Home Painting - Advice Please

[JMWarren]

Hi Guys,

I've been in the house for a year and it's time to paint.

I'm looking for any and all advice on painting from brands to masking to technique.

Thanks!

 

[Greenman]

Buy paint, roller, and brush. Apply.
Pretty much it.

 

[Tristicus]

Buy paint, roller, and brush. Apply.
Pretty much it.

Tape, plastic on floors, ladders.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

you get what you pay for with paint. Buy a cheap brand and it will take 2 or 3 coats, buy a good paint like Sherwin Williams SuperPaint, and you can get by with 1 if you are thorough.

 

[nyker96]

I did my painting a few years ago, just kitchen and bathroom. My advice from that experience is
(a) get the best paint you can afford, I used Bear brand. cause your labor is the major investment here not the paint, cheap paint means you'll have to do it again soon.
(b) move everything out, before painting, get some clothes or plastic cover on the unmovables. get a set of work clothes cause no matter how careful you'll end up with paint on you.
(c) get a roller that can be attached to different arms cause you sometimes need a long one for ceiling and short one for walls you can reach.
(d) Do a primer coat or two coats before actual paint, the primer is cheaper than paint and it helps paint stick. overall you save money using primer.
(e) if painting indoors get latex paint not the oil, that I remember is poisonous for indoor use.
(f) wait until each coat is dried before apply the next one. if you want fast drying between coats, use a big fan. this way you don't need to wait too long for the wall to dry.

 

[zerocool84]

Prep Prep Prep

That is all

 

[vi edit]

Prep Prep Prep

That is all

Pretty much. Tape. Tape. Tape. And more tape. Drop cloths, plastic over windows, ect. Putty & sand all blemishes on the surface. And then wipe it all down. From there a decent paint and roller is hard to screw up.

Oh, and for ceilings those "edger" tools at Home Depot/Lowes freaking rock. It's red with a white replaceable pad. Best $5 you'll spend.

 

[IronWing]

Trim first, roll last.
Remove the outlet covers before you start.
Arrange your painting schedule so no one will interrupt you. Painting is not fun and you'll get grumpy so no point in spreading the unavoidable misery.
Brushes: I've become conflicted on brushes. For years I bought high quality brushes and carefully washed and maintained them. Lately I've tried cheap brushes and just chuck them at the end of the day. Results with the good brushes were marginally better but cleaning time and the volume of water used was ridiculous. IMHO cheap bristle brushes work better than foam.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Don't tape at all. It is just a PITA and I never have any luck with it. The paint either bleeds through the tape or the tape pulls up paint with it when removed. Just buy a decent quality angled brush and use a steady hand. Its faster, easier, and the results look a lot better. Just keep a damp rag around and wipe off any mistakes right away.

 

[zerocool84]

Don't tape at all. It is just a PITA and I never have any luck with it. The paint either bleeds through the tape or the tape pulls up paint with it when removed. Just buy a decent quality cut in brush and use a steady hand. Its faster, easier, and the results look a lot better. Just keep a damp rag around and wipe off any mistakes right away.

I've never seen blue painters tape pull up paint unless maybe the paint was put on horribly.

 

[Squisher]

Prep

Wash walls and rinse.

If you plan doing a fair amount of painting in your lifetime, buy some cloth drop cloths rather than plastic.

Buying the cheapest of paint will let you down, but I've had good luck with Behr from Home Depot and this is coming from someone who only used Benjamin Moore until they priced themselves out of my league.

1 1/2" sash brush for the trim. I've always bought good brushes so I really don't have anything to compare them to.

Cleaning your brushes isn't so hard if you don't paint for more than 4 hours without cleaning your brush. Use a stiff bristle scrub brush and comb the paint out of the paint brush.

I'm not a big fan of tape unless you're changing colors in the middle of a flat wall.

 

[lykaon78]

Don't tape at all. It is just a PITA and I never have any luck with it. The paint either bleeds through the tape or the tape pulls up paint with it when removed. Just buy a decent quality angled brush and use a steady hand. Its faster, easier, and the results look a lot better. Just keep a damp rag around and wipe off any mistakes right away.

I tape only the bottom surfaces. For some reason my hands not steady enough when the brush is angled down. The intersection of the wall and ceiling is pretty easy without tape and a wet towel will quickly clean up most mistakes.

Use a angle brush and slowly drag the brush left to right while moving closer and closer to the surface you don't want to paint. Gently push the bristles of the brush against the surface to slightly fan out the bristles. Once you're close enough hold the line and continue to drag.

Practice this before you try it.

