does anyone know how? my stairwell needs painting. got an estimate for $250. the more I think about it I should do it on my own.


thing is I don't know what I'm doing? need instructions please.

6/5/2006 2:56:19 PM

buy paint - apply - typically with a roller and some brushes for edging - use tape as needed

6/5/2006 2:59:32 PM

is it really that simple. what about stokes, etc. it has rails also.

6/5/2006 3:02:32 PM

You must move furniture out of the way of drips, cover carpet w/ some plastic, make sure you have stuff to clean your brushes and have the kinds of brushes/rollers you need for all surfaces and nooks & crannies.

Make sure you use the blue painter's tape, but take it off AS SOON AS you're done painting (with paint still wet).

Painting is a pain in the neck, to say the least...I hated painting. We painted 4 rooms in our house and I'd rather live in a white cell than ever paint another thing in my life. Some people find it enjoyable or relaxing, but I hated it.

Regardless, I would STILL do it myself before paying $250 for someone to do it, 'cause I'm cheap.

6/5/2006 3:09:08 PM

Very simple. I've taught lots of people to paint cleanly over the years.

Cut in(paint with a small diagonal brush, I like the 2" Purdy brand) around the edges first(about 3 inches), then come back with rollers to finish up. The trick to cutting in is to keep one side of your brush clean. Dip the brush in a Solo cup at an angle. Paint a thick line near the edge, then drag the clean side of the brush through this thin puddle of paint. The clean side will absorb just enough paint, and you can paint a clean line just like drawing with a magic marker. No need to tape anything off once you've got the hang of it. Since you haven't painted the rest of the wall yet, occasionally clean your brush out on the wall. When you come back with the roller later(again, I like Purdy brand), you'll cover almost all of your brush strokes except right at the edge of the wall.

Virtually all paint, even the expensive shit, will require two coats. That's just the way it is. Flat colors are easier to paint, since the glossiness makes brush lines more visible. It usually goes Flat, Satin, Eggshell, Semigloss, Gloss, depending on the paint. For light colors(white, beige), you can usually get by with cheap paint($10/gallon). For dark, bold colors, get the good stuff or you'll be sorry.

6/5/2006 3:16:46 PM

take the rails off the wall before painting

6/5/2006 3:18:19 PM

go to the library and get a book, read it, paint, profit.

6/5/2006 3:21:36 PM

hmm. it's a stairwell with carpet on it. it's up 2 stories. there are rails on the side. it hasn't been painted since it was new 5 years ago. it's fading and it's dusty and dirty.

i mean $250 is too expensive I think, but then again it's like relief from my day. also the guys doing all the touch up painting in the entire home. there a scuff on just about every wall.

6/5/2006 3:22:42 PM

Yea, if you can, it never hurts to get everything out of the way(rails, outlet covers, etc).

These days I can paint a 1200 sq ft. apartment(walls&trim) by myself in about 16 hours total. When I'm finished the lines are sharp, no drips, no mistakes. Those mexican crews on the job go much faster, but they use those bigass rollers and really slap that shit on the walls(plus there's no carpet to worry about yet).

6/5/2006 3:23:32 PM

Wow...this is sad...Painting is pretty straight foward...after about 3 stokes you pretty much have it.

6/5/2006 3:46:24 PM

Yea, you'd thing that, but you'd be suprised the people that struggle and make absolute messes. Look at any Habitat for Humanity house for examples.

6/5/2006 3:48:03 PM

buying and putting down plastic over the carpet isn't difficult. but is the stairwell tall enough where you're gonna need a ladder? (ladder on/around stairs = not too easy)

maybe you can talk to your paint guy or someone else about just doing the cutting in/trim work. you can do the walls with a roller (a lot of people suggest painting in v's/w's instead of straight up and down.)



This might come in handy for doing edging/cutting in. You can get a real basic version of it at most hardware places that you apply the paint to the pad yourself (cheaper I'm sure than this thing would be).



http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/paintroom/paintroom.html

6/5/2006 3:54:01 PM

^you still need to tape off your trim...especially if it is stained since you can't paint over it!

6/5/2006 4:07:57 PM

hmmmm. there is no need for a ladder. it's a staircase in like a condo setting against a wall on one end and rails on the other. it's just a lot of detail on the rails that I'm worried about.

the guy recommended BEHR paint and getting acrylic latex paint. he said it'd dry fairly quickly. also he mentioned that he really didn't need to use tape, but would bring some along anyways.

-

so $250 bucks is just not worth I'm thinking. i think i could read up on this and do it. on those home decorating shows they make it look so easy.

6/5/2006 4:29:43 PM

Quote :

"just got an estimate. this guy wants to charge me $250 to repaint a stairwell. he listed it would require : 1 tray 1 gallon white acrylic/latex paint = BEHR brand 1 4" brush 1 4" roller ------------------------ = WTF?, G. "

6/5/2006 4:30:40 PM

i'm not very good at edging. i think it is hard unless you tape it off so you don't have to concentrate that much, but the rolling part is really easy. make a "W" and fill it in. at least thats how i was taught.

6/5/2006 4:38:23 PM

dont forget to mix the paint !

6/5/2006 4:40:03 PM

if you can take them off, i'd take the railing off and paint them seperately, just with a brush. you'll want to pick up a few brush sizes, if the railing has a lot of detail to it, to get into the crevices w/o glopping on the paint.

6/5/2006 5:54:56 PM

[Edited on June 5, 2006 at 6:15 PM. Reason : nevermind]

6/5/2006 6:14:02 PM

No need to pay a company, but no need to do it yourself either.
Painting is easy, but not nearly as easy as hiring someone with experience to do it for $10 an hour.
How much is your time worth?
Craigslist to the rescue.

6/5/2006 6:15:42 PM

just pay the guy if you're that fucking worried about it. If you don't know how to paint you're going to fuck up and get paint all over your carpet and rails. Then'll you'll either have to clean it up yourself or pay someone to clean it up. Just pay the man.

6/5/2006 7:26:04 PM

better have a long ladder

6/5/2006 8:14:20 PM

don't paint you're goddamned stairwell, just pay the $250, that's a good rate

no need to pay for a bedroom or something, but a stairwell isn't worth the trouble

6/6/2006 12:42:06 AM