Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You can absolutely paint your own house. I did and I have four little kids! It did take me a long time as they are only asleep so many hours out of the day. Here are my pointers, learned the hard way:
1.) Paint the whole room, trim, ceiling and walls, to get a professionally finished look
2.) Start with the trim, no taping, just overlap the paint onto the walls and ceiling. Paint the ceiling second and then the walls last.
3.) Tape the newly painted trim using frog tape. I like the yellow tape for delicate surfaces that you can buy at Sherwinn Williams stores. It does not pull the new paint off when you remove it. Do NOT put more than two coats on the tape and do NOT leave the tape on the wall to be removed later. Use and remove all tape in the same day. You can even pull the tape up while the paint is still wet. This will prevent the new paint from pulling up with the tape.
4.) Use a latex extender on the wall and trim paint. This extends the drying time by 15 minutes and allows you more time to catch drips and hides brush strokes.
5.) Do not cut in more than one wall at a time. Cut in along the taped trim and/or ceiling with a very good brush. Then roll as close to where you brushed as possible. Always feather out the wet edge to prevent roller markings.
6.) Several thin coats are better than one or two thick coats.
7.) Touch up edges using frog tape.
8.) Do not wash out rollers. I roll mine up in saran wrap and they will keep up to a few days if you wrap them tight. I throw them away when done. I do always wash out the roller handle and holder. Always wash out brushes completely and hang up to dry when done.
9.) Buy good paint. It looks better, goes on easier and since you are not paying for labor, you can afford to. My favorite is Sherwinn Williams Duration paint for walls, cheap flat paint for ceilings and SW enamel for trim. If you watch for a sale, they sometimes have 40% off all paints, then you can cut the price considerably.
I hope this helps. Enjoy making your home look like new again!
You can absolutely paint your own house. I did and I have four little kids! It did take me a long time as they are only asleep so many hours out of the day. Here are my pointers, learned the hard way:
1.) Paint the whole room, trim, ceiling and walls, to get a professionally finished look
2.) Start with the trim, no taping, just overlap the paint onto the walls and ceiling. Paint the ceiling second and then the walls last.
3.) Tape the newly painted trim using frog tape. I like the yellow tape for delicate surfaces that you can buy at Sherwinn Williams stores. It does not pull the new paint off when you remove it. Do NOT put more than two coats on the tape and do NOT leave the tape on the wall to be removed later. Use and remove all tape in the same day. You can even pull the tape up while the paint is still wet. This will prevent the new paint from pulling up with the tape.
4.) Use a latex extender on the wall and trim paint. This extends the drying time by 15 minutes and allows you more time to catch drips and hides brush strokes.
5.) Do not cut in more than one wall at a time. Cut in along the taped trim and/or ceiling with a very good brush. Then roll as close to where you brushed as possible. Always feather out the wet edge to prevent roller markings.
6.) Several thin coats are better than one or two thick coats.
7.) Touch up edges using frog tape.
8.) Do not wash out rollers. I roll mine up in saran wrap and they will keep up to a few days if you wrap them tight. I throw them away when done. I do always wash out the roller handle and holder. Always wash out brushes completely and hang up to dry when done.
9.) Buy good paint. It looks better, goes on easier and since you are not paying for labor, you can afford to. My favorite is Sherwinn Williams Duration paint for walls, cheap flat paint for ceilings and SW enamel for trim. If you watch for a sale, they sometimes have 40% off all paints, then you can cut the price considerably.
I hope this helps. Enjoy making your home look like new again!
Wow! That was a lot of good advice.
I will have to read it again and wrap my head around it.
What do you mean by "don't cut more than one wall at once"? Are you saying just paint one wall at a time before going to the next one? I wasn't planning on painting the ceiling. Should I really reconsider doing that?
First off, the common misconception to unexperienced people when it comes to painting their home is you just simply grab some paint and start painting. The fact is that the actual painting is the easiest, smallest part of the job. To do a quality professional looking paint job, you must do prep work first. The prep work is by far the most important part.
First, use a hammer to drive any nails or a cordless screw gun to tighten any screws that have backed out causing bumps in your wall (nail pops). It may be necessary to install new screws next to the loose nails or screws to tighten the drywall back up against the framing.
Next, check for loose drywall tape or cracks in corners and retape and refinish these areas. Also fill any scratches, the nail holes or dents with drywall compound. This may take two or three applications to completely fill them in allowing a day of drying between coats. So this process usually takes at least 3 days.
Also, if any trim is loose; renail it. Then fill any nail holes or dents in the trim with painters putty. Then sand all the trim and doors with a sanding sponge. Once sanded, recaulk any cracks or loose trim.
Completely sand all walls with a sander pole and hand sander. (The sanders drywall finishers and painters use.) Do not skip the sanding as it is the most important part on both the walls and trim, including the doors. This removes any grit or roughness in the previous paint.
Now if have any large spots of drywall compound, you need to prime them. Once dried, sand them.
Now you can finally do the easy part and apply a coat of paint. As you paint the walls, look at the wet paint for dents or nail pops you missed because they will be easy to see while the paint is wet and shiny. If you find any, you should fill those after the paint has dried the next day. Now sand everything again. You should always sand between coats, if you don't your walls will be rough and look like someone who doesn't know what they are doing did a crappy paint job.
Now apply the final coat of paint.
Touchup, if necessary.
It will usually take about a week at least doing a step each and every day to do a proper paint job.
It is surprising how many people think you just grab a brush and roller and go to painting. I go in homes all the time where people have "painted" them themselves and that is exactly what it looks like. It makes a home look rough.
Cutting in is basically what you do first (after the trim work)... getting around all the trim work and the edges of the wall... against the ceiling, the corners and the baseboards. This is called cutting in. Then you fill in with the roller.
If it weren't right before Christmas, I would give you a shout about it. I do paint. I'm not what you call a professional (not for a living) but I have painted many a home and rooms and been paid for it. I've done it for 2 of the local builders. I'm about half the price of many of the pros and I'm slower. But I do a good job and get it done. But...like I said... Christmas.. It's the most.......hectic time of the year!
Good luck.. it's not tough to do and the worst part is cleaning up! lol
Cutting in is basically what you do first (after the trim work)... getting around all the trim work and the edges of the wall... against the ceiling, the corners and the baseboards. This is called cutting in. Then you fill in with the roller.
If it weren't right before Christmas, I would give you a shout about it. I do paint. I'm not what you call a professional (not for a living) but I have painted many a home and rooms and been paid for it. I've done it for 2 of the local builders. I'm about half the price of many of the pros and I'm slower. But I do a good job and get it done. But...like I said... Christmas.. It's the most.......hectic time of the year!
Good luck.. it's not tough to do and the worst part is cleaning up! lol
I don't have to do it this week. I am just starting to think about it.
I need to do some prep work as was mentioned. Depending on how it goes (and how my patience is), I may decide to go on. Or I may want to seek some help.
I may message you later to see if you can come by and give me a quote.
DO NOT be cheap when it comes to paint brushes and roller sleeves Expect to spend some $$ on these as this is the final finish on your walls
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
