Painting Our House, Help!!!

Scrape any old, loose paint off and use a primer on bare spots before painting.

The better you do your prep work (scraping, sanding, priming)...the better the paint job will come out. Do 2 light coats of paint, and you won't have any brush marks (If you are painting wood). If you have aluminum siding, spraying it is the best way to go. Home Depot has good paint for a good price. Sherwin Williams super paint is good, but the cost will be high.

I'm assuming you're talking about the exterior of the house. First thing ~ DO IT RIGHT! No short-cuts.

Have the house power-washed. It will loosen up and remove areas that have peeling paint, and you'll have a clean surface to work on.

Examine every nook and cranny of the surface of the house. Look for nail points that are showing rust spots. These will require priming (with a rust inhibiting product.)

Look for any signs of termite invasion. This is a perfect time to have an exterminator come out, provide a thorough examination and make recommendations if needed.

Look for areas that may have wood rot, critter activity (such as woodpeckers). There are products readily available at a reputable home improvement location that can remedy small areas of wood rot and qualified staff that can offer suggestions for larger areas of wood damage.

Be prepared to do some sanding. No, you don't have to strip and sand every inch of old paint off the house. Carefully look for signs of peeling or bubbling old paint.

Make a wise decision of color and life expectancy of the paint you use. Color: Don't rely on a 2" square sample. Sample size paints are available for a few bucks each. Choose your color and pick up a few samples in varying shades of that color. Paint a patch that is 2 feet by 2 feet area in (1) the shady side of the house, and (2) the sunny side. Let the "test" areas set overnight, then come back the next day and make your final color selections.

Calculate the square footage you are covering to determine the quantity of paint you will need. (Your paint retailer will help you determine the number of gallons.) Purchase ALL the paint at one time and in 5-gallon quantities. This will ensure an accurate "measurement" of color mixing.

Prepare and protect your windows and plants/shrubbery. Getting paint off windows is not difficult, but replacing them is expensive. Use care with ladders, scaffolding, etc. Getting paint off a plant is impossible. Cover them up while you're painting, remove the covers at nightfall or when you've finished one painted area and the paint has dried to the touch.

There will be at least three of you applying paint. (You and your 2 offspring.) Each of you will have a different "touch" when applying the paint. If possible, each of you should be responsible for a specific area ~ from top to bottom ~ to avoid a textural or lightness/heaviness of your individual "touch". This will be true whether you spray the paint on or brush/roll it on. (Commercial-type sprayers can be rented. Rent from an equipment rental location "BY-THE DAY"; places like Lowe's or Home Depot rent their equipment by an hourly rate ~ waaayyy too pricey.)

Paint the trim first? Paint the house body first? Personally, I think this is a "chicken and egg" decision.

Make a complete list of items and tools you need. Sander? Scraper? Brushes and/or rollers? Painters tape? Drop cloths? Scaffolding? Rags? Ladders? A reliable stirring tool?

It's unlikely (although not impossible) to start and finish this undertaking in one day. When you and your crew BEGIN to feel tired, STOP. You're going to need to reserve some energy to clean your tools and equipment so it will be clean and fresh when you come back to the task tomorrow.

Stick to the original plan. Eat a stable breakfast before you begin. Stay hydrated. Take interval breaks. When you feel yourself BEGIN to feel tired ~ STOP. The quality of your work WILL show.

Don't be afraid. It's only paint. It's only a house. YOU are the only one that you must satisfy.

The tips I offer here are what my common sense tells me. I don't know if I'm right or wrong. I share these tips from personal experience. Good luck to you, Connie. Go for it!

Boy, sounds like we are in for some fun. I will use all advice and follow it to a T. I am a picky person to satisfy. I want the place to look good.

If there are anymore tips out there throw 'em my way!

Great tips from Aunti Boni. If your house is wood that is exposed to the elements (with paint heavily chipping), however, you might want to forgo the pressure washing as the pressure will infuse the wood with water. Wood plus water equals bad. Just a thought. I used a square hand-held sander to prep my house board by board. It was laborious, but worth it for my 1920s Craftsman.

Also, if the exterior paint is vintage, swab it first for lead. I found a kit recently for lead testing at True Value (go to truevalue.com/TV for a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase). If lead is present, then you'll want to scrape only and only with face protection. You'll also want to capture all paint chips in a drop cloth so it doesn't integrate into your soil.

That's my two cents. Otherwise, have a blast on this great family project.

p.s. thank you for submitting this to the D.I.Y. Decorating Forum here on Gather!

I just found out I can borrow a friend's 14 year old. This just keeps getting funner and funner.

Nothing like free child labor.

DIY has a grer website to help...good luck!

I agree with Robyn D.I.Y. has excellent tips and such for just about any project you might undertake yorself. Children are great labor they are cheap and they have all that energy (might as well put it to good use). I also agree with getting paint tested for lead especially since there will be children involved

What is DIY and where do I find it?

Don't lock your knees when standing for long periods your black out!!!!

Thanks for the tip Kimber my daughter blacks out anyways. I'll keep an eye on her.

http://www.doityourself.com/

I dunno much about the website itself, but I tried looking it up as a URL, and lo and behold, it exists -- so hopefully it helps!

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Good tips. I'm getting ready to do the same thing but inside the house. I need to post an article on that I guess.

I don't know what I'm doing either but I got some ideas.

Use drop clothes under the ladder, too. You can get cheap vinyl or latex gloves to wear -- it'll save a lot of personal cleanup later. Consider whether to use a water- or oil-based paint. Oil-based is much harder to clean up, but at least *used* to be more durable. They have made a lot of advances in paint in the last 10 years, though, and I've been hearing there are water-based enamels that are very durable. Look at the types of paint and their listed "duraction" times. Go to online opinion websites for other people's opinions on various paints and equipment. That blue "painters masking tape" is great stuff -- take the time to cover the windows with newspaper and masking tape and save yourself a lot of work later.

Thin coats dry faster and work better than thick coats. Don't overload the brush/roller or you'll get more drips. Wipe up drips frequently or you'll get lumpy drip-spots.

Sweep concrete areas first, or cover with drop clothes to minimize blowing grit.

BE CAREFUL with the ladders. Only use good equipment and never, never, never use it in an unsafe manner. Never reach out too far when painting from a ladder. Make sure the ladder is based on FIRM ground and carefully leveled. It will really screw up your project to have one of the kids get a broken arm or leg.

Take photos periodically while you're painting. Those are a lot of fun to look at later.

The obvious one (sorry if this is a duplicate of one above): don't slather it on too thick, as many paints will have the tendancy to peel (esp. latex paints) or crack and chip when too thick. Better to go back over and do a second coat if necessary.

Yes, use a dropcloth or plastic below the ladder, but DO NOT set the ladder ON the dropcloth for any reason. Make sure the ladder is secure to the ground and stands on a level base.
Putting the ladder directly on a tarp or on plastic, can make the bottom of the ladder kick out on you.

If you're using an older ladder, you can cover the ends of the ladder (that will be resting against the house) with thick tea-towels, or hand-towels, tied on securely. It keeps the ladder ends from scratching the siding.