Interior Paint DIY vs Hiring a Pro?

[irvinehomeowner]

So you write your check to "Juan"? Or is this an all-cash type of transaction.

 

[ZeroLot]

@ZeroLot:

Is that $2k for one color? Can you choose the color?

Back when I was looking at new homes, they gave you a choice of a only a few colors (usually beigish).

I had like 12 colors to choose from.  Not a lot but I would have been happy with one of those neutral colors.  IP painting includes the garage too.  Would have looked great with my epoxy floors.

Right now I'm considering going to Angie's List to hire a painter.  They've got some discounts over there.  I just have to buy the paint myself. 

 

[ZeroLot]

My painter charged me $1,050.00...

So who is gaogi's painter? One of the TI referrals?

The guy's name is Juan, he usually doesn't do jobs in Irvine, which may be why he's so cheap.  PM me for his number if you're interested.

Juan? Cmon - you dont have to protect their identity by coming up with a fake name. what is their real name?

LOL, we're on first name basis only.  I can't remember his last name, he's in my phone as "Juan the Painter" 

Will "Juan the Painter" come over to my house in IRVINE for 15 Ben Franklins??  I would give him 20 but I have to buy the paint, right?

My house is only 1973 square feet.  Small but cute.

 

[gaogi]

So you write your check to "Juan"? Or is this an all-cash type of transaction.

He gave me an invoice with his name on it, i need to dig it up.  I did give him Benjamins for the job, although he was surprised by it as if he was expecting a check.

 

[gaogi]

My painter charged me $1,050.00...

So who is gaogi's painter? One of the TI referrals?

The guy's name is Juan, he usually doesn't do jobs in Irvine, which may be why he's so cheap.  PM me for his number if you're interested.

Juan? Cmon - you dont have to protect their identity by coming up with a fake name. what is their real name?

LOL, we're on first name basis only.  I can't remember his last name, he's in my phone as "Juan the Painter" 

Will "Juan the Painter" come over to my house in IRVINE for 15 Ben Franklins??  I would give him 20 but I have to buy the paint, right?

My house is only 1973 square feet.  Small but cute.

Nope, 1050 included paint.  All I did was pick out the swatch.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

So everyone likes the price... how was the quality?

 

[gaogi]

So everyone likes the price... how was the quality?

It's definitely a pro job, looks much better than the condo I painted myself.  No over paint on the moulding, counters, ceiling, carpet, floors and other places where a DIY'er would get paint on.  He brushed the edges, roller'd the walls (2 coats) and sprayed the baseboards.  Showed up at 7AM sharp and finished in 1.5 days.  Probably would have finished in 1 day if my flooring contractor wasn't behind and getting in his way.

 

[bones]

Back when I was looking at new homes, they gave you a choice of a only a few colors (usually beigish).

come on IHO - it's 2014.  beige is not even offered anymore.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

It's Irvine.... beige is forever.

I know grey is the new hautness... but do you want your house to look like cement?

 

[gaogi]

Dug up my invoice, his name is Juan Ramirez.  My bad on the price, he charged me 1280.00 for my house.  1050 was for the condo he painted for me at the same time.  The condo was about 1300 sq ft, 2 bedrooms, 2 stories, but I had painted it red, yellow and orange, so he had to do a white primer coat first, then 2 coats for Sandcastle (read: beige). 

 

[lnc]

@ZeroLot:

Is that $2k for one color? Can you choose the color?

Back when I was looking at new homes, they gave you a choice of a only a few colors (usually beigish).

I had like 12 colors to choose from.  Not a lot but I would have been happy with one of those neutral colors.  IP painting includes the garage too.  Would have looked great with my epoxy floors.

Right now I'm considering going to Angie's List to hire a painter.  They've got some discounts over there.  I just have to buy the paint myself. 

I think you made the right choice not to use IP for paint,  you have limited choices and can only choose one color for the entire house.  Don't you want a different color for the bedrooms? 

Of all the home I saw in my street, only one home have used IP's optional paint. 

Here's list of IP's colors for your reference when picking paint colors. 

Standard Interior Paint
Vista #00 Bright White

Walls: Vista Equivalent to Dunn Edwards or Sherwin Williams and Cloverdale paint.

