Residential Painting Services

Is Buying The Paint For My Project The Best Option?

You’re ready to paint your home–congratulations!

 

The hardest thing to do in my opinion is deciding when and how to get your project completed.  Let’s say you’ve decided to hire a contractor so you can avoid the DIY blues–who will handle getting the paint?

 

Is it better to purchase it yourself, or ask the painting contractor to do this?

 

FIRST, LET’S TALK BRASS TAX–WHAT WILL SAVE YOU THE MOST MONEY?

 

Several times a year, the major paint manufacturers hold sales on select products–you’ll see the commercials on TV, online, or in your local paper.  Home Depot, Lowe’s Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore all offer different sales throughout the year. Many homeowners ask me when these sales are going on–can we purchase the paint?  Their intent is to save some money on the materials, and I can’t blame them! But, they don’t have all the information that we do. That “30% off sale” is only good on the most premium products at full retail value, or on products that aren’t moving off the shelves at all.  Now, buying premium products are great–but did you know that a successful painting contractor negotiates volume discounts with the Major Manufacturers that can save you as much as 40%-60% off the full retail price? This is every day of the year–not just when a consumer sale is active.  A busy painting contractor buys 10’s or 100’s of thousands of dollars in paint & sundries a year–they have the purchasing power to save you a lot of money!

 

When some painting contractors purchase materials for you, they choose to mark up the paint and sundries, sometimes as high as 10%-20%!  We choose not to do this, for two reasons.

 

  1. We want to save our customers money and give them the best value we possibly can.
  2. We believe that by keeping material cost reasonable, it will encourage our customers to let us specify high-quality materials for their projects, which gives us work we can stand behind!

 

SECOND, LET’S DISCUSS CONVENIENCE–WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF YOUR TIME?

 

Someone has to take the time to head up to where the chosen products are sold and obtain what is needed.  As the homeowner, this process will require more of your time and more attention than you might expect. You’ll have to determine the exact combination of sheen, colors, products, and quantity of gallons for each.  If you don’t want to under or over-buy, you’ll have to work closely with the contractor to determine this. You’ll also have to have all of this at your home in time for the project to begin, and if the wrong items or quantities are purchased, have time set aside to obtain what’s needed in short order while the job is ongoing.

 

Your contractor has the ability and experience to handle all of this for you–and a good one prefers it that way!  Some contractors may ask you to purchase materials–this is often because they don’t have the resources or a credit account with their paint provider to obtain materials up front.  An experienced contractor has streamlined the procurement process for materials, and prefers to supply and handle the materials so they can have them in the right quantities and specifications, have them available right when needed, and save the homeowner a lot of trouble–leading to a better experience for you!

 

THIRD, WE SHOULD CONSIDER QUALITY AND WARRANTY OF THE PROJECT

 

Putting the paint purchasing in the homeowner’s hands can backfire–the wrong product can be purchased, or a product the contractor isn’t familiar with.  Believe it or not, not all paint is created equal! Paints from different manufacturers use different bases (chalk or clay), different combinations of important solids and metals, and all perform differently.  The last thing you want is your paint contractor having to go purchase the correct materials because you got the wrong paint, or the job taking longer because a paint isn’t covering or blending properly. Skilled contractors work with products they prefer and like, not because of cost, but because they know how well they will perform!  This allow us to more accurately predict how long a project will take, and more importantly, how well a product will perform when the job is complete. This allow us for example, to offer up to a 7-year warranty on our Exterior paint projects–but only with the products we know and trust.

 

So, who should buy the paint–you, or your contractor?

 

 

If the contractor can save you money on the materials, and specifies high-quality products–let the contractor do it!

 

If a contractor asks you to buy the paint, or they don’t have volume pricing, it may be best for you to purchase it… or find a new contractor!

 

If you’d like to be more thorough, I can give you 9 more questions to ask in my 11-step checklist of what EVERY PAINTING CONTRACTOR should be asked before you hire them!  Get my guide for Free!

 

Have a question about a Painting Project?  Give us a call at (225) 614-9520 and I’ll be your guide in transforming your home.  Or, look below and schedule your estimate today!

Book an Estimate
Scroll to Top