Is painting the house hard?

[Anonymous]

If you're planning to sell in the next year or two, you might want to hire a pro, but if it's just for yourself, go ahead. It will take you longer than an experienced painter, but you should be able to do basically as good a job.

I found that when I painted, right after finishing I might notice a patch that had a small drip, or an edge that wasn't completely straight. But in real life, most people don't examine paint jobs with a microscope. After a week, I totally forgot about those tiny imperfections, and most people will just notice the overall impression of a freshly painted room.

[Anonymous]

Please do not ever say to someone in person that you aren't rich when you live in a house worth 1.5 million dollars. That's just offensive.

[Anonymous]

Paint one room. I painted my bedroom with my husband. I prepped one day--took about 5-6 hours. We painted the next day together, took about 4-5 hours.

I also did a powder room myself, prepped and painted in one day in about 3 hours.

Both rooms were with 2 coats. I did not do the trim or ceiling either time.

I pick days that I am off work and have free time (like 3 day weekends, or planned staycations)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Painting the interior is an easy DIY job that you can do for a fraction of the cost it would be to pay someone for it. But it still requires a lot of care, time, and effort. Maybe you should start with one room and see how it goes? You'll improve as you go along, and you'll find out if you hate it.

One tip: don't paint all the edges first, and then go back with a roller because you'll end up with brush strokes dried in that you can't get rid of.

One more tip: wear gloves. Latex paint is hard to get off your hands.

You absolutely paint all the edges first because rollers can't get to the edges. You just have to use decent quality brushes and not layer it on too thick. It's important to feather out the paint from the edge, rather than just use a paint-soaked brush along the edge. Use a second brush that's more or less dry to do the feathering if needed.

Use masking tape.

Latex paint is easy to wash off. I am not sure why you find it tough to wash off. Wear thin latex gloves if you want, however, and don't mind your hands sweating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please do not ever say to someone in person that you aren't rich when you live in a house worth 1.5 million dollars. That's just offensive.

+1

Totally agree. It sounded super annoying. They are loaded, but they still want more. That's why they can't afford a painter. Ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

Good paint, good brushes and lots of patience - saved me $3,000 and looks fantastic. I'm more picky than the average painter and really, who is going to be more invested in the outcome- it's your house. I hired someone to do ceilings and the two story entry though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please do not ever say to someone in person that you aren't rich when you live in a house worth 1.5 million dollars. That's just offensive.

+1

Totally agree. It sounded super annoying. They are loaded, but they still want more. That's why they can't afford a painter. Ridiculous!

Probably not loaded or rich, just purchased a home they can't really afford. Painting a 4000 sq ft home one room at a time DIY sounds ridiculous if the home cost 1.5M. It'd be one thing if you love doing this stuff but if you're on a forum asking for advice...you are in over your head with your home. Hope your roof doesn't leak or basement flood.

[Anonymous]

You can do it yourself. Yes prep is the hard part. Get lots of blue painter tape and good brushes and rollers. We painted our entire 4000 sq ft house ourselves. With that said, it took us 10 months! However we saved at least $10,000 by doing it ourselves. Everyone comments on how good our walls and ceilings look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Inside is what I am womdering about.
My home is worth 1.5 mil in an area where 700k is average so I dont want to cheapen it. Will it be noticeable? I feel I can always tell when painting has been a DIY job.

Dumb question. It all depends on how good you are at painting. If you are a good painter, it will look fine. If you are not, it will look bad.

It also depends on how good the people you would otherwise hire are.

My (attorney) husband is an excellent painter. The two rooms he did in our house look far, far better than the "professionally painted" rooms the previous owner had done on the cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if you have a 1.5 million dollar house, I don't know why you wouldn't use a professional. I've spent countless hours painting, but I dread it every time. It's not necessarily hard, but it is extremely time-consuming to do the work (especially prep work) to get a professional looking end product. I find ceilings and bathrooms especially challenging. Also, any area that has special architectural features (e.g., really high ceilings, wall mounted light fixtures, drapery rods, hard to reach areas, etc.). Add in furnishings (obstacles), and it becomes quite a job.

You're talking about painting what sounds like a large house. I'm not sure you realize just how big a job that is. If you do decide to do this yourself, buy quality paint and roller/brushes (they're worth it), plus lots of easy off blue masking tape and drop cloths. Meticulously prepare the walls, then prime (at least the patches), and apply two coats.

I was also going to point this out along with the fact that you will need ladders and special ladders for stairwells and high ceilings.

If you can't finish in one day, there is the storage of the paint and brushes to prevent drying out, the fact that everything has to be left covered until you can get back to painting.

I actually found house painting to be hard in terms of scheduling the time and the upfront costs - buying decent brushes, rollers, drop clothes, ladder, rollers. In the end, it was cheaper timewise and material wise to hire someone.