Round Rock, Texas

Find a house painter in Round Rock

Painting a room, the whole inside, the outside, or the kitchen cabinets? Text me a few photos and what you want done. I’ll help you find a local painter and compare quotes on the same scope.

Text Terry about painting

OnHand Home is not a painter. I help you find one, and you get their business name before you agree to anything. There is no charge for my help. You pay the painter for the work.

What the work involves

Most of a paint job is not painting. It is moving furniture, covering floors, washing, scraping, filling holes, sanding, caulking and priming. The better the prep, the longer the paint lasts.

Interior jobs cover walls, ceilings, trim and doors. Exterior jobs cover siding, trim, soffits and sometimes fences. Cabinet jobs are a different skill: doors and drawers come off, get cleaned and sanded, and are sprayed or brushed with a hard-wearing finish.

Painters price by room, by square footage, or by the whole job. Whichever way they price, ask for the scope in writing: which surfaces, how many coats, which products.

Some painters also repair drywall. Others will tell you to fix it first. Ask who does the repair and when, so the patches are sanded and primed before the first coat of color.

Why Round Rock homeowners hire a painter

Peeling, chalking or faded paint on the outside of the house
Walls scuffed or stained after kids, pets or a move
Selling the house, and fresh paint will help it show better
Ceiling stains from an old leak that has now been fixed
Dated kitchen cabinets that you do not want to replace
New drywall after a repair or a remodel that needs paint
A color change you have been putting off

Interior, exterior or cabinets

Interior. Best done when you can empty the rooms. Ask if furniture moving is included, and whether ceilings, trim and doors are in the price.
Exterior. Ask how they prep: washing, scraping, caulking and priming bare spots. Skipped prep shows up in a year or two as peeling.
Cabinets. Ask whether doors come off, how they clean and sand, and what product they use. A plain wall paint is not a cabinet finish.
Sheen. Flatter paint hides wall flaws. Glossier paint wipes clean more easily. Ask what sheen goes on each surface and why.

What changes the price

Painting bills come from the labor, the prep and the paint. Two quotes only compare if they cover the same things.

The amount of surface to paint: wall area, ceiling height, number of rooms or sides of the house
Prep: washing, scraping, patching, sanding and priming
Number of coats, and whether a primer coat is separate from the color coats
Paint quality and brand, and whether the painter or you buy it
Trim, doors, cabinets, closets and ceilings: whether each one is included
Drywall repair, which is often a separate item
Height and access on an exterior: two stories, steep ground, or scaffolding
Whether furniture moving and cleanup are included
For a house built before 1978, extra lead-safe work practices

Questions to ask the painter

Use these to compare quotes side by side.

How many coats will you apply, and what is each one?Get the number of coats and whether the first is a primer, in writing.
What prep is included?Washing, scraping, patching, sanding and caulking should be listed as steps, not assumed.
Which paint and which sheen on each surface?Ask for the product name so you can compare quotes on equal terms.
Who repairs the drywall, and who sands and primes it?Repairs that are skipped show through the new paint.
Will you move furniture and cover floors?Check that it is in the price.
How do you handle a house built before 1978?Ask if the firm is certified under the EPA lead-safe rule. See the note below.
What happens if I see a missed spot after you leave?Ask about a walk-through and touch-ups at the end.
What warranty do you give on the work?Get it in writing, with what it covers and how long it lasts.

If your house was built before 1978

EPA says its lead rule covers anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978. That includes sole proprietors. The firm must be EPA lead-safe certified, and its workers must be trained. EPA says about three-quarters of homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint.

The rule does not generally apply to a homeowner working on their own home. EPA still recommends that you hire a lead-safe certified contractor. EPA warns that sanding, cutting and similar work can create lead dust and chips.

To check a firm, search EPA’s lead-safe firm database at cdxocsppapps.epa.gov/ocspp-oppt-lead/firm-location-search. If you cannot find the firm there, EPA suggests calling the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

Weather and exterior timing

Paint needs to dry on a dry surface. Ask the painter about timing around rain and heat. A good painter will talk about when the work happens and why. I cannot give you a rule for the dates.

Federal lead rule

EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978.
You can check whether a firm is EPA lead-safe certified in EPA’s searchable firm database, or by calling 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

What happens after you text

You text meSay what is going on, add a photo if you can, and include your ZIP code. The message is already started for you, and you can change it.
I ask a question or twoI check the details a painter will need and confirm you are in our area. We are starting in Round Rock.
I look for a painterI check who can take the job. You get the business name before you agree to anything. If I cannot find someone, I tell you.
They quote and do the workThe painter confirms the time and the price with you. You pay them for the work. I follow up afterward.

Tell me what is going on.

Text me a short description and your ZIP code. A photo helps.