The cost of painting a Toronto home can vary widely, however, there are some ways to get the best value from your painting contractor, and here’s how….
Most of these suggestions come down to proper planning. If you can make your painting contractor’s job more easy, so that they can get it done in less time, then there should be a savings for you.
Plan ahead
Just as I was writing this blog post I got a call for wallpaper installation, which would take the better part of a week, based on what he told me. The person wanted me to come and do an estimate today (Sat Aug 12th). I proceeded to ask when he was hoping for the work to start and he said he needed it to start on Monday Aug 14th, 2 days later! This is a recipe for frustration! The chances of finding a reputable wallpaper installer who happens to have a week-long opening 2 days after looking at a job is very low, to say the least!
If you call a painting contractor and expect him to do the job on short notice, chances are that to accommodate you they have to move other jobs around and inconvenience some of their other clients. This creates extra work for the painting contractor and they usually charge a premium for last-minute work. However, with Fast Room Painting, you can be sure to get the room painted at an affordable rate.
In order to be on the safe side it’s wise to start gathering quotes at least a month before you actually want the work done, that way you can have a good chance of getting the time that you want.
If you can be flexible with timing you’ll get the best value
If you are able to be patient, it can pay dividends! Painting in Toronto tends to be busy in the summer and slower in the winter. If you have interior painting to do and can wait until the slower winter months, you can generally get the best value.
Here at CAM Painters if you book work for the slower months of December through March we’ll throw in some items for free to reward you for your patience. Say, for example we’re painting your entire room (ceiling, walls and all the trim), we’ll give you the baseboard in that room for free.
Ensure that we have good access to the areas we’re painting
Another way to make sure you get the best value for your painting dollar is to ensure that we have clear access to the areas that we’re painting. Painting before moving in is always ideal, feel free to read about all the advantages here.
Empty rooms are the most ideal, however, not always practical if you’re residing in the home. However, the better cleared out the room is, the more efficient and less time it takes to paint. In terms of a furnished room, all the furniture should be moved to the centre of the room, so that there is at least 5 or 6 feet around the walls, and all pictures, etc. taken off the walls. If you, the client, does this work, you save the cost of having us do it, if we have to do all the work of moving your belongings then we have to charge for it.
In conclusion
As you can see, with some proper planning and a little bit of effort on your part, it’s possible to keep the cost of your painting project low, without compromising at all on workmanship or durability.
It is no secret that a fresh coat of paint can add value to your property and make it easier to sell. But what can you do if the new property of your dreams is just outside of your current budget? You might want to consider taking out a bridging loan. If you would like to learn more about how bridging loans work, head to the Lending Expert website.
Are your children scared of going down in the basement? Do you jokingly call your basement a dungeon? Are you in desperate need of basement waterproofing bel air md? If you own an older home, chances are you have dark panelled walls in the basement.
Dark walls, combined with small basement windows and limited light make for a really dark living space! How can you make your basement more light and inviting? Here are a few ideas
Install more lighting.
Add a few more fixtures, whether that means installing pot lights, galvanized ceiling lights, or just using brighter bulbs in your existing fixtures. If you’re in the market of looking for new types of lighting for your basement, or in other darker areas of your home for that matter, then a small floor lamp can be a good choice in giving you and your family a sufficient amount of light. Just remember that if you’re not familiar with fitting lighting, always consult with a professional. You can find an example of a professional lighting company at: https://hometeamelectric.com/city-page/twentynine-palms/ but you may need to search for other companies closer to you.
Rip out your old walls and install drywall
Obviously the best solution for your basement walls is to install new drywall, this give your home the most up to date look, however, let’s weigh the pros and cons:
Pros: You end up with smooth painted walls
Cons: It’s both the most expensive and the most time-consuming option
Paint your panelling
Did you know that you can paint that dark panelling in your basement? What’s involved? First you’ll need to make sure that the surface is clean. Use a primer that offers good adhesion, one of our favorites for this application is Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer, or XIM UMA both of which are designed to stick to glossy and smooth surfaces such as panelling.
