In terms of house and home renovation having a professional painter and decorator to finish the job is one of the most important aspects. This is after all, the first thing that people will notice. So the question is: how can a person go about in hiring a local painter and decorator? What should you expect from a painter and decorator?

Most people think that it’s fairly easy to re-decorate a room. After all, what could be easier than painting a wall? However, as with most things, there’s a knack to everything, and painting and decorating is no exception.

How to Pick A Painter and Decorator

The range of services provided by any good professional painter and decorator will include the following:

  • Painting (both interior and exterior surfaces)
  • Hanging wallpaper
  • Varnishing and staining wood surfaces
  • Preparing surfaces for painting/decorating.

The Cost of a Painter and Decorator

A person must remember that painting a room or hanging wallpaper isn’t as easy as you might think. There are many factors to consider, not just the colours. For example, the type of wallpaper – will it be vinyl needing paste, or wallpaper that only needs dipped in water. What quality of paint should a person use? Even getting these relatively simple factors wrong can cost a person more in the long room. So the cost of the work by a professional painter will usually pay for itself in the long run.

Reasons to Hire A Professional Painter & Decorator

Here is what you can expect to get by using a professional:

  • Work done to high standard
  • He will have the necessary tools.
  • Has the knowledge to find solutions to difficult jobs

How Do I Choose a Painter and Decorator?

There are a number of ways to pick and find a good painter and decorator. For example, a person could ask around his neighbours and friends, he can check the Yellow Pages or find one through a professional trade federation/association. Let’s looks a two of these options:

Recommendation from a friend. This is probably the easiest and you have a better chance of getting a good job done. After all in this business, reputation is the most important thing. A painter who relies on his business by recommendations will make sure that he does a good job. More often than not you might get a better quote for the work. A person can also check out his work and get more information on the painter himself. You can often arrange to provide your own materials, and sometimes this is cheaper. A word of warning though – never buy the cheapest materials.

A trade federation/association. These groups usually have a list of the registered tradesmen in a particular local area. Usually all the members of the association are vetted for honesty, quality of work done and quality of materials used. This can be sometimes more expensive than finding a painter through a friend, but it has the advantage that if there is a dispute you can usually take it up with the trade association.

Which is Best Paint or Wallpaper?

After choosing the right painter and decorator, the next decision is decor. Nowadays there is so much to choose from that it can be difficult to know where to start. A professional painter and decorator will be able to give you ideas because more often than not he will have tackled something similar in his work and will know what looks good and what doesn’t.

Paint. This has some advantages and disadvantages. You can choose from an uncountable amount of colours and tones. Paint however, can be ‘colder’. Remember that the tone you see on the paint pot or even the actual tone of the paint will differ from how it looks on the wall.

Wallpaper. Wallpapers are good because they can cover up minor defects on the wall and they can be very resistant to wear and tear. You can be sure of the colour as well. The disadvantages are that wallpaper can be difficult to change or repair and you need a professional to put it up. However, Good quality wallpaper should last at least 10-15 years.

How to Hire a Painter and Decorator

Keep these factors in mind when hiring a painter and decorator.

    • It’s usually best to meet at your home. You can show him exactly what work you want done.
    • Have some colour schemes ready. Use the Internet to plan for this. There are many great sites there with pictures, ideas and colour schemes.
    • Explain in detail all that you want to do. That might seem obvious, but sometimes you have a clear picture of what you want, but does the painter and decorator have the same picture?

      The Right Painter and Decorator

      If you choose well and follow these tips you will be able to get the right painter and decorator for the job. The end result will be a room, or rooms, that you will feel at home in and will impress your visitors