This work platform was worth every penny when edging.

 

[wiredspider]

don't skimp on the paint

 

[guyver01]

Go to google
Look up local painters
comparison shop
hire mexicans
sit back as they paint your house for $1 a day and a case of Tecate
..
Profit!

 

[Vette73]

Depends on the color.

If using white/light shades then most name brands will be fine. But if using darker colors, esp reds, then go for one that has a good rep.

Home Depots Behr is fine for whites but their darker colors are alwful.
Valspar, from lowes, does very well light and dark. We used a color that uses red as one of its tones and has been great.

If near a holiday then you can get the $5 off a gallon or $20 off 5gallon bucket from Lowes.


And to add I would use flat paint. You can always paint over flat and it will blend in. Any gloss level you will see the patch work and looks bad.

 

[edro]

You can never get by with 1 coat. Never.
All premium brands advertise it, but it is a lie.

You need at least 1 coat of primer and at least 2 coats of paint.

Never use flat paint. It cannot be cleaned and scuffs very easily.
Semi-Gloss FTW.

 

[Vette73]

You can never get by with 1 coat. Never.
All premium brands advertise it, but it is a lie.

You need at least 1 coat of primer and at least 2 coats of paint.

Never use flat paint. It cannot be cleaned and scuffs very easily.
Semi-Gloss FTW.

False. I clean my walls all the time, I have a 19 month old. And if major damage happens I just touch it up and when dry you can't tell.

Semi-gloss will leave a hugh area where you touched up anything.

 

[boomerang]

The paint manufacturers must love you guys recommending priming already painted walls. I hope they at least send you a Christmas card.

 

[lykaon78]

The paint manufacturers must love you guys recommending priming already painted walls. I hope they at least send you a Christmas card.

QFT - I thought the only time you might prime a painted wall was to cover a loud color or a large color transition. Going from solid red to a neutral or dark green to light yellow for example.

 

[jmagg]

You should prime your patches.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Go to google
Look up local painters
comparison shop
hire mexicans
sit back as they paint your house for $1 a day and a case of Tecate
..
Profit!

In all seriousness, it is a good idea to get a few quotes just to see what someone else charges. Painting is messy and a PITA, so it might be worth hiring it out especially if you want it done quickly. If you have Angie's List in your city, maybe subscribe to that (WELL worth it) and pick a couple to give you quotes.

I am good at painting, but I do mask and am pretty slow. Rather than have my house torn up for a couple of weeks, I got some quotes and had just about all of my house painted in 3 days. It looks awesome.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Never use flat paint. It cannot be cleaned and scuffs very easily.
Semi-Gloss FTW.

Not true. They now have what is called "super washable" flats that won't scuff and you can clean marks off without damaging the finish (within reason, of course).

Also, I don't agree with your remark about primer. You do NOT need 1 coat of primer unless you are going from a dark color to a light color.

 

[Squisher]

Not true. They now have what is called "super washable" flats that won't scuff and you can clean marks off without damaging the finish (within reason, of course).

Also, I don't agree with your remark about primer. You do NOT need 1 coat of primer unless you are going from a dark color to a light color.

Never the less, the more you go toward gloss and away from flat the harder the surface and the more durable. As you progress more toward gloss, imperfections in the wall are more apparent. Yes, there are super scrubable paints and all paints have become more forgiving over the years. I have changed my preferences accordingly. Whereas I used to put flat on ceilings, satins on walls, and semi-gloss on trim I now substitute eggshell for satin on the walls. I might even put eggshell on a bath or kitchen ceiling if they are standard 8' and not having the best of ventilation.

 

[spaceman]

hlf ass or whole hog
youll be sick of it in a couple yrs so it wont matter anyways
dont believe the hype

 

[Homerboy]

You can never get by with 1 coat. Never.
All premium brands advertise it, but it is a lie.

You need at least 1 coat of primer and at least 2 coats of paint.

Never use flat paint. It cannot be cleaned and scuffs very easily.
Semi-Gloss FTW.

Semi gloss? On walls? Holy shit how ugly and annoying. MAYBE in the kitchen for easier cleanup etc.

The general rule of thumb is:

Flat for ceilings
Eggshell for walls
Semigloss for trim (and as previously mentioned maybe the kitchen)

You shouldn't have to tape anything if you buy a good angled brush and have a steady hand and patience. The problem with taping is you end up relying on it, and it simply WILL bleed through if you put to much trust in it and paint over it. Tape doesn't hurt as a precaution, but you still should used a nice angled brushed.

That being said, I always tape muttons on a window and sometimes around the window/door casing.