To stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to use virtual tools for communication. If you’re hiring local interior and exterior painters, contact them to see if they’ll set up a video call to assess your project. During this call, they can get a feel for what needs to be done and may be able to give you a price quote. 

Discuss potential plans and strategies for getting the work done safely. And ask whether they accept virtual or digital payments.

To figure out whether a painter is considered an essential service provider during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit your local jurisdiction or state’s government website for information.

The CISA website also provides a helpful resource: Identifying Critical Infrastructure During COVID-19. This page is intended for a national audience and includes 16 different categories of critical infrastructure sectors. Some jurisdictions follow CISA’s definitions of critical infrastructure, but not all of them do.

If you hire a painter, maintain at least 6 feet of distance at all times, sanitize involved surfaces and spaces, and use digital payment services instead of cash or a check. When contacting and consulting with a painter, make sure you discuss a plan that will keep everyone safe while the painter works on your project.

Many painters accept digital payments through Venmo, Square Cash, Google Pay, PayPal, Zelle and others. Due to COVID-19, others may quickly adopt this technology to maintain social distancing practices and follow health recommendations.

Contact professionals beforehand to ensure they’re able to accept digital payments and continue to follow safety guidelines throughout your interactions. Compare local interior and exterior painters’ profiles to see which types of payments they accept.

If you’re hiring an exterior painter, the painter will likely not need to enter your home. But for interior paint jobs, the painter will need to enter your home.

When talking to potential painters, discuss a strategy to make sure you and the painter(s) stay safe while they’re completing the job in your home. Or, you might want to discuss scheduling the paint job at a later date.

Though painting has always been an in-person job, painters may be willing to offer some virtual help due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If you come across painters’ profiles that state they offer remote services, message the painters to see what those services include.

Due to a lack of data available, it’s hard to say whether painting your home’s interior or exterior will increase its value. But there are some important things to keep in mind. 

If you're thinking about selling your home, you might want to repaint areas that look especially worn, dull or chipped so your house looks fresh and new to potential buyers. On the other hand, it’s possible some potential buyers will repaint the home upon moving in. So if you have a limited budget, your money (and time) might be better invested in other types of home projects, such as remodeling your bathroom or kitchen, installing new floors or fixing broken appliances. 

When in doubt, check with your realtor before making a final decision.

You should repaint your home interior once every few years, depending on the condition of the current paint.

Paint on walls fades over time, regardless of the room — it could happen in a bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room or bathroom. However, paint that is exposed to more dirt, particularly flat or matte paint textures, may need repainting more frequently.

Areas of the bathroom or kitchen that routinely get touched may show signs of collecting dirt and grease over time. These would require more frequent painting.

If you're ready to repaint the walls in your home, get free estimates from the best painters near you.

The length of time it takes to paint a room varies, depending on a couple of factors. For example, the size of the job makes a difference. With a small bedroom, or with only a wall or two that have to be painted, the job can be done in half a day. Larger jobs take longer.

Also, if there are several different colors being used, the job may take longer, as one may have to dry before the other is applied. A 12-by-12 room with one color may take a morning. With multiple colors, the job may stretch into the afternoon.

Before you hire an interior painter near you, ask them how long it will take to paint the room(s) in your home.

Yes, it’s best practice to tip house painters if you’re pleased with their work. Painters perform detailed, skilled work that can last for many years, if not decades. 

Tipping house painters is good etiquette. You can base the tip on the size of the crew, and request the amount to be evenly divided. Or, you can leave a tip based on the size of the job and leave it up to the foreman to decide how it is distributed among the crew. Sometimes — especially with big projects — the painters on the job change during the course of the project, so it’s often customary to leave one tip for the whole job.