White is an awful choice.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a real estate agent can chime in...but when I was looking at houses, the ones with a non-white neutral, with white trim, always looked better. (except the bathroom, most bathrooms looked good in white).

I really like SW Kilm Beige.

I agree with this.

Regarding a stager, my issue with paying a stager for paint selections for sale is that your goal is quite literally the opposite of choosing something unique and tasteful; it is to choose something extremely popular and non-controversial. Go to a paint store and ask to see some neturals. As the employee what they have been selling a lot of from the neutral card. Punch the card number into their little computer and it will show you the best white for the trim. This is cheaper and simpler than using a stager, and more likely to produce the right answer, because the right answer on what color to paint your walls for resale purposes only is "the most popular neutral color of the moment, and a matching white trim."

Maybe a real estate agent can chime in...but when I was looking at houses, the ones with a non-white neutral, with white trim, always looked better. (except the bathroom, most bathrooms looked good in white).

I really like SW Kilm Beige.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think its that hard to pick out a workable white and I definitely don't think you need a home stager to provide a recommendation. You do need to know what type of paint he's using. Eggshell on trim looks pretty terrible.

For what is really a pretty modest fee, a home stager (and I'm not one) will provide a variety of recommendations on how to maximize the saleability of your home. Frankly, a lot of people are completely clueless when it comes to marketing their largest asset - their home. BUT it is important to find a stager who is competent (look at their portfolio, at a minimum).

I don't think its that hard to pick out a workable white and I definitely don't think you need a home stager to provide a recommendation. You do need to know what type of paint he's using. Eggshell on trim looks pretty terrible.

Is he doing ceiling or bathrooms too? Be mindful of what type (semi gloss for example).

Anonymous wrote:O/t - when you people hire a painter do you usually have him provide the paint? I have always bought the paint myself...

Depends. If I know what they're using and it happens to work for the project, it can make sense. For example, I'll let them use Behr ceiling paint, since that's one of their better quality products. And if I'm ok with a Sherwin-Williams or Duron paint for the project, I'll let them buy it because they get a better discount than me. When I feel like i need to pay for Benjamin Moore for some reason, I buy it myself and give it to them.

It is absolutely possible (maybe probable) for this guy to screw up your paint job. There are several issues at play here:

- Is this guy a competent painter? When I was young and cheap I hired an inexpensive painter. He actually painted around the washer and dryer, and did a generally crappy job. Get references. If the painter is, say, Indian - and all of his references are, say, Indian, then be skeptical (note: this is just an example, could be any nationality).
- Unless the painter is using the same same color and finish for the walls and the ceiling (unlikely), then he will have to 'cut in' the edges. Some painters are really good at this, others are awful.
- What brand of paint is he using? There is some really crappy paint out there that will look bad and wear poorly. If you want something inexpensive, go with Behr from Home Depot.
- There are a million shades of 'white' (with different undertones), some of which would probably look bad in your property. If you are selling, you may not want to use white. Consult an experienced home stager for recommendations. It won't cost much ($200-$400) and it's worth it.
- Ask what sheen the painter is using. You probably want flat or eggshell for walls and semigloss or gloss for trim.
- Make sure you clarify exactly what is supposed to be painted - ceiling, walls, trim, doors and windows, etc. and how many coats.

Op, make sure he understands you want two coats.

O/t - when you people hire a painter do you usually have him provide the paint? I have always bought the paint myself...

Yeah, if white doesn't have an even coating it looks bad in bright light. If his quote includes two coats, it is probably ok. Don't let him do one coat of the brand of his choosing, because the cheaper brands can be pretty awful single coated.

yes of course. He could use cheap paint that streaks and doesn't cover well.

He probably has tons of leftover paint or got it cheaply.

white will be jarring … go with off white or beige.

We are hiring an inexpensive painter to paint the interior of our home. He recommended that we keep our walls white. We are selling our home. His price is so low that we are starting to wonder how professional his job will look. Is it really possible for a painter to screw up a white paint job (other than being messy and splattering paint on things, of course)?