Roof painting DIY or hire a professional?

The DIY approach to doing things around the house is so popular that you may wonder why you have to hire someone to paint your roof. Well, unfortunately, amateurs have a tendency to overlook even the most obvious things that a professional picks up. It’s generally wise to hire a professional roof painter if you’re looking to add value to your home. It can even work out cheaper than doing it yourself – especially if you get the prep work wrong!

Think Through your DIY Roof Painting Project

If you live in a single-storey house whose roof is not very steep, DIY painting might seem like a great idea. But before you settle on the colour to use, do a thorough inspection of your roof. It’s often at this point that you feel you probably should hire a professional roof painter.

If you are considering getting a professional, then use a tradie website like Service Seeking, an online directory where you can get some ballpark numbers for your painting job – then make a short list to get more accurate estimates through onsite visits from the selected painters.

There are a few reasons that might necessitate the use of a professional painter, including;

• The roof needs some pressurised cleaning before you even start painting
• The roof will probably need some repairs to bring out an even finish
• Painting the roof is not as easy as it looks
• To guarantee a professional paint job, you will need equipment such as spray equipment. Do you know how to use it?
• Are you even insured against possible accidents when painting the roof?

Professionals not only clean the roof but also wait for it to dry before they commence painting. Years of experience help them find trouble spots that an amateur might overlook.

You see, painting a roof requires a step-by-step approach. An amateur will, for example, use a brush instead of spray equipment, which applies the paint faster. A brush leaves brush strokes, and it is not efficient in using the paint optimally.

Roof painters use the spray equipment to paint only the required areas, and they never leave paint runs. They also know the angles to avoid and rarely suffer work site accidents.

Photo courtesy of Commons Wikimedia by Jan Kameníček

How Do You Paint a Steep Roof?

Steep roofs require specialised equipment to paint the slopey sides. Equipment such as a hoist is more expensive to hire than the actual roof painter. The person who rents you the equipment would want to know that professionals will operate it.

The hoist must be appropriately placed to allow the roof painter enough manoeuvrability to apply paint on a section before moving to the next one. Apart from the painter, there is a hoist driver who carefully moves the machine around, avoiding causing damage to the house.

An amateur may not even know how to position the hoist for efficient manoeuvrability.

An Amateur Overlooks Details

DIY roof painters often forget about painting eaves and fascias using a different colour, let alone the gutters. Add this to a newbie’s tendency to miss some running paint, and the overall output will look shoddy.

If your house is more than one storey, consider if you are – or aren’t – afraid of heights. Roof painters can work at dizzying heights safely and efficiently. Even a small accident, such as spilling the paint, can add tens of hours to a roof painting project. Amateurs are susceptible to these kinds of mistakes.

How do You Choose a Professional Painter?

• Choose Experience – Some providers do both residential and commercial painting. Choose a provider that specialises in home roof painting. If a provider has enough experience, it will have past work samples and a reputation to protect.
• The Quality of Paint Used – Although the paint used and the technique used to apply it will depend on the type of roof, you need to research which paint your chosen roof painter uses.
• What Does Their Painting Package Entail? – You don’t want to hire a roof painter who cannot fix the gutters, fascia eaves and leaks. You want a painter who can take care of everything as it will be cheaper than dividing up the contract.
• Get References – Before you hire a roofing contractor, ask for references. A contractor with a good reputation will be eager to prove their excellent workmanship. Check previous customers’ reviews to verify the contractor’s claims.
• Cost – Always ask for a quote. An established roof painting contractor will give you a no-obligation painting quote. Comb the quote for hidden charges before you sign on the dotted line.

Is a Professional Painter Worth the Cost?

Think about it – hiring a professional painter can be relatively inexpensive, and you won’t have to worry about potential work-related injuries associated with DIY roof painting. After getting the quotes for roof painting, ask the painter if it includes the guttering, eaves, and fascia. Note that if these services are part of the contract, you will be expected to pay a little more than painting alone.

To get an accurate quote, provide the following details to the roof painters;

• The area that needs to be painted in square metres
• The design of the roof, i.e., is it a single-storey or a multi-storeyed roof?
• How steep your roof is, i.e., the gradient of the roof
• Are there other areas that need to be painted?
• Will they have problems accessing the roof?

If you are in a tropical area, professional painters wait for the dry season to commence the painting job. Rainy season means very slow drying and running paint. The result of your work will be shabby, and it will take longer and cost more. Take advantage of the weather to cut your costs.

Another thing you will need to look out for is how the roof painting contractor treats customers. A contractor with a flair for addressing customer needs through proactive communication will most likely do a better job.

As the old adage says – “cheap is expensive.” You may think that you are saving yourself a lot of money by painting the roof yourself, but you end up spending a lot more if you mess it up, as a professional will probably charge you a lot to fix your mistakes.