Painting a House, Advice? (1 Viewer)

[Brad Newton]

You never mentioned what type of home you have, brick, stone, etc. I have painted many homes professionally. The most important thing is the prep work - scrapping, washing, caulking. Be sure to scrape first. If that results in bare wood, then be sure to prime it. Wash the exterior with a professional grade cleaner. You can avoid that additional expense by using clorox in warm water & a sponge. Be sure to rinse with clean water. Make sure to give the wood enough time to dry after wash/rinse. If there are any cracks around the windows, door frames, gabels, etc., caulk it. Do not use silicone caulk. Silicone is great to keep water out but it will not hold paint. If you do install new windows, by all means caulk around them to seal them. I would not recommend using a sprayer. Yes it is faster, but it does not produce a good job. When using a roller or brush, the paint is absorbed better into the wood giving you a longer more durable finish. You can use a roller if you prefer that type of "finish". My dad and I always liked the finish look of a brush. It looks more natural but takes longer. Painting is not an easy job if done correctly, nor is it fun. It is hard work, especially in the dead of summer. One more thing, use a water based paint vs an oil base if possible. Oil base paints are great for sealing the wood, but the water base lets the wood breathe, therefor in the summer when it expands so will the paint. The oil base will not expand, it will just pull apart. Also use a good paint, Porter, Pittsburg, etc. Remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[Joe Szott]

Cool, thanks Brad. Our house is 2200 sq. ft, 2 story, mostly wood siding. There is a little brick facade around the front walk and garage, but mostly it's all wood.

I'm pretty sure after reading here and asessing the job that I'll need to hire some pros. This job would be huge to tackle alone.

 

[Ted Lee]

if college pros are anything like starving students, (the website even looks like college pros) then i would be very careful. i've heard nothing but horror stories about starving students... you're kidding...right?

 

[MarkHastings]

just as an FYI,

I just heard a commercial for this product:
http://www.texcotehomes.com/

 

[Joe Szott]

I mean the young republican types that would paint houses all summer to make some money, not what you and I were like Ted. LOL!

 

[Philip_G]

curiousity.... what's the deal with scraping? why do you do it? Is it just because the paint is old and cracked/peeling or is there some other reason?

My house is a darker color of blue and I'm worried that it'll need paint within a few years :b

 

[Drew Bethel]

Brad, any advice/tips for painting a stucco home?

 

[Colton]

A painter told me it is better to paint darker than your original color ... and cheaper. If your house is brown and you want it to be white - it'll be a BEEYOTCH for any painter to do and may require more than two coats to completely make it solid without blotches.

- Colton

 

[Greg*go]

We're thinking the same thing. My guess would be that if you paint over old paint, the old paint will chip off, which would defeat the purpose of painting it in the first place.

 

[Brad Newton]

Scraping is essential to get the new paint to have a firm foundation to adhere. If you apply a new coat of paint to a surface that is flaky, that spot will pop off exposing the bare wood. That is why after you scrape that you prime that spot with primer, not the finish paint but primer. It is specifically designed to form a foundation for the finish coat.

Not much experience in stucco finish. I think that my dad and I did paint some garages that had this type of finish. Again, there is a specific type of paint to apply as a base coat. It is used on concrete block buildings. It fills in the small holes in the block, creating a "solid" block. At that point, you can use any top grade paint to finish the project. For this type of project, we always used a thick nap roller in order to coat the block with a thicker coat of paint versus a short nap roller for inside or outside wood that needed a finer finish.

 

[Brad Newton]

Another thing to remember when it comes to painting. You need the right equipment in order to perform the job. That means ladders, 6', 12' extension ladders, scaffolds, lumber to make walk ways between the ladders. These need to be sturdy. If you are 25' - 30' in the air painting, you sure don't want to fall. Yes, I have fallen a time or two, just not from that height. You can fell the ladder slipping but there is nothing that you can do. If/when that does happen, the most important thing to do, other than trying to avoid injury is to throw the paint and brush or roller away from the house, especially if the house is brick or stone. Paint is very difficult to remove from these surfaces, if the quantity is large. If this does happen and if you have a power washer, you can remove the paint if it hasn't had time to dry. A professional painter should have insurance to cover this type of damage. As I stated previously, painting if done correctly is hard work, but it sure perks up whatever is being painted.

 

[Dennis*G]

I painted my house a few years ago. It was only single story. required two coats (after all the prep) and it took me a good 8 days (4 weekends, Sat & sun) to get it finished.

I used a brush and roller.

 

[Joe Szott]

So I'm going to have a few painters do appraisals and ask some questions. If I am to buy my own paint, what's a good brand to go with and how to get the best price?

Also, we were looking at replacement windows this summer for some of ours that have condensation damage. Is it better to do the windows before or after the house painting, and why?

Thanks for all the help folks.

 

[Dennis*G]

I like sherwin-williams paints, and I know a lot of people like Benjamin-Moore (Spendy).

Good way to get a good price is by lots. It took about 6-7 gallons do do my single story, so maybe buy 2/5 gallon buckets. probably close to 1/4 the costs of buying just 1 gallon sizes of the same amount.

I would say do the windows after the painting, just because then you do not have to be so neat painting around the windows

 

[MarkMel]

Check out Pratt and Lambert Alkalyd (sp?) Paint. I use it on my house and it holds up great. It also doesn't chip, it sort of chalks up as it ages and the rain takes care of that. So, when you have to repaint, you just wash it down and off you go.

Not sure if that characteristic is of the P&L paint or of all Alkalyd (sp?)paint.