Frugal Painting Tips
adow...@webtv.net
the inside of the house.
Annie
Rick W.
> getting ready to repaint the inside of the
> house.
I have had good results using Wal-Marts
semi-gloss enamel. IIRC it has a high rating from Consumer reports. We
have to do a lot of wall scrubbing with 3 kids and it holds up well.
Being as prep and trimming is the most time consuming part, I use a 5
inch foam roller for all trimming as it has a very sharp edge which
enables me to trim right up to an object a lot faster and with excellent
results, YYMV.
I also put up border where the wall meets the ceiling. Border at Dollar
General is $1.00 for 12' of the pre-pasted type.
Just remember a cheap paint is more expensive in the long run usually
requiring multiple coats and not being as durable.
Rick
EvelynMcH
Yes - buy yourself a very wide putty blade or one of those flexible shields
used by professionals and save yourself the time and effort of using masking
tape; use the knife blade or shield to protect edges when cutting in against
trim or the ceiling.
Buy a can of crack concealer spray and apply it to cracks in plaster walls.
It's a product that sprays on like paint and dries like a flexible rubber, and
can be painted over. Every place where we used it in our stucco living/dining
rooms, the cracks have failed to reapear. Where we didin't use it, they've come
back. Saves on spackling AND the need to repair and repaint!
As other have said - don't skip on paint or primer. Good paint covers better
and can be cleaned without damage. Poor paint will take more coats and not
stand up to cleaning, so it will need repainting sooner.
-=>epm<=-
In matters of truth and justice,
there is no difference between large and small problems,
for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.
- Albert Einstein
me
> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
>the inside of the house.
> Annie
If you are painting a different color, ie: dark over light, or light over
dark, and painting latex over oil based, I have this tip:
Use a stain blocker (water based is fine) like Kilz, or a house brand of
Kilz, to prime and make sure the latex adheres to the oil based. BUT,
here's the big thing: have the Kilz tinted to the same color as your final
coat color. You should get a way with only having to do one coat of finish
paint. I just repainted a house, and while the paint-person suggested doing
this, I didn't take her advice. I ended up using quite a bit more of the
more expensive final coat paint because I had to do two coats. I used Ace
Hardward brand sealer-primer and it worked fine. Home Depot, Lowes, all
carry a "generic" brand of this Kilz like product.
Just my two cents :0-)
Have fun painting.... I know I did :)
Lori Schutz
the brush or roller in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in the
freezer. If you are gone more than a few hours, you will need to allow
time for it to "thaw" before restarting, but doing this will save you
time and paint. I'm always amazed at how much paint the rollers hold.
Also, keep a disposable glove or small plastic bag handy. Then, if the
phone or doorbell rings when you have sticky paint on your hands, you
won't get it on the phone or doorknob. Third, decant some of the paint
into a baby food jar to keep within easy reach for small touchups. Have
fun!
Chic...@witty.com
>into a baby food jar to keep within easy reach for small touchups.
You wouldn't be related to W.C. Fields, by any chance?
"Ahhh yasss, some lovely green food for the little nipper... Must be
peas..."
Steve O'Neill
My only advice, based on lots of interior painting of various houses, is to
use _only_ oil-based primers on previously painted surfaces. Unless you're
willing to take the surface down to bare wood, you simply won't get a
long-lasting paint job if you prime with latex primers. I've used Kilz
Original for the last bunch of painting jobs I did and haven't had any
problems with measling, sagging and alligatoring that I had when I was using
the latex primers. Put a good latex finish coat over the oil primer and you
shouldn't have to paint again until you get tired of the color.
Steve O'Neill
Polar
wrote:
>>Does anyone have frugal painting tips?
>
>Yes - buy yourself a very wide putty blade or one of those flexible shields
>used by professionals and save yourself the time and effort of using masking
>tape; use the knife blade or shield to protect edges when cutting in against
>trim or the ceiling.
I never had much luck with those flexible shields; they always let
paint leak under. Also, I never saw a professional use them. They
have that dynamite eye-hand coordination! I do use masking tape
sometimes, and buy the stronger kind, which costs a little more
but is worth it.
>
>Buy a can of crack concealer spray and apply it to cracks in plaster walls.
>It's a product that sprays on like paint and dries like a flexible rubber, and
>can be painted over. Every place where we used it in our stucco living/dining
>rooms, the cracks have failed to reapear. Where we didin't use it, they've come
>back. Saves on spackling AND the need to repair and repaint!
