Painting Your Home: DIY vs Hiring a Professional Painter

When it’s time to update the look and color of your home, choosing the right paint is vital, but so is deciding if you’re going to hire a professional painter or do it yourself. Painting is one of the most common forms of maintenance that homeowners take on themselves, but the results can sometimes be mixed.

At Greenleaf Painters, we’re here to help you learn more by giving you a heads-up on what’s needed for DIY painting vs. hiring a professional painting company. We hope that this guide will help you decide which option best suits you and your home!

Getting Started on Painting Your Home

Painting your home can be a fun and rewarding experience, but you’ll want to make sure that you’re familiar with painting practices to ensure that you’re completing the task correctly. It’s imperative that you have high quality brushes, rollers, painters’ tape, caulk and other materials. You will also need large coverings such as tarps for furniture, valuables, and floors to avoid any mishaps.

Quality Interior & Exterior Painting

We can’t emphasize prep enough. Professional prep work – and professional paint product guidance – are both needed to be sure that your coat of paint will last more than just a couple of years. The right prep and paint make a huge difference in how the final coat will look and how long it will last!

Once you’ve decided on the color, brand, and sheen of paint, you’re ready to get started on prep. You will need to decide on how many coats you will apply after the primer. Also, you will need to decide what to do about cracks and nail holes. Do you leave them? If so, they will show through your new coat of paint.

We sometimes get calls from customers who thought one coat would be enough or the prep would be easier. They hired us to finish the job when they ran out of time, energy – or patience!

When it comes to quality, top-level, professional painters will make sure there is enough prep so that there are no streaks, nail holes, etc. Our craftsmen excel at transforming your living spaces.

Difficulty & Risks with Painting Your Home

Depending on the rooms in your home, painting shouldn’t be a major challenge if you’re skilled and up for the physical labor. Some spaces, however, require the use of step ladders or extension ladders. Maneuvering and safely stabilizing an extension ladder can be tricky and dangerous – both to yourself and your property. One wrong step could lead to harm.

If getting a professional look is important to you, this can be the biggest challenge in DIY painting. Getting clean lines where the wall meets the ceiling, for example, takes a steady, practiced hand. Sometimes you’re needing that steady hand while balancing on a ladder!

Professional painters are experienced with exterior ladders, heights, and the use of tools. You won’t have to risk your safety – or risk a study in frustration. You can rest easy knowing that the professionals do this every day.

Costs for Painting

When you decide to paint your home on your own, you will have to estimate how many cans of primer and paint you need. You may also need to buy brushes, trays, liners, tarps, tape and more. You may need to buy or rent equipment, such as a sander. While it may seem that you’re saving money by doing it yourself, after these expenditures, the cost savings might not look as big as you thought.

Professional painters have all the necessary equipment and materials that are essential for the job. While hiring painters does cost money, you’re also saving time and energy, allowing you to focus on other things while letting the professionals do the work.

DIY Painting vs Hiring Your Professional Painter

While there are potential cost advantages to doing DIY painting, painting your home is a serious task that requires skill and patience. Professional painters are highly skilled in best practices for painting the inside and outside of your home, ensuring that the prep and coverage is sufficient so that you are satisfied.

Are you seeking professional painting services to help update your home? Are you in the middle of a DIY and want to hand the job over to the professionals? Greenleaf Painters is here and happy to help you. Contact us so we can hear about your project and how we can assist you.

 

 

Greenleaf Excels at Painting Historic Houses of Worship

The team at Greenleaf painters thrives on projects involving historic houses of worship. As lovers of history, we take pride in revitalizing historic buildings, using our expertise to carefully brighten a building’s aesthetics, while helping it last for future generations.

Thanks to the word of mouth of our community, we have worked on many area historic churches and other religious buildings. Using our skillset of precision and care uniquely suited for historic building restoration, we utilize our knowledge of the latest paints from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore to preserve and restore a structure’s look and feel.

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Trenton
African Methodist Episcopal Church, Yardley

A Personal Background with Church Buildings

It’s no coincidence that our founder, Jonathan Shenk, is an ordained Presbyterian minister, with a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, NYC. Church preservation is in his blood, as he is a third-generation child of missionaries to East Africa. His grandfather, Clyde, was a Mennonite missionary who built churches, a health clinic and other structures in Tanzania.

“My grandfather was both a community leader and a talented builder,” says Shenk. “I never set out to walk in his footsteps, but I find myself walking a path that is interestingly similar!”

The exterior of Trenton Friends Meetinghouse
Trenton Friends Meetinghouse
interior of church
Trenton Friends Meetinghouse

Our Work in Painting and Restoring Historic Churches

Jonathan and the team have worked to help restore and update 20 churches and other religious buildings in Eastern Pennsylvania and Central New Jersey. Not only are these buildings houses of worship, but they’re historical landmarks in their respective communities. Playing a part in keeping them up-to-date and making sure that they endure is an honor and a privilege.