Pros: Very economical and you can paint it whatever colour you choose
Cons: You still have the ridges from the old panelling
Wallpaper your panelling
Once your panelling is primed you can have wallpaper installed over the top of it. In general, thicker wallpaper will work better in this situation that a thinner wallpaper would because the thicker paper hides surface imperfections better.
Pros: You don’t have to install new drywall to achieve smooth walls
Cons: The panelling needs to have been installed properly in the first place. If there are bumps, especially where the panels join, this could show through the finished product.
In conclusion
There is hope for your dark dungeon-like basement! If you’d like to paint or wallpaper your panelled basement walls why don’t you book a quote? We’d be happy to transform your basement with lasting beauty!
What’s the difference between a cheap paint and an expensive paint? When you go in to any paint store in Toronto the choices are overwhelming. Multiply that by the number of different paint brands available in the city and choosing paint becomes quite a task! Prices can range from $25/gallon to over $100/gallon which further confuses the issue, are the high end paints really worth the extra cost?
In general, the more expensive a paint is, the better it will perform. More expensive paint generally has more additives in it for better coverage, adhesion and durability. And since paint is generally less than 20% of the cost of a project, it’s better to spend a little extra in this area to ensure that the money you’re spending on labour is getting the best ROI. But first…
How do we choose which paint to use on your painting project?
We like to work with brands that have the best customer service
It’s important to us that we receive the best possible customer service from the paint brands we deal with, so we select brands who assign us a personal sales rep, or have excellent in-store advice. There are many different options available and expert advice from the manufacturer ensures that we get proper primers and paints for the surfaces we are painting. Currently, we like to use Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, not that there aren’t good quality paints other than these in the marketplace, we just like the level of service we get from these 2 manufacturers.
What are the advantages of quality paint?
More expensive paint offers better adhesion
Lower quality paint has difficulty adhering to certain surfaces. Painting over any old oil paint or any type of glossy surface is prone to failure if a lower quality paint is used. High quality paints and primers are able to bind on to these surfaces without chipping or peeling. In conjunction with the paint manufacturer, we specify the best paint system for the surface whether that’s a coat of primer, then paint, or just a light sand and then a high quality paint.
When changing colours, it always makes sense to use a top quality paint. These paints offer better coverage, or hide, meaning that the colour will look solid in fewer coats. If a surface can be properly covered in 2 coats instead of 3, the extra cost of the product is more than made up for in the savings of labour.
More expensive paint gives exceptional durability
Let’s face it, if you’re planning on staying in your home for a while, you’d rather get 8 years out of a paint job, rather than 4. In terms of exterior painting, a high quality paint can withstand weather extremes and moisture penetration better than a lower quality paint. In terms of interior, a high quality paint can resist scuffs, dings from vacuums, cleaning solvents, etc. better than a lower quality paint. All of this contributes to not having to paint your place as often, which saves you money in the long run.
In conclusion
These are the benefits of using top quality paint. It will add on to the price of your painting project, but in the long run, it will give you a better looking, more durable paint job. I would advise that when you are looking for a painting contractor to paint your Toronto home, consider only those that use high quality paints. CAM Painters always uses top quality paint for these reasons exaclty.
If you’d like a quote, feel free to book online, we’d love to Transform your home with lasting beauty!
We are asked from time to time about projects where the homeowner wants to supply paint. Sometimes they see paint on sale at the local big box store and they figure they can save a few dollars by picking up the paint themselves. Here are 3 reasons why this approach might not save money in the end.
We ensure that the proper product is chosen for your project
In terms of paint, cheaper is not always better. Lower grade paint can have coverage issues which results in having to do an extra coat of paint. Thus, the savings on the paint is more than wiped out with the extra labour cost of doing another coat of paint on the surface. We have experience with a wide variety of products and when coverage could be an issue we use the best covering product.
Lower grade paint can also have adhesion issues. In situations where proper adhesion could be an issue we’ll use primers and paint to address those issues. Sometimes when a homeowner wants to supply paint this might not have been taken into consideration.
