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Touch Up vs. Repainting

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As time passes, the condition of your home’s walls will start to lose its luster and you may start noticing more signs of daily wear and tear. Paint is great for increasing the overall look, feel, and value of your home, but it doesn’t last forever. There are several different items that will affect the overall look of the walls like, holes from hanging pictures, scratches and knicks from furniture, scruffs in high traffic areas, or even how much the sun hits the wall. At times, it may make sense to simply touch up these small areas but in others, it’s usually best to hire a professional painter to repaint the entire wall or area.

Paint and its sheen fades and ages with time, especially based on how much traffic and sun that area sees within your home. While it seems like it would make sense to just touch-ups areas that aren’t up to your liking, you need to consider a few factors before doing so like, the age of paint, type of wall finish, the sheen, and size of the spot.

When Should I Touch Up? wall flaws

Before you start thinking you need to go around your home and touch up a handful of knicks and scratches, start by trying to clean these areas. Satin, Egg-Shell and Semi-gloss sheens should all be durable enough for you to try scrubbing your wall and will likely help clean up the area.

The next thing to consider is how long ago was this area painted? The longer it’s been, the more likely you will see the difference in sheen when trying to touch up. This is especially true for higher gloss paint sheens. Flat paint is the easiest to touch up but least durable, so it usually requires more touch-ups than some other paint sheens. That being said, if you painted under a year ago, you shouldn’t have any issues doing touch-ups!

Things to remember when touching up paint:

  • Make sure to buy the same paint brand, sheen, and color.
  • Stir paint thoroughly especially if you are using old paint cans you have stored.
  • Repair any damage and let it completely dry before priming and then painting.
  • A thin coat of paint applied using a “feathering technique” will likely blend better and be less noticeable than a thick glob of paint.
  • Keep in mind that it may be difficult to blend the new paint in with the older paint and get the same overall look because of how paint fades and ages.
  • Paint takes time to cure, so if you complete your touch-ups and are noticing only a slight difference in shine, wait another week or two until the paint has fully cured to see the final product.
  • If the touch-ups end up being too noticeable, your next best option is to repaint the whole wall/area.

When Should I Repaint the Whole Wall? Interior painting

How long ago was this area painted and does this wall get a lot of sunlight, are two of the first questions you should ask yourself when considering touch-ups vs. repainting. The next question should be, what are my expectations? Asking yourself these questions will help determine your end goal.

The larger the flawed area, the more likely you are to see the difference in the paint on the touched-up spot. Even the smallest touch-up can prove to be difficult to blend as well. While touch-up paint can provide a quick and easy fix, painting the whole wall will ensure you get a flawless finish that will last longer and provide more value to your biggest investment.

When is it a good idea to skip the touch-ups and hire a professional to repaint the walls?

  • When the paint is over 5 years old.
  • When the wall has a large amount of damage or a big repair.
  • When the wall’s flaws are in highly visible areas.
  • When the paint is chipping, peeling, or flaking off.
  • If the area in question gets a lot of direct sunlight you can almost guarantee that the paint on that wall has faded and matching it will be impossible.
  • When you want to change the color or sheen.

A good rule of thumb for the interior of your home is to get it repainted every 7-10 years. This will help you maintain a fresh, vibrant, and new look throughout your home. Some high traffic areas like hallways, mudrooms, entry, and bathrooms may require a little more love and attention if you see the number of scuffs adding up. These areas may require repaints every 3-5 years.

DIY vs. Hiring a Professional Painter

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For professional, high-quality painters that specialize in full repaints like Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting, it can be hard for us to agree to take on touch up work. After years of experience, we know that the outcome isn’t going to be what the customer expects. As a reputable and trusted paint contractor, we want to present a beautiful, value-driving paint project so that our customers can get that cohesive and flaw-free finish they deserve!

DIYing your touch-up paint is a great alternative if you want to save yourself some money. The project will likely cost you a small quart of paint at Sherwin Williams for $10-20, a paintbrush, and an hour or so of your time!

Not sure what the best option is for your scenario? Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting offers free onsite estimates here in the Denver Metro Area and we’d be happy to come and take a look. If you really want to get the most bang for your buck, plan to do interior painting in the Winter months. November through February is considered the “slow season” for painting and you will likely see the most flexibility and favorable prices for smaller interior painting projects with professionals like ourselves during that time.