Boutique Beige #DE6178 (Dunn Edwards)
Cochise #DEC761  (Dunn Edwards)
Grey Ghost #8474 (Cloverdale)
Ice Age #8299  (Cloverdale)
Kilm Beige #SW6106  (Sherwin Williams)
Rice Bowl #DE6170  (Dunn Edwards)
Sail Cloth #8458  (Cloverdale)
Star Light #8466 (Cloverdale)
Softer Tan #SW6141  (Sherwin Williams)
Thatched Roof #DE6177  (Dunn Edwards)

 

[qwerty]

I am willing to take the time to paint my entire house myself.  Yes I am!  I've painted my bathroom and my master bedroom before.  Now I am willing to paint my whole brand new Marigold house.

Here's my question, how much do I need to spend buying all the painting equipment?

If it's going to cost me $700 just to buy all the paint, paint brushes, painter's tape, etc ... should I just give the project to someone else??  Does all the supplies cost $700 for a 2000 square foot house?

Has anyone tried to paint their own house?  How much did it cost to buy all the painting supplies??

If you went with an outside contractor, how much does it usually cost?

Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

^^^The way you get this done is to go over to the section of your neighborhood where they are still building on a saturday, walk into a home where work is still being done and introduce yourself to the painting crew finishing the homes for the builder. 


Walk them over to your home - offer them sodas or juice while you show them what you need done and negotiate them painting it for you on the side (e.g. on a Sunday).


you will probably get a better job than anyone else, for a cheaper price.

This is great advice.  I did this with one of the paint guys. After we moved in we had some scuffs on the walls from the wife not being careful. The painting crew would get there at 7am. Went to talk to one guy before I left for work and gave him $20 for like 15 minutes with of work. They will typically do weekend work.

 

[ZeroLot]

Ok, I am done vetting my painters!  Whew!  I never learned so much about paint until now.

=====================

This is what I learned about the paint that's currently out on the market today.

-  Is paint fumes important to you?  Low-VOC vs NO-VOC?? 
Some parents only do NO-VOC in the kids room due to the higher prices.

- How protective do you want your walls?
Flat - no protective sheen
Flat Enamel/Velvet - not available in all paint brands, Dunn Edwards charges a bit more for this level
Eggshell - low sheen
Low Gloss/Satin - not available in all paint brands
Semi-Gloss - great for bathrooms and garages but has medium sheen
Gloss
High Gloss - quite expensive
Each company (Behr, Valspar, Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin Williams etc have their own name for each of those categories.
http://www.paintinfo.com/mpi/approved/sheen.shtml

- What kind of contractors are you looking for?  Mom & Pop?  Licensed & Bonded & Insured with Worker's Comp??  Or just Licensed?

- Quality of paint job?  Removal of light switches vs. just cover up the light switches?  Detailed straight line over the moldings or just regular straight line?

- Price does NOT determine quality in the painting world.  I got Mom & Pop that charged similar prices as someone who is licensed, bonded, & insured with Worker's Comp.

- Painters can also do pantry & closet removal for a nominal fee. 

- Painting the ceiling is also an option but takes a lot more prep work.

- Accent wall vs no accent wall vs 50%

=================

I vetted the following:

3 High Painting - James is a nice person and is a great communicator.  His prices are competitive but I didn't get a chance to really talk to him regarding his craftsmanship.  He was one of the first I vetted and I didn't know much about what I wanted at the time.  I didn't go with him because I wanted NO-VOC paint and he advised it would be too expensive for me since he uses Dunn-Edwards Paint.  I could have pushed it further but I didn't want to ask for something that a painter advises against.

Orlando's Painting - Orlando is a nice guy.  However his crew consists of just him and two other men.  They like to use Behr (Home Depot brand).  Although Behr is rated #1 on Consumer Reports last year, it is contains some VOC.  I wanted a quote of NO-VOC with them but he also said it would be too pricey.  The original estimate over the phone was the same as all the other companies.  His wife said she would email me an official quote but she never did.  ** Update 2/20/14 - After a month since my meeting with them, Orlando's wife just emailed me an estimate.  Their estimate is higher than that of CertaPro.  In fact they charge $1200+ over two other companies I vetted.

