Who's painted their own house?

[woodturner]

It started out about army green and ended up looking like marine cammo. There is a lot to be said about using a paint indoors vrs outdoors. Some colors just do not handle the sun as well.

Yes, that's the issue. Darker colors like green tend to fade more quickly, no matter what the brand.

[JimD]

I don't know about paint. I used Sherman Williams on my last little job basically because I was trying to match paint that came from Sherman Williams. I liked the paint but, on sale, it was nearly $50 for a gallon of interior flat. The outside of the current house is Sherman Williams paint, we have the leftover. It isn't their highest level but is probably the next to best. We'll see how it does.

But my experience in exterior painting is quite a few years ago in Omaha Nebraska. We had our first house built and picked the exterior color based upon a tiny sample. It ended up mustard yellow and the wife hated it. They didn't paint the wood siding very well anyway and used really cheap paint so it wasn't going to last. I bought what I thought was better paint and painted the entire house about 90 per cent from the ground. I used an aluminum pole about 8 feet long that extends to about 15 feet with a roller on the end. I still have the pole and it is still handy. The grooves in the siding weren't the easiest but with what I think was medium nap I got it done. I had to trim with a brush on a ladder, however. I don't remember how long it took but it was summer time and it took two coats. But it was really nice to do most of the work from the ground.

My other comment is about scaffold. To do the trim and edges I'm not sure you need scaffold but remember ladder jacks and pump jacks. I used pump jacks on another house to install vinyl siding. They work well and are inexpensive enough to just buy. I haven't used ladder jacks but they also are kind of a cheap and easy to set up form of creating a work platform. I've rented scaffold and if I do it again, I would get the narrow kind, I think it was 28 inches wide. It adjusts in 2 inch increments and is lighter (but still not light). I used scaffold inside but outside I think it would be hard to keep level.

[billwmeyer]

I. Used a Wagner paint crew. It holds about 2 gallons and h as a 25' hose. It did a good job. I thought it was cheaper than renting, as I do not work fast. I did rent a powered lift so l could stay off of ladders. My knees don't do well on ladders. As a matter of fact, I had one knee replacement in March.

My house has 5 high gables, but it is one story. I masked off the windows with newspaper.

It's hard work but not complicated. Good luck.

[atgcpaul]

I almost pulled the trigger on 15 gallons of paint and another 3 gallons for trim this weekend. HD was having a pretty good sale on Behr. However, I'm not allowed to start painting until I finish the kitchen. My wife is still not convinced I should DIY it, but showing her some estimates on the cost from neighbors and online sources helped.

The extra problem for me now is that my wife wants to go from our white house to essentially a battleship gray with a hint of blue in it. I bought a tester jar of paint and I will definitely be doing two coats. The color is nice but it's going to take getting used to. Maybe if I wait long enough she'll have a change of heart.

I'm also going to do it with brushes and rollers.

Question. Before I applied the test patch, I washed the wall with a dish sponge and soap to remove the dirt. I can never get it that clean when I use my pressure washer (electric). However, I also never put soap in it either. Should I do a presoak with some soapy water then come back and rinse?

[capncarl]

They make soap for use in pressure washers. It goes through the pump, not siphoned up after the pump like some machines provide. This soap goes in by using an attachment on the water hose before the pump. It works fine, I've used it on concrete and paint. It also lubricates the pump. Bought mine at hd.

[sailor55330]

Paint Brands

So, I was reading another thread about painting and it got me to wondering, what brand of paint do you like the best? For me, I used to be a Sherwin Williams diehard, but lately, I found it that it doesn't cover as well as other brands and the durability isn't that great.

My wife bought a cheap can of paint from a large retailer---I think it was Dutch boy paint--on the recommendation of a neighbor. 15 months later, it had to be repainted as it faded and just looked awful---and it was inside, not out.

I have used Behr and personally, I think it is incredible overrated. To put it it in perspective, I have trim around my garage door that gets hit pretty hard during MN winters. I painted it with Behr (sanded, primed) and it began to peel and flake after one year. SW lasted about 4, same prep for comparison. I have several friends who are professional painters and they all refuse to use Behr unless that is all the customer will pay for or believes in based on the "CR" reports. Most of them prefer Benjamin Moore or Sherwin williams.

I've tried Valspar, but again, not much success in the longevity department.

For me, I broke down and tried the Ben Moore. Easiest applying and so far best lasting paint I have used indoor or outdoor. It may be a few bucks more per gallon, but typically, I use 2/3 the amount of paint, so it's a wash if not cheaper in the long run.

Just thought it might be a new topic.

[dbhost]

Exterior wise, I have used Sherwin Williams, Behr, Ace Royal Touch (I don't think they make that any more), Benjamin Moore, and Glidden. The worst was teh Ace Royal Touch Paint.

My next door neighbor bought his house and was having it painted when we were looking at our house, 13 years ago. The contractor used Behr. It still looks as good as the day they painted it through Texas heat, hurricanes, etc...

You boys up north have a totally different set of paint problems so I can't be of much help, but for me, once I get the Hardie Panel on, a coat of Behr is going to cover it...