 

 

 

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C C.C C. ★★★★★ Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting recently painted the exterior of our house. We received competitive bids from other companies, but Colorado Painting stood out from the rest with their professional, knowledgeable, and courteous service.Hayden provided a comprehensive project plan of what repair work needed to be done and what materials would be use. Osman and his paint crew did an impeccable job making sure all surfaces were well prepped and taped off to catch any overshoot. When doing the inspection after the painting was completed we could not find any missed spots or places that needed paint reapplied. They also painted our rod iron deck railings and they look brand new.We would definitely not hesitate to hire Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting for any future painting needs.Pamela S.Pamela S. ★★★★★ Leo and his team did an amazing job painting our main level - ceilings and all! Colorado Painting is so helpful and friendly. The color they helped pick out with me is perfect. They are friendly, helpful, and neat! Thanks Colorado Painting!Jessica T.Jessica T. ★★★★★ We have worked with the team at CCRP twice now and will definitely hire them again. The company is great to deal with- everyone is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, and the work is wonderful. They took the time to address extra details which were so appreciated. Highly recommend for both interior and exterior work.Monica J.Monica J. ★★★★★ They were great! I hired them for a big job -- the entire main level of my home and an upstairs bedroom, including two sky-high walls near my entrance. Everyone involved was professional, punctual and tidy. I made a mistake in not reading the quote carefully enough, but they worked with me to get the job done the way I envisioned it.Doug W.Doug W. ★★★★★ We had a terrific experience with Colorado Painting. Eric was really knowledgeable, kind, and great to work with throughout the quoting process and paint selection process. Osman, Javier, and the rest of the team did a terrific job painting the inside of our home. I feel like they went above and beyond and paid excellent attention to detail to make sure everything looked perfect. I 100% recommend Colorado Painting to anyone who needs residential painting services.Kathleen L.Kathleen L. ★★★★★ Everyone in the company is wonderful. They are willing to work with you and insurance. They did an EXCELLENT JOB! Very fair pricing too. From Eric who did the initial consult, to Trevor the project manager, to Jordan in billing and the whole crew! You can't go wrong using this company.Kathleen LangeJoe C.Joe C. ★★★★★ This was the second time working with Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting and both times it was a very smooth experience. The work was high quality and communication was solid. Overall I would highly recommend them.Roy C.Roy C. ★★★★★ Excellent communication with company personnel and supervisors. Painters also communicated well, and did meticulous prep work and painting. Spotless clean up. Top quality and professional experience all around. More than I could have hoped for.Jennifer T.Jennifer T. ★★★★★ Everything went great and I love the color of my walls. Leo and Juan were very easy to work with and did a great job. They wanted to make sure that I was happy with everything.Marleen S.Marleen S. ★★★★★ Excellent service from estimate, drywall repair, painting and clean up. I would highly recommend.GG ★★★★★ Everyone I worked with was very kind and hard working. Trevor was amazing and very very quick to respond. We signed a contract on Saturday and the house was complete by Friday.Michael W.Michael W. ★★★★★ Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting did a great job painting my home at a great price (lowest bid I received). Their team was efficient and focused, and also conscientious of my concerns. After the job was done, they followed up to make sure everything was right. Great company. I'd refer to anyone! Thanks guys!!Holly K.Holly K. ★★★★★ Excellent house painters- very conscientious and polite. Showed up on time- very careful and did a GREAT JOB!Dahna C.Dahna C. ★★★★★ I was really happy with every part of my experience with them!!!! Their communication was very good regarding their process, response time to questions, the estimate, and progress while they were working. They were very thorough when we looked over the job initially and did a great job with small repairs needed to the drywall prior to painting. The painters were great guys: clean, friendly, trustworthy and helpful. The quality of their work was excellent. They came back for a final walk through to correct the tiniest of spots. I had to look really, really hard to even find anything that needed correcting!! This is one of the best experiences I have had with any home repair company! You'll be very pleased if you work with them.Vickey G.Vickey G. ★★★★★ They did a great job loved the painters. They were very efficient an informative.Catherine L.Catherine L. ★★★★★ Everything went so quick and perfect. Looks great.Yvette F.Yvette F. ★★★★★ Colorado Commercial & Residential Painting did an excellent job on painting and restoring much of the siding and old trims on my house. I hadn't had a full paint job since I moved into my house 26 years ago and it was sorely needed. I love the new look and was amazed and relieved that the crew was able to do so much! The house went from looking dilapidated to new! The team were all super-professional and gave me exactly what I wanted throughout the whole process! Highly recommended!Anne GAnne G ★★★★★ Excellent company! Did a fantastic job painting our banister and living room. Excellent communication throughout the experience. I highly recommend them.Nick C.Nick C. ★★★★★ Really great experience all around. Estimate was thorough, flexible, and reasonable. Signing and scheduling was easy and transparent. Prep and painting was smooth, efficient, informative, and thorough. Every person we interacted with was honest, respectful, and friendly. Best of all, our house looks fantastic. We’re definitely going to use CCRP in the future.Mike M.Mike M. ★★★★★ Colorado Commercial Painting did an excellent job and could not have been happier with the price or finished product.They arrived on time, worked hard, cleaned up, and left me a completely satisfied customer!They earned my future business.js_loader
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Google Rating
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Based on 263 reviews
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