Some of our work has even saved churches from being torn down. Ewing Presbyterian Church, built in 1867, had fallen into disrepair over the years, and was deemed structurally unsound. Greenleaf partnered with Schulte Restoration (now Alloway) to bring the historic church back into good structural standing, as well as giving it fresh paint and plaster, allowing it to remain open and continue serving the community and its parishioners.

The sanctuary of St. Alphonsus.
St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Hopewell
Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville - exterior
Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville
Exterior of Kehilat HaNahar.
Kehilat HaNahar, New Hope

We’ve worked on a variety of projects, some of which include the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church (where Jonathan was an associate pastor for six years). Here is a list of the houses of worship and yoga centers we have worked on over the years. Most but not all are historic:

St. Alphonsus Church, (Catholic) Hopewell
1867 Sanctuary (Presbyterian), Ewing
Nassau Presbyterian Church
Trinity Church (Episcopal) Princeton
Friends Meeting House, Trenton (Quaker)
African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, Yardley
Kehilat HaNahar, New Hope, PA
Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville
Princeton Baptist Church
Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church
Hopewell Presbyterian Church
Kingston Presbyterian Church
A Jewish Center in Mercer County
NextGen Church, West Windsor
Liquid Church, Princeton
First Baptist Church of Hightstown
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Trenton
Khalsa Healing Arts & Yoga Center, Yardley
Studio Zen, Yardley
Integral Yoga Institute of Princeton

See some more of our work:

Princeton Baptist church
Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, Christian Education Building and Nursery School
Exterior of Nassau Presbyterian Church
Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton
trinity-church
Trinity Episcopal Church

Need Your Historic Place of Worship Updated? Contact Greenleaf

Are you associated with an area house of worship that needs to be restored, maintained or finished? Although we’ve been discussing historic preservation here, we want to point out that we also paint new construction and everything in between! Let us know if we can help you.

Steeple with scaffolding, Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church
Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, West Windsor

 

5 Things to Know Before Hiring a Professional Painter

Having a professional painter update the color of your home to boost its curb appeal or brighten up the interior with a new color can make all the difference. Whether you simply want to update the aesthetics, or you plan on putting your home on the market, a fresh paint job can transform your home.

But while you’re in the midst of looking for the right professional painting contractor, there’s a few things you’ll need to consider before hiring them. At Greenleaf Painters, we’re here to shed some light on the process to help you along.

Should I Paint My House Myself?

Painting can be a rewarding experience. Some even find it therapeutic. But when it comes to your home, you’ll want to be careful, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with painting.

Painting your home yourself is a lot of physical work, and ladders are heavy and can lead to injuries. Hiring a professional painter can help alleviate these concerns. We at Greenleaf sometimes get calls to finish a job a homeowner started!

Professional painting crews also have the expertise that can ensure that the prep work and coating is done right so your walls and trim look their very best. The quality speaks for itself when you hire a seasoned professional painter. Done right, a paint job can last for many years.

Preparing Your Home for Painting

Since you have painters coming to your home, it is a good idea to prepare your space for the work. For interior work, it may be a good idea to relocate valuables for the time being to avoid the risk of damage. We at Greenleaf Painters take great care to move and/or cover your belongings before the painting job starts. If you have a pet, sequestering them to another area of the house may be a good idea to keep their paws out of the paint!

Choose the Right Painting Company

Before hiring a company, conduct some research on the contractors in the area. Look at reviews to see how they’re received by previous customers. Look for reviews of both finished work as well as the process itself. Is the company responsive and respectful of customers and their spaces? Also check their portfolios on their website.

If they seem to be well-reviewed, are prompt and respectful of the homes they paint, and the work looks great, you may be ready for the next step.

Find Out What Quality Paint They Use

If you’re having your home’s interior painted, it’s good to find out the type of paint that the contractor uses. Eco-friendly paints from quality paint companies are high-performing, and yet they don’t emit the smelly chemicals which can have a negative effect on the air quality of your home. Make sure that the painting contractor you hire uses green and sustainable products where possible.

Plan Your Schedule but Be Adaptable

If you’re having your home’s interior painted, it’s good to be present or available if the contractor has any questions for you. It’s also important to know that when you’re having the exterior of your home painted, weather can be an erratic factor. It’s important to be open, understandable, and adaptable.

Find Your Painting Contractor Today

Now that you’re aware of the things to know before hiring a professional painter, you’re ready to begin your experience! If you’re in need of interior, exterior, or historic painting services, you can look to us at Greenleaf Painters.

We’re more than happy to assist you with your painting needs and bringing your vision to life!