Never heard of it; glad to have the info. Is there a downside? Does
it have a perceptibly raised surface?
>
>As other have said - don't skip on paint or primer. Good paint covers better
>and can be cleaned without damage. Poor paint will take more coats and not
>stand up to cleaning, so it will need repainting sooner.
Amen.
Ken
better than one. If your outside walls need insulation, get some.
ANYTHING that get wet because of condensation will not last as long as
surfaces that stay dry. I also use bathroom paint on the floor molding
to make it last longer.
Good luck!
Erna
along the rim channel where the lid fits into.This allows paint that you pour
or wipe excess from the brush to drain back into the can and not wastefully
(messily) drip down the sides.
~Erna~
Life amplified.
If it's too loud you're too old
teapot
them in water and shake the water off when you next need them
this works with gloss and emulsion but you will have to clean them properly
eventually
<adow...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:4108-3A...@storefull-144.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
Lou Pogoda
adow...@webtv.net wrote in message
<4108-3A...@storefull-144.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
>the inside of the house.
Buy the best paint you can find - it covers better, smells better, dries
more quickly, spatters less. Note that "best" isn't quite the same as "most
expensive". I personally stay away from paint at a certain national chain
of department stores whose name starts with "S".
Start with a tape measure. Measure your walls and ceilings and calculate
the square footage you plan on covering with each color. Coverage estimates
are on the paint label. Unless you're painting everything white, and
especially if you're using colors mixed in the store (which generally can't
be returned), this will help prevent you from buying excess paint.
A flat finish covers minor imperfections better than a glossy finish will.
Have a full set of tools and supplies before you start.
Paint, of course.
A sturdy ladder that's tall enough to get you as high as you need to get and
do so safely. Various sizes of brushes for corners, windows, etc..
A good roller with a couple of extension handles (a long one for ceilings
and a shorter one for walls), and roller covers made for the type of paint
you're using and the kind of walls you're putting it on.
Drop cloths to protect furniture and floors, something that spilled paint
won't soak through and into the carpet.
A mixing bucket.
Old clothes that you won't mind getting paint on, and a hat.
Screwdrivers for removing switch plates, door knobs, and prying the covers
off cans.
A hammer for putting covers back on, pounding in nail pops (unless you're
going to replace them with screws).
Masking tape (unless you have a steady hand).
Bright lights so that you can see what you're doing and what you've missed.
Patching plaster (if you need it) and putty knives to apply it, sponges or
sandpaper to smooth it down - pictures hanging on the walls, coat racks etc.
are usually held up by nails or screws, not to mention dents, nail pops, and
so on.
It doesn't pay to skimp on any of this stuff - trying to "make do" will just
make the job take longer, and in the case of ladders, may make the job
unsafe. A couple of nice things to have are a paint mixer attachment that
fits on an electric (not cordless) drill, and a CO2 powered spray bottle for
painting things like return air gratings and removable window muntins that
are just a b***h to paint with a brush. If you're spraying much, you might
need a breathing mask as well.
Also, before you start, put the cat and dog outside, or at least out of the
way so they can't run through the room, stepping in the paint tray on the
way. Small kids should be elsewhere too.
No two cans of paint are exactly the same color. You might not notice any
difference while you're painting, but you sure as shooting will once all the
furniture is back in place and everything is cleaned up and put away. Use
half the first can to paint however much wall it'll cover, then mix in half
the second can to minimize any color change. When that's gone, mix the
remaining half of the second can with half the third, etc. (that's what the
mixing bucket is for unless you just do it in the can).
EvelynMcH
>I never had much luck with those flexible shields; they always let
>paint leak under.
The trick is to apply just enough pressure to let them mold to the surface, but
not enough for the edge to spread. The only place I've used tape is in the
living/dining room where the walls are stucco, and, like the rest of the house,
the trim is stained chestnut. But I did use a flex edge to cut in the ceiling,
and it worked better than I thought it would.
>Never heard of it; glad to have the info. Is there a downside? Does
>it have a perceptibly raised surface?
We used it on areas where the cracks were hairline and had been sanded to
remove lose plaster and paint from the cracks. We also used it over areas that
had a lot of damage that left us no choice but to sand and spackle. It sprays
on as a thin, paintlike layer, and it is not noticable after it's been painted
over. We purchased it in Kmart (of all places) after looking for it at Home
Depot and our local paint store (he was sold out, but recommended it to us). It
really made a big difference, since the few areas that weren't sprayed have had
cracks reoccur, and there are none elsewhere. The can is buried in the garage,
so I can't give you the exact name, but my understanding is that there are
several similar products.