[capncarl]

I was talking to the previous mgr. of my Porter Paint store yesterday. That was the best paint around in my book. He was saying that all the old brands that I knew was bought by others and sold again, making a real brand that we are use to indistinguishable from the rest of the brands, which they also own. Everything has been cheapened to compete on the level playing grounds of the big box stores. I'd say, buy paint it at the best price and smear it on and hope for the best, cause the next time you buy the same paint from the same store it could be mfg by someone else.
capncarl

[jabe]

House painting

I've been painting homes since I was a kid (I'm 66 yr. old now), my dad had a few rentals so we did all the painting. I also have a few rental homes and have always did my own painting. Most important is to prep the house, do a mildew wash with Jomax, scrape/sand loose paint, repair/caulk/putty, 1 coat of primer and 2 color top coats. I use Zinsser primer & paints due to their 5 yr. mildew free guarantee. We have mildew issues in the tropics. I have a Graco sprayer that sucks it out of a 5 gal. paint bucket. B4 I bought my own sprayer, I used to rent. I use rollers. pads and sash brushes too. I spray my eaves first then my walls and have my helper go over the walls with a 1 1/2" nap roller (my walls are T1-11 plywd). My paint jobs last about 8 to 10 yrs with no paint peeling. Zinsser paints can not be tinted to a dark color, I also have my primer tinted to the top coat color. If I want a dark color for the trims, I use Berh from HD or Ben Moore paints, I use only their best quality paints. Remember you get what you pay for, so use the best quality and your paint job will last.

[woodturner]

You boys up north have a totally different set of paint problems so I can't be of much help, but for me, once I get the Hardie Panel on, a coat of Behr is going to cover it...

This may be the primary issue. Some manufacturers make different blends of paint for different parts of the country, to better deal with the differing environments, while others try to do "one size fits all". As a result, if you buy the "one size" paint you are likely to be less satisfied than if you buy a paint formulated for your environment. Used to be that "local" brands were the ones you could count on, for just that reason, but as companies have aggregated under holding companies, that local paint maker is likely a subsidiary of MegaPaint Inc., making the same product as other plants.

[woodturner]

Remember you get what you pay for, so use the best quality and your paint job will last.

Sigh, I remember those days, when you got what you paid for. Now it is all about marketing, dynamic pricing, charging the highest price people will pay. For example, SW used to be well respected, but seems to have fallen out of favor with many pros. The prices are still high, but the quality seems to have declined.

It's difficult to determine the quality of a paint before using it. Sure, we can all agree that paint that peels after a year, in spite of proper preparation, is not a good paint, but how do we know the good paints from the bad paints when we are buying them? We have comparison tests like CR, but some find their test methods questionable and not relevant to the product. We can ask pros and friends, but their answers are anecdotal and not a large enough group to draw general quality conclusions. I'm not sure there is a reliable way for consumers to accurately determine quality.

One way to compare paints a bit more objectively is to look at the ingredients - a higher percentage of acrylic latex in the paint generally indicates a better product. It's not really the solution to the quality comparison issue, but at least it provides some objective basis.

[capncarl]

One thing to remember that companies rely on those that believe that you get what you pay for and cough up a lot extra for the "premium" and really get mid grade. Kinda like buying a Cadilac truck.

[cwsmith]

It has been SOOOO long since I did any house painting that I didn't think it was worth mentioning. But then again I can't stay away from a good conversation I guess.

I'm going to be 70 in less than two weeks and about the last time I painted my house was in the early 80's. Before that I painted my Dad's, my great-Aunt's, and did some trim work, garage, and spot painting for neighbors when I was in my late teens and early 20's (back in "the 60's").

So long ago that I really can't remember what paint brand, where. I do know that for my Painted Post home, I used Dupont.

All my painting has been with a brush, as the siding has been mostly wood, or a wood by-product, like those imitation wood-shakes. I've also painted real wood shakes too.

The regular lap-board style siding theres usually much more work with the scraping and sanding of the old paint layers, often using a heat gun. The last house (Painted Post) was terrible, and when I first started it (after our purchase), one of the neighbors forewarned me that it was "a devil". I started it late summer and got everything but the garage done that year. So in the spring I started that, and already the paint was peeling on the side where I started..... I stopped and we got vinyl siding!

CWS

[atgcpaul]

I applied some Simple Green deck/siding cleaner with a pump sprayer and hosed it off with a pressure washer. Although the siding was cleaner, I couldn't get it really clean unless I turned the nozzle to the highest pressure setting (pinpoint vs fan). Of course, that's going to take a long time to clean. When I applied the tester paints a couple weeks ago, I cleaned the siding with a green dish sponge. That did an excellent job but the thought of scrubbing my whole house doesn't sound too appealing although going over it with a pencil thin jet of water doesn't sound better either.

I'm sure I'm not going to like the answer, but how clean does the siding need to be? I know if I use the sponge, it will basically be factory clean and if I just use the fan spray, the loose dirt will be gone and it's only the tenacious stuff remaining. There is NO loose paint on the siding. Either it's the factory finish on the Masonite or just the primer or an excellent paint job--which I doubt.

[gerti]

Factory finish on the masonite, no lose paint? Get a color filter for the wive's glasses. A lot easier on your back and wallet... ;-)