painting my mom house

supaflyz

Hey guys, its the summer and I finish with my summer class, so I got plenty of time to do some diy project. I'm a complete newbie to diy stuff. I only try painting, but that was painting the patio deck lol. It look pretty clean, but I figure that painting indoor takes more skill. I wanted to paint the house for my mom. She pick out the paint color already. I initially chose behr paint because we went to home depot all the time, and I thought they were the best around until I read the topics on this forum. It looks like the best way to go is get sherwin williams paint? My mom house is 2000sf. I wanted to paint each room about every 3 or 4 days. Do you think it's smart for a first timer at painting to paint the house or hire a professional? THe cheapest rate I found is $100 a room. We have 9 rooms in the house, thats almost $1000 in all not including materials.
What is a rough estimate if I hire a handyman and myself to paint the house including all the materials?

4ThGeneration

For that cheap a rate they are not licensed, insured or experienced and most definitely will not be around for warranty work. If they do it do not pay anything up front and be there everyday to make sure they do not take anything. Handymen are not qualified for a good job because they do everything and specialize in nothing. Just straight talk...

supaflyz

So u dont suggest I paint it with me and my brother? I could always start with one room and see how it finish lol.

4ThGeneration

Do you love your Mom?

Then noooooo!!!

mazzonetv

just remember, you get what you pay for. If you want a pro job hire a pro. A handyman may do a better job than what you would do, but for a $100 a room he certainly won't do all the prepwork and pay attention to detail like most pros would. Since money seems to be a real issue, take your time, do it yourself, go to a local paint store for lots of advice, and with the money you saved you can pay for school !!!

RegeSullivan

Like mazzonetv said if money is an issue do it your self. I think it is a great learning opportunity since you have the time. If you have 3-4 days for each room you have plenty of time to learn and do a great job.

If at all possible remove everything in the room. Get the shop vac going and get all the dirt dust and cobwebs off the walls ceiling and floor. If you can not reach the ceiling comfortably buy a small folding scaffold then clean the walls with TSP and be sure to rinse well. I use two sponge mops, one for TSP water and one for rinse water. Wear gloves or the TSP will make the skin of your hands peel off. Change the rinse water often and use a 5 gal bucket. Clean the ceiling the same as the walls if it's a kitchen or bathroom. Buy quality paint, rollers and brushes. Start painting the ceiling first, then walls, finish with the trim work. Making a straight line along the trim or ceiling (cutting in) is the most frustrating skill to learn but you have plenty of time so take it slow and try different techniques until you are comfortable and accurate. Use a good tape (frog tape or 3M painters tape) if you have a tight spot like door casing near a corner.

Good luck with your project!

Rege