Over the last 10 years, our team at Todd Hess Painting has completed roughly 1,200 painting projects. And Todd’s experience goes back even further, with more than two decades in the painting industry.
When you’ve spent that much time working in people’s homes, you learn things that don’t come from a product label or instruction sheet. You see which shortcuts cause problems later. You learn where taking a little more time makes a big difference. And you get pretty good at recognizing when a surface needs more than another coat of paint.
We’ve also learned that most homeowners aren’t looking for someone to simply change the color of a room. They want to feel good about the finished space and know the work underneath it was done well enough to last.
So, after more than 1,200 projects, these are some of the things we think York, PA homeowners should know before starting their next painting project.
The work you don’t see can make the biggest difference
A homeowner sees the finished room. As painters, we’re paying just as much attention to what happens before that final coat goes on.
Drywall damage may need to be repaired, or cracks and nail pops need attention. Loose or peeling paint can’t simply be covered and forgotten. Depending on what we’re working with, the surface may also need a specific primer or a different approach altogether.
Prep can take longer than people expect, even though much of that work disappears once we’re done. That’s exactly the point. You shouldn’t look at a freshly painted wall and immediately find the spots that were patched or repaired. You should see a clean, consistent finish.
More importantly, paint can’t fix a problem underneath it. If a surface is failing, damaged, or poorly prepared, putting another coat over it may make it look better for a while, but it doesn’t solve what caused the problem in the first place.
That’s why some of the most important decisions we make on a painting project happen before we open the paint can.
Rushing the process usually catches up with you
Once you’ve decided to paint a room or your whole house, it’s understandable that you want to see it finished. But there are parts of a painting project that simply need time.
Repairs need to be done correctly. Primers, paints, and coatings need the right conditions and enough time between applications. Some surfaces require more attention than others. Trying to shave time off those steps can mean sacrificing the very things that help the finished work hold up.
We’ve learned to build the project around what the work requires rather than trying to make the work fit an unrealistic timeline. Before we call a project complete, we want to be able to stand back, look at it, and know we’re comfortable putting the Todd Hess Painting name on it.
Don’t judge a paint job by day one
Of course you want your home to look great when the painting is finished. But after doing this for more than 20 years, we’ve learned that day one doesn’t tell you everything about the quality of a paint job. The better test is how the work holds up.
That starts with understanding the surface we’re working with, preparing it properly, and choosing products that make sense for that specific application. Not every wall needs the same approach, and neither does every piece of trim, cabinet, exterior surface, or piece of woodwork.
This is also why we don’t believe in doing more work just for the sake of doing more work. The goal is to understand what that particular surface needs and do that work correctly.
If you invest in painting your home, you shouldn’t be looking at it a year or two later wishing something had been handled differently. Taking the time to make the right decisions upfront can save a lot of frustration later.
Choose color for your home, not the paint swatch
We’ve seen homeowners put a lot of pressure on themselves to find the “perfect” paint color. The problem is that there really isn’t one perfect white, gray, green, or blue that works everywhere.
We know that color reacts to what’s around it.
A shade that looks great online or in someone else’s home can look completely different once you put it next to your floors, woodwork, furniture, and other paint colors. Even the same color can change throughout the day as the light in a room changes.
Whether we’re painting a home or an office, we want the finished space to feel warm and inviting. That means looking beyond whether you like a color on a swatch and thinking about how you want the whole space to feel when you’re actually living in it.
Our advice is simple: sample it in your own space before you commit. Look at it in the morning, later in the day, and with the lights on at night. Pay attention to the other finishes around it. It’s much easier to change your mind about a sample than after an entire room has been painted.
The best painters know when to look a little closer
One thing 1,200+ projects will teach you is that the obvious answer isn’t always the right one.
If we see peeling paint on an exterior, we’re not only thinking about how to repaint it. We want to know why it’s peeling. If an interior wall has damage, we want to understand what we’re working with before we cover it. Older woodwork may need an entirely different approach than a newer painted surface.
Experience doesn’t mean every project becomes predictable. But it does mean you’ve seen enough different situations to know when something deserves a closer look.
That’s something homeowners can pay attention to when comparing painters in York, PA, too. Listen to the questions you’re being asked during the estimate.
- Is the painter actually looking at the condition of the surfaces?
- Are they explaining what they expect to prep or repair?
- Can they tell you why they’re recommending a particular approach?
You don’t have to know everything about paint to hire a good painter. But the painter should be able to explain what they’re seeing and why it matters.
Remember that the crew is working in your home, not just on it
We average around 100 projects a year, but the homeowners we’re working with aren’t experiencing 100 painting projects that year. They’re experiencing theirs. We try never to lose sight of that.
We’re working in someone’s kitchen while they’re trying to get through their morning. We’re painting rooms their family uses every day. Sometimes we’re working around kids, pets, furniture, and everything else that comes with actually living in a house.
Doing good technical work is only part of the job. The crew also needs to respect the home they’re working in (on our team, it’s a nonnegotiable).
For us, that means communicating about what’s happening, protecting the areas around our work, keeping things as clean and orderly as we can, and making sure the homeowner isn’t left wondering what comes next.
When you’re hiring a painter, ask yourself whether you’re comfortable having that company in your home for several days. That matters more than people sometimes realize when they’re comparing estimates.
When you’re comparing York, PA painters, ask about the process
Price is going to be part of any home improvement decision, but an estimate tells you more when you understand what’s behind the number.
Before hiring a painter, make sure you know what preparation is included and how repairs or problem areas will be handled. Ask what products they plan to use and why they’re right for your project. You should also understand how the crew will protect your home, what communication will look like during the project, and what happens before the job is considered complete.
If two painting estimates are different, don’t assume you’re comparing the same scope of work at two different prices. Find out what each painter is actually planning to do. That’s one of the best ways to make a more informed decision and avoid surprises once the project starts.
We’re always learning, even after 1,200+ projects
After more than 1,200 painting projects and 10 years in business, we’re still learning from the homes we work in and the people who invite us into them. Our goal is to always be better.
What hasn’t changed is our belief that the details matter, including plenty that a homeowner may never see once the project is finished.
If you’re thinking about painting your home and looking for painters in York, PA, you can learn more about residential painting with Todd Hess Painting or reach out to our team to talk through your project or schedule a consultation with us today.
We’re based right here in York, PA, and we’d be happy to take a look.