STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Tati · Chanel

Did you paint your own walls?

Cricket · Gucci

We (okay, my husband and his bro did 90%, but I brought them beer and supervised ), painted our entire house last year and it was easy. Tips I can think of real quick...

Buy a real painters tarp instead of plastic. Plastic is a pain in the ass.

Buy real sheepskin rollers and natural bristle brushes. DON'T scrimp on brushes or rollers. That's probably the best tip we were given. We have done rooms in the past with cheapo supplies and they were much harder. Synthetic brushes will fall apart on you and synthetic rollers don't hold as much paint. Plus, you can keep them forever if you clean them well. Worth investing a little more money.

We liked the blue tape. If applied right, it works well. Just take your time.

Hubby seemed to like the little edger doo-dads. He had a bunch of those.

Most important tip... Have beer handy during your job and treat yourself for dinner!!!

-- Edited by Cricket at 17:11, 2005-08-15

-- Edited by Cricket at 17:11, 2005-08-15

Metric · Gucci

I love to paint, its easy.

Make sure your walls are clean and patched. I don't use tape but I do lay down a dropcloth or big sheet of plastic on the floor. Use a sponge brush to do corners and edges very carefully (a steady hand helps) then roll paint on the major part of the wall with a roller. I only do one coat per day, I like to give it a long drying time I think it comes out nicer.

I really like the Behr paints at Home Depot, there is a huge color variety and it comes out really nice.

Tati · Chanel

BrazenCanadian wrote:

I Make sure your walls are clean and patched.

you have to clean the whole wall first? and what do you mean by patched?

Elle · Hermes

I would clean the walls first - any dust/dirt/residue is going to prevent the paint from adhering properly. Just go over the walls with a huge damp sponge - you don't have to really scrub them or anything.

As for patching, if you have any nail/screw holes or cracks in the wall you'll want to fill them and sand them before you paint.

If you are also planning on painting the moulding/trim, I would paint the walls and then tape off the walls to do the the trim. The painters tape works, but I would recommend burnishing the edges with a paint scraper before painting to make sure that it's adhered well on the edges. Applying thin coats also helps prevent leaks.

-- Edited by LMonet at 17:40, 2005-08-15

Metric · Gucci

You have to wash down the whole wall. I use a homemade wall wash from 2 tbsp ammonia and 1 tbsp dish detergent in 1 quart hot water. Just sponge over the walls, it may not look dirty but once its done you'll notice a big difference.

Then any knicks or holes (like from picture hanging) patch with some drywall mud, let dry completely and sand. Bigger patched knicks will need a spot of primer before you paint. You can get all that stuff at any home improvement store, its very easy to do and it will look so much better if you take the time to do it.

FashionPrincess · Hermes

We've painted pretty much our whole house ourselves (and with the help of friends, hehe, I always throw a painting party). We use the blue painters tape and it can leak on textured walls, you just have to make sure it is pressed down (helps by wiping off trim first) and then use as little paint as possible on your brush when doing the edging.

I use the brand Kilz, available at Walmart and I think Lowes. It provides really good one coat coverage (with minimal touch ups) even with dark colors. And it cleans up easily.

Just make it fun, play loud, up beat music, order pizza, etc

halleybird · Hermes

My brother-in-law is a painter, so we have never had to do any big rooms. I did do our bathrooms, though -- it was easy, but I hated it!

I do think it's worth hiring painters if you have vaulted/very high ceilings, though.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

I always do it myself. It's not hard at all, but it can get kind of boring if you're alone.

JMR · Dooney & Bourke

two words - benjamin moore. I would never ever use any other paint - it's a little more expensive but worth EVERY penny!

Tati · Chanel

JMR wrote:

two words - benjamin moore. I would never ever use any other paint - it's a little more expensive but worth EVERY penny!

what do you like about Benjamin Moore? cause I've heard a lot of good stuff about Behr and was thinking of buying that brand.....

Cricket · Gucci

Behr is what we used and it is wonderful paint. Went on so easily and covered very well. Consumer Reports rated it #1, if you follow their ratings, which I do a lot. I haven't tried Benjamin Moore, though, but I'm sure it was right up there, and there really can't be THAT much of a difference between the top rated paints.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

Behr is pretty good. However, if you are going to do a rich, earthy color (I tried their red) use another brand. Behr reds suck. I even got the guy at HD to admit to it. I ended up using sherwin williams red (with a grey primer under) and it went beautifully.

The other 8 colors of Behr I used were terrific.

-gd

Lilykind · Hermes

Tati wrote:

JMR wrote: two words - benjamin moore. I would never ever use any other paint - it's a little more expensive but worth EVERY penny! what do you like about Benjamin Moore? cause I've heard a lot of good stuff about Behr and was thinking of buying that brand.....

My family used Benjamin Moore paints when I was 13 to paint our walls. They used the eggshell finish...it's sooooo creamy and covers so well. When you open the paint can Even my parents who are very DIY and who tend to mess up home projects did such an amazing job with the paint...it's held up very well since 1998 when it was first painted.

I will say that I have no experience with Behr, though, so I can't offer a comparison.

Claudia · Gucci

We've been using Behr to paint our walls. It's pretty good. As far as my painting experience, my mom and I painted my room. We only put one coat and we let my dad finish off since he is such a perfectionist when it comes to that stuff. He didn't think we were doing a good job.

I should post pics of my room, but I'm not finish yet.

NCshopper · Hermes

Painting your own walls is pretty easy--I don't know why people pay to have it done, unless they have high ceilings to deal with.

Just make sure to throw a tarp over any of your furniture and you should be fine.

Does the type of paint you use matter all that much? I've always used whatever paint has the color I want and I've never had a problem.

halleybird · Hermes

greendiamond wrote:

Behr is pretty good. However, if you are going to do a rich, earthy color (I tried their red) use another brand. Behr reds suck. I even got the guy at HD to admit to it. I ended up using sherwin williams red (with a grey primer under) and it went beautifully. The other 8 colors of Behr I used were terrific. -gd

Dunn-Edwards has crappy reds, too!

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

i've painted every wall in my house at least once and every wall in my previous house several times. (i love to paint and i paint often) here are my tips:

splurge on good brushes and roller covers even if you can't splurge on the paint. it'll make your job so much easier.

i never use the blue painters tape although others swear by it. it always leaks for me. i have developed a super-steady hand for edging (probably from all my painting) and if you use the paintbrush that you splurged on your edges will be crisp.

always have a damp washcloth near by to wipe up any drips or spills right away. (i hang one on the side of my ladder so that it's within reach.

if you have to use more than one gallon for a room, buy a 5 gallon bucket and mix the gallons together. (the color can vary from gallon to gallon and you won't know it until it's already dry)

most of all, have fun! i love the transformation that comes from a freshly painted room.

blink · Coach

hubby and I did it ourselves, we did use the blue tape, but you are right about the textured walls, so I used a tiny little brush to do that detail work. luckily, we were given a can of the glossy white trim paint from our builder years ago when we bought the house, so we were able to cover up any drips/mess-ups.

JMR · Dooney & Bourke

I used Behr in one room - needless to say I have to repaint the room. The paint comes off everytime I wipe down the wall (Even with a dry cloth) and it leaves marks on the walls. It doesn't cover as well either - the moulding got two coats - and we need to add a third - it looks terrible and uneven (I had a painter paint!)

I plan on buying ben moore to put over the existing paint. I am so happy with the Ben moore paint I have everywhere else in the house - it cleans up well - covers well - it's really nice!