Cathleen
<adow...@webtv.net> wrote:
> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
> the inside of the house.
> Annie
>
Well, my husband would say if we didn't paint every year it would
definitely be more frugal but I have an addiction, I admit :)
His rule (which is why he does about 80% of the job) is that a good
paint job is 99% preparation (which is the part I hate! :) I like the
choosing of the color, the technique, and the finishing touches (which
I must say takes more than 1% of the total time but I digress...)
If you paint a room with a solid color you can use Universal Tints in a
glaze to fantastic special effect (they're sold at Kelley-Moore and
other major paint stores, including Home Depot) Universal Tints are
pure tint for a very cheap price; each bottle costs about $8-10 USD and
could conceivably last your lifetime and someone else's! The tints are
"universal" a/k/a usually organic colors like Burnt Umber, Ocher, Raw
Siena, Burnt Siena etc.)
I use this tint, maybe a teaspoon or two, to each quart of glaze medium
(also sold at Home Depot etc) and paint it over the base color, which
could even be your primer. The effect is usually aged and subtle, which
i like very much. You can rub it on and wipe it off or roll it on or
rag it on, a million different effects. Here's a great website for good
painting tips: www.paintedhouse.com
Polar
<lpo...@home.nospam.com> wrote:
[...]
>No two cans of paint are exactly the same color. You might not notice any
>difference while you're painting, but you sure as shooting will once all the
>furniture is back in place and everything is cleaned up and put away. Use
>half the first can to paint however much wall it'll cover, then mix in half
>the second can to minimize any color change. When that's gone, mix the
>remaining half of the second can with half the third, etc. (that's what the
>mixing bucket is for unless you just do it in the can).
>
Hey, what a neat trick!
Thanks for all the other tips as well.
Gary Heston
[ ... ]
>No two cans of paint are exactly the same color. You might not notice any
>difference while you're painting, but you sure as shooting will once all the
>furniture is back in place and everything is cleaned up and put away. Use
>half the first can to paint however much wall it'll cover, then mix in half
>the second can to minimize any color change. When that's gone, mix the
>remaining half of the second can with half the third, etc. (that's what the
>mixing bucket is for unless you just do it in the can).
Get a clean five gallon bucket, dump all the paint for one room into it,
mix thorougly, and paint. Dump whatever is left over into one of the
one-gallon cans and save for touchups.
Clean bucket, and reuse in each room. When done, use for storage.
Gary
--
Gary Heston ghe...@hiwaay.net
This item has been intercepted by the Echelon Project. So have all
of yours....
Gerald Clough
the detached office, largely with paint from cheap sources. One was the
Habitat for Humanity resale warehouse. I have no idea which cities have
these, but that was our source for the oil trim. Bought partials and
leftover cans of off-whites and mixed them into a five-gallon pail,
making sure there was plenty before we started. Dollar-a-roll wall
paper, too.
Much of the wall paint was picked up at the flea market from sellers who
make it their business to go around and buy up mistints from paint
stores and departments. They concentrate all the mistints in one place,
and we didn't have to run around hoping the stores would have the colors
we wanted. It was also good for the exterior paints. Typical price was
about one fifth of retail.
Check the flea market for brushes, too. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell
what's dead stock and damaged freight and what's been liberated from the
job site by construction workers.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Clo...@Texas.Net
"Nothing has any value unless you know you can give it up."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack & BlackIce
news:16489-3A...@storefull-212.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
> If you are using latex paint, and have to stop before finishing, wrap
> the brush or roller in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in the
> freezer. If you are gone more than a few hours, you will need to allow
> time for it to "thaw" before restarting, but doing this will save you
But don't leave it there for more than a day or two.
When I was a kid my dad tried this trick, planned to get back to painting
right away, then something else came up and it was a couple of weeks. All
the food in the freezer started to taste like paint by the end. Blech.
Julie
Gordon Reeder
144.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
I've done a lot of painting. This isn't realy
a frugal tip, but then anything that makes it
go faster is a help.
Don't use a pan and roller, use a five gallon
bucket and a roller. Put an extension handle
(broom handle) on the roller. This will save
you alot of stooping and climbing ladders. Also,
the bucket holds a lot more paint than a pan
and is easier to move.