Simple Basics on How to Value Employees

When I started my painting business 16 years ago, I had no idea that it would grow to the stature our company is today.  Building a company to become a sustainable business enterprise is a heavy lift and finding the right people to do it with you can be one of the biggest challenges. However, I was determined early on to reach out and bring in others who shared my vision, and who could help share the load.

As my company continued to expand and grow from a one- or two-person operation, I brought in people with a variety of temperaments and personalities. I determined to create a work culture in which:

+ both employees and customers were treated with dignity and respect.

+ the work/life balance of my employees would be honored and encouraged.

+ our hard work would become an opportunity to excel, to enjoy working together, and to experience the satisfaction of a job well done.

I quickly realized as an employer that an employee being skilled as a painter or manager was only one of several attributes I valued. I started thinking in terms of a three-legged stool, where each leg is essential for the stool to stand. I wanted people who were:

Leg #1: skilled painters

Leg #2: team players

Leg #3: a person of integrity

I began hiring differently, looking for all three attributes, while also having one-to-one conversations with any current employee who I felt could strengthen one of these areas. Someone whose skilled painter leg needs some strengthening is easier to train than someone who lacks integrity or doesn’t know how to work well with others.

Over the years Greenleaf Painters has grown and flourished, and these fundamentals have helped shape the company culture and have contributed to its prosperity.  Sometimes, of course, I wish there were fewer things I needed to learn from scratch, fewer challenges when it came to figuring out how to find the best employees and retain them. However, it is true that with each challenge we gain some new insight which, in turn, makes us better and stronger.  I am thankful every day for my wonderful team of dedicated managers and painters.

If you are a budding entrepreneur, or you are growing an existing business, I hope this inspires you to reach the next level with your team.

 

-Jonathan C. Shenk

 

Shout-out to a Solution Maker

We are proud to be part of this community during these challenging times; goodwill is everywhere we look, as people and businesses aim to help.

We want to give a special shout-out to Sourland Mountain Spirits, a Hopewell, NJ company that began producing hand-sanitizer. Their first batches went to fill the needs of the local medical industry.

“Within two weeks, our grain went from helping people celebrate life to helping save it,” said Ray Disch, the company’s founder, in a Planet Princeton article.

Since they’re making so much, we’re able to refill our crew’s personal hand sanitizer bottles — without spending hours on the hunt. Thank you, Ray! We raise our glass to you for helping keep our spirits up! 😄 (Jonathan Shenk, owner, pictured here with recent purchase). 

As we remain open, we are also grateful for customers who have allowed us to work on painting their home or office, so we can keep our craftsmen working. 

For the safety of everyone, our crew members: 
— wear personal protection masks
— practice social distancing
— have their own bottle of hand sanitizer 
— communicate with customers without physical contact.

This week, we are finishing up painting this lovely home exterior in Princeton.

Helping Run a Painting Company from Home – While Parenting

Operations Manager Ryan Munn and his daughter working from home during Covid-19.
Operations Manager Ryan Munn and his daughter working from home during Covid-19.

By Ryan Munn

There are a lot of new situations I’ve found myself in while both my wife and I work from home with our two children, ages five and two.  For the most part over the last three weeks, we’ve been able to juggle each other’s conference calls and take turns watching the kids while trying to stay productive and focused.  

The “mute” function on our phones is a much-used feature as our 2-year-old is quite unpredictable.  We definitely have to be strategic and get creative.  Sometimes we’ll jump on the computer before they’re up or stay on a little later to finish something if there were extra distractions during the day.  For the most part we make it work! 

There are a lot of times we just need to occupy their time, so I don’t feel like I’m a better parent for it. We’re doing the best we can and try not to beat ourselves up over it too much. We try to have them do different things like play with playdough, color, practice writing, but their go to is the iPad. Aiden will play on the iPad and watch YouTube videos all day if we let him! He’s definitely getting more screen time during the week, but on the weekend that gets squashed. We’ll go out for a walk, have the kids ride scooters, and play games with them.

There are a lot of positives too.  For one letting the kids sleep in instead of dragging them out of bed to go rush off to daycare.  I’ve enjoyed having the kids come downstairs and give me hugs every morning and they really love being in their PJ’s 24/7.  

We have a little more quality time with them but not a lot. During lunch one day, we planted sunflower seeds, and the other day they sprouted. Another day we made gingerbread men that were left over from a Christmas project that never saw the light of day.  Needless to say, the kids are enjoying more time around Mom and Dad too.

“During lunch one day, we planted sunflower seeds, and the other day they sprouted.”

I know there are so many people that don’t have this freedom and are either on the front lines helping the sick, or supporting the economy during this difficult time, or even worse are out of a job.  I feel very fortunate to be in my position and hope things get back to normal sooner rather than later.  

I’m gardening as my stress reliever, though it’s not too much different from every other Spring season. Although I might actually kill my plants from over-watering and giving them too much attention!

Here’s hoping everyone stays safe and that we all pull through this together.