Faux tin ceiling
In summary, there are a lot of different grades of paint and paint designed for specific applications. To ensure a durable, good looking project that is done with the greatest level of efficiency the paint should be selected by your painting contractor, in collaboration with his or her paint store rep.
We get volume pricing on our paint
When a homeowner goes into a paint store the store manager knows that a few hundred dollars might be the maximum business that could result. When a painting contractor goes into that same paint store, the manager knows that thousands of dollars of business could result. Therefore, a paint contractor has greater leverage to negotiate lower pricing on paint. We at CAM Painters pass this savings onto you. We have preferred pricing across all Sherwin Williams stores and many Benjamin Moore stores, too.
The homeowner doesn’t have to worry about buying too much or too little paint
If the homeowner is supplying paint he or she must make sure there is enough to complete the project. If they buy too much then they have wasted money or need to find someone who could use their leftover paint. If they buy too little we could run out of paint in the middle of the project, which would result in a last minute run to the paint store to supply paint-which could be quite inconvenient!
We at CAM Painters are experienced in calculating paint needs, so we generally figure on the right amount. If we run out of paint, we are the ones that get more, the homeowner doesn’t have to make a last minute trip to the paint store.
In conclusion, let us supply paint for your project!
If you’d like to have CAM Painters come and have a look at your painting project and spec the best paint system for your project why don’t you book a quote? We’d be happy to Transform your home with lasting beauty!
My name is Craig Armstrong and I’ll be coming over to your place for the estimate.
First off, thank you for booking an estimate with CAM Painters! We certainly appreciate the opportunity to give you a painting or wallpapering estimate for your home!
Here’s what you can expect:
We’ll arrive on time, time is valuable and you don’t want to waste it waiting around for someone to show up.
We’ll take off our shoes when we’re in your home.
We’ll ask specific questions so that we can customize the level of prep, and scope of work to your needs.
You’ll receive a detailed written quote – so you know exactly what you’re getting if you decide to move forward with our services.
Here’s how you can make our job easier:
Before we arrive make a list of all the areas you would like painted or wallpapered.
Go over this list with your spouse, or anyone else involved in the decision making process.
If there is more than one person involved in the decision making process, see if they can be at the estimate as well. That way, if they have any questions I can address these directly which saves us all time and eliminates any misunderstanding.
Thanks again for booking an estimate with CAM Painters, I look forward to meeting you!
When you are looking to find a Toronto house painter you want a painting company that provides a great painting experience. Here’s how we provide a great experience when we come out for an estimate.
First, we offer online booking
Instead of back and forth emails trying to book an appointment you can go to the online booking form on our website and see our schedule and book a time that’s convenient for you. How many emails back and forth has that saved you? If you have a couple of questions and would prefer to reach us by phone or email, feel free to do that as well! Just visit our contact us page for all our contact info.
We show up on time for the estimate
Your time is valuable, and you shouldn’t waste it waiting around for someone to give you an estimate. When you book an appointment for 1:00 we show up at 1:00, not at 12:55 or 1:05. In the unlikely event that something unforeseen happens we always call and let you know.
We take detailed notes
We want to make sure that we don’t miss any of the details, because a good paint job and a great painting experience is all in the little details. In order to capture all the details we take notes and, with your permission, pictures. These notes and pictures can be referenced later by our painters so that they know exactly what you’ve been promised.
We write up a comprehensive proposal
We present you with a fully detailed written proposal so that you can see exactly what you are getting for your hard-earned dollars. We describe all the steps of the project in the proposal from:
job set-up
preparation of the surfaces
priming – which surfaces get primed and with what primer
painting – what paint goes where and how many coats
job clean-up
payment terms
We take the time to review the proposal with you
It’s very important that you know what’s involved with your painting project, so we review the proposal with you. This allows you to ask any questions and get clarification, so that you’re comfortable with the entire process. It’s our goal that you are comfortable with the way we are going to handle your painting project before you agree to move forward.
We’d be happy to provide you with an estimate for your painting project, why don’t you book one now? CAM Painters will Transform Your Home With Lasting Beauty!