Use a pad for the edgeing. This is fast. My
wife and I painted the inside of a three bedroom
duplex in less than two days.
--
Just my $0.02 worth. Hope it helps
Gordon Reeder
greeder
at: myself.com
Polar
Reeder) wrote:
>adow...@webtv.net wrote in <4108-3A559EB1-1@storefull-
>144.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
>
>> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
>>the inside of the house.
>> Annie
>>
>>
>>http://community.webtv.net/adowning/FirelessCooking
>>
>
>I've done a lot of painting. This isn't realy
>a frugal tip, but then anything that makes it
>go faster is a help.
>Don't use a pan and roller, use a five gallon
>bucket and a roller.
But how do you keep the excess paint from
dripping all over?
Put an extension handle
>(broom handle) on the roller. This will save
>you alot of stooping and climbing ladders. Also,
>the bucket holds a lot more paint than a pan
>and is easier to move.
>Use a pad for the edgeing.
Yeah, man, pads are great !!!
Gordon Reeder
@4ax.com>:
>On 7 Jan 2001 06:17:26 GMT, GonzoG...@all.to.myself.com (Gordon
>Reeder) wrote:
>
>>adow...@webtv.net wrote in <4108-3A559EB1-1@storefull-
>>144.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
>>
>>> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
>>>the inside of the house.
>>> Annie
>>>
>>>
>>>http://community.webtv.net/adowning/FirelessCooking
>>Don't use a pan and roller, use a five gallon
>>bucket and a roller.
>
>But how do you keep the excess paint from
>dripping all over?
Use a bucket screen. It is a heavy duty
screen that hangs in the bucket. You run
the roller up and down it to even out the
paint load and run off the excess.
Did i forget to say, you only fill the bucket
half full or less?
Polar
Reeder) wrote:
>sme...@mindspring.com (Polar) wrote in <0ubi5tkg0b35m1f2edrdueknavvp340en2
>@4ax.com>:
>
>>On 7 Jan 2001 06:17:26 GMT, GonzoG...@all.to.myself.com (Gordon
>>Reeder) wrote:
>>
>>>adow...@webtv.net wrote in <4108-3A559EB1-1@storefull-
>>>144.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
>>>
>>>> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
>>>>the inside of the house.
>>>> Annie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>http://community.webtv.net/adowning/FirelessCooking
>>>Don't use a pan and roller, use a five gallon
>>>bucket and a roller.
>>
>>But how do you keep the excess paint from
>>dripping all over?
>
>Use a bucket screen. It is a heavy duty
>screen that hangs in the bucket. You run
>the roller up and down it to even out the
>paint load and run off the excess.
>Did i forget to say, you only fill the bucket
>half full or less?
>>
>>
Oh, OK, I actually have one of those.
Large apertures.
Tried using it on a tray, but didn't work.
Apparently meant for buckets; the dawn breaks.
You did forget about filling bucket; make sense.
Thanks.
Dennis
Reeder) wrote:
>Use a bucket screen. It is a heavy duty
>screen that hangs in the bucket. You run
>the roller up and down it to even out the
>paint load and run off the excess.
>Did i forget to say, you only fill the bucket
>half full or less?
An added advantage of using a bucket and screen is that when you break
for a long time (like overnight), you just hang the roller on the
screen in the bucket and put on the lid. Save a bunch of intermediate
clean up.
Dennis (evil)
--
"There is a fine line between participation and mockery" - Wally
Elana Kehoe
> An added advantage of using a bucket and screen is that when you break
> for a long time (like overnight), you just hang the roller on the
> screen in the bucket and put on the lid. Save a bunch of intermediate
> clean up.
Our favorite clean up tip is to put the roller (not the whole thing,
just the sleeve) in a recycled ziplock bag and pop that in the freezer.
Works for gloss or emulsion paint. Just remember to defrost it for
about an hour or two before using next time :-).
E
Dorot29701
to stop for a couple of hours. Wouldn't leave it overnight like this. I've
used those plastic bags that I get from the grocery store.
Dorothy
Polar
I have left it for *weeks* in an airtight bag; worked fine.
Ms. Fox
adow...@webtv.net wrote:
> Does anyone have frugal painting tips? I'm getting ready to repaint
> the inside of the house.
> Annie
>
> http://community.webtv.net/adowning/FirelessCooking
Sometimes great deals can be had by buying returned paint that someone
decided was too<fill in the blank> after they got it home.