Repainting the outside of a building is a big task, whether you’re repainting a business or a home. This is an especially challenging task if your building is two stories or higher. For this task, you’ll need more than just a ladder and paint can. For a safe and easy repaint job, you’ll need a collection of specialized equipment; this includes powered lifts which bring your team to the task-at-hand without taking risks on wobbly stationary ladders. In addition to the lift, you’ll also need a collection of specialty painting supplies including long rollers and painter’s trays.

So should you buy everything you need to repaint, or should you rent the equipment that is necessary? In most cases, it’s smarter to rent lifts and other equipment to repaint a house for a variety of reasons. Let’s dive into what those reasons are.

Lifts are Expensive

The biggest reason to consider renting your painting equipment is the lift. While most families and businesses can soak the amount needed to buy paint rollers, trays, and tape; lifts can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 depending on how high you need it to go and how large you want the platform to be. Outdoor lifts are also essential for safely painting the upper reaches of the building. A lift provides height flexibility, stability, and holds your painting supplies in a far superior manner to ladders that must be climbed, stabilized, and moved. But lifts are expensive and most families and small businesses don’t have a lift-buying budget ready.

You Only Repaint Once Every 5-10 Years

On top of the cost of buying a lift to safely repaint, you also won’t need it very often. Homes and businesses do need to be repainted regularly, but that regularity is every few years, not monthly or annually. With the right paint for your siding material, you will only need to repaint the outside of your building once every 5-10 years. This is not a good use-profile for expensive or inexpensive equipment. Renting is often desirable for repainting jobs simply because you won’t need to own the equipment between now and the next time you repaint, years from now. You’d pay a fraction of the price to use rented equipment for a few days instead of paying full price.

Lifts are Large and Difficult to Store

Another reason people rent repainting equipment is storage. Lifts, in particular, are not easy to store. Yes, they do fold up and park. But even the smallest model of lift is large and takes up a significant amount of garage space. Lifts can vary from 1/4 car-sized to taking up an entire vehicle slot in your garage, and they must be stored inside to keep them safe from the elements. For this reason alone, many businesses rent a lift whenever they need one rather than buying a lift for the company. Whether you are a family or business, lift rental for your repainting task is best if you don’t have spare garage space to keep a purchased lift.

You Won’t Get the Full Value of Purchased Equipment

You may also consider depreciation and getting your money’s worth from your repainting equipment. Because you only need to repaint every few years, most of the time your equipment will sit in storage. Even if you lend out your equipment or have multiple locations that need to be repainted, the full value of costly equipment requires using it constantly, especially when you consider value depreciation over time and the cost of ongoing maintenance.

Use the Best Equipment Each Time You Repaint

The final benefit of renting equipment to repaint your building is quality. An equipment rental location can ensure that you rent the latest lifts and paint sprayers, equipment that is relatively new and has been kept in excellent condition through constant use and maintenance. This is far superior to keeping this kind of equipment unused in a garage for years and dusting it off when it’s time to repaint again. You gain the benefit of new, well-maintained equipment each time you rent for a one-time job.

For more information about renting the equipment you need to repaint your building exterior, contact us today!