color of a house (both inside and outside) is so focal to the look of the home, painting for aesthetic reasons is very common.
Cosmetic reasons to paint your home
If you’re getting ready to sell your home, one of the cheapest and most impactful things you can do is paint your home. Painting with a fresh, modern color will cover all those wall scuffs/marks & holes and give the place a newer appearance. Painting the exterior is the most important thing to do to create a nice curb appeal.
If you’ve just purchased a house and the colors are not to your liking, painting is also a cost-efficient way to create your own look and style. Let’s face it, certain colors go out of style, and you may not want to live with that peach wall color from 30 years ago.
Also, if your walls have gotten scuffed, nicked, dirty, or cracked over years of use, it may be more effective to paint all the walls rather than try to clean, patch, and touch up all the dirty areas. A new paint job gives the entire house a fresh look. There is a reason apartment landlord paint their entire units after each tenant moves out.
Lastly, when you’re looking to re-design, renovate or just refresh your home after living in it for some time, paint is the first place to start. Again, it’s the cheapest way to create a big impact both on the inside and outside of your home.
Maintenance reasons to paint your home:
Another reason you’ll know it’s time to paint your home is when your paint is flaking or peeling. On the exterior of your house, that means the elements have battered the home long enough to loosen the paint from its underlying surface. At this point, the paint is no longer protecting the surface material of the home and it can start to degrade…which will lead to larger repairs needed down the road.
Paint will likely start peeling/cracking on a wood surface before stucco or brick. And at that point, the wood can start to rot or mold. Also, if you’re noticing cracks/gaps in your exterior wood/stucco or caulking areas shrinking and cracking, your home is ready for some new paint.
Exterior paint will fade in color as it’s exposed to the sun for long periods of time. If parts of your home are in direct sunlight all day without shade, those areas can start to fade, especially if your house is painted with a dark color. Obviously, lighter colors and whites will not fade as much.
If you’re looking to paint to maintain the look of your home over time, pro house painters recommend you consider repainting every 7-10 years.
Other tips to know before hiring a house painter
- Get several estimates from Los Angeles paint companies before deciding on who to hire. Prices can vary substantially.
- Ask the painting contractor if they will manage the project or provide you with information on the project manager.
- Ask your painting company candidates what brand of paint they use and how many coats.
- Don’t forget to get a written contract with information about their warranty.
- If you get a price over the phone, you can assume it’s just a ballpark number and not very accurate. Every home and painting project is unique and will vary in price.
- Think about whether you want to be home during the painting process. If you’re allowing the painting contractor or their workers into your home, make sure you’re safe with your valuables. Let the house painter know which bathroom is available to the workers and what areas of the house are off-limits (and where your pets are housed).
- Find out if your painting contractor is EPA Lead Certified. Especially if you have an old house that could have old lead paint, this is an important thing to consider.
- Ask if your Los Angeles painter will power wash the exterior of your home as part of the prep process.
- Paint that is sprayed on can float away, especially on windy days. Make sure you aren’t keeping any cars in the driveway during painting. Ask your painting contractor if they need to cover any neighboring cars parked on the street.
- Get a copy of your painter’s insurance certificate.
When it comes to finding the best house painter for your project – GreatBuildz is simplifying the contractor search. GreatBuildz is a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura & San Diego with reliable, thoroughly screened contractors and provides project support from start to finish.
In Southern California, Call now (818.317.3567) to chat with a real person about your next renovation project or visit our website for more information: www.greatbuildz.com