Xenak Painting - Martha is really nice and quite a perfectionist when it comes to the quality of paint and the paint project.  She can easily spot flaws on the wall and wants to make sure the results are high quality.  I got along well with her and she has quite an artsy eye.  Her team took the longest to complete a project, 5 to 7 days because she values perfection.  Her crew does a very detailed prep work on the walls, including removing all light switches and sanding down the wall.  I LOVED the check list she gave me that details all the steps of the project plus the quote.  Xenak likes to use Dunn-Edwards with LOW-VOC.  Price is competitive and she was my top pick until Certa Pro gave me a quote of NO-VOC. 

Certa Pro - Ben is very high tech and an excellent communicator.  His company won Angie's List Best Painter in 2012 & 2013.  His company likes to use Sherwin Williams.  He spent a long time going over all the measurements in his computer.  His company is licensed, bonded, and insured with worker's comp.  His company is also Eco-certified.  His original quote of NO-VOC was a bit high for us.  However he was great and worked with us on the quote and even though it was the highest out of all the quotes we got, it was very reasonable considering it was NO-VOC throughout our entire house.  Compared to Xenak they were just $300 over.  However with Xenak it would only be NO-VOC in the kids bedroom.  Ben's crew are all in-house workers and does not sub-contract.  His crew does a very detailed prep work on the walls, including removing all light switches and sanding down the wall.  It takes his company 3~4 days to complete the work.  On the busiest day he can have as many as 4 to 5 men prepping and painting the house!  Wow!  I got sold.  In addition he PRINTED out the quote for us detailing everything his crew will do.  Plus his job comes with a 2 year full warranty and an additional 12 years Sherwin Williams warranty.  That's just extra icing on the cake.

JJ Painting - didn't return my phone call

Moore Painting - didn't return my phone call

added 2/9/2014 - Sunrise Painting - This was a referral and when I called them the lady gave me an attitude about how can she give me an estimate on a house that's not completed yet.  I told her she can use the model home.  She acted very confused and didn't know what that was.  When I asked her if she's ever painted a new construction home she said she'll get someone to call me back.  Of course, no one ever called back.

added 2/10/2014 - Perfect Painting - Brandon the Painter - Referred to me by Paula the Color Coach.  Brandon is also a fully licensed, insured, and bonded painter.  He does not sub contract out and is very well versed with new construction homes.  He's already completed several in the Stonegate area.  He prefers Dunn Edwards Paint but will allow me to pick ANY brand I want.  If I chose Behr today, it won't change my quote.  But if I pick Benjamin Moore, then I have to shell out the difference.  Updated 5/30/2014 - I just found out from my left over buckets of paint that Brandon DILUTED HEAVILY my paint.  My walls are mostly water and not paint.  Which explains why the color differed greatly from what I selected.

===================

There's my vetting process and my personal experience.  I got references to others like Juan the Painter (thank you gaogi) and Brandon the Painter (thank you Color Coach).  However I was looking for very specific items:
- NO VOC
- licensed, bonded, insured with worker's comp
- warranty
- high quality paint

Please pick a painter that works well with you AND someone that shares in your vision and communicates well with you.

After all that I learned I'm glad I didn't go with the builder for a whole house paint job.  If I recall correctly the builder only offers to paint the whole house in flat paint.  That offers no protection to scuff marks and kids going color happy on the walls as flat paint does not wash off well.

Flat is the cheapest level of all paint.  Hence a lot of builders use it.

 

[Leano]

Yes, painting is definitely do-able for Marigold.  The materials are very inexpensive, really you only need paint brushes (get good ones they are washable/reusable), roller brushes, pans, painters tape and drop cloth (reusable). We painted the entire downstairs, masterbedroom, accent walls in all other bedrooms and the hallway and downstairs bathroom.  I say we spent maybe $500 or less for everything. We shopped the paint at homedepot (highest premium behr) and generic painting materials from Walmart.  I am very proud that not only did we save but we also did a good job.  All perfect lines and edges (we got tips from youtube). Very even paint.  No one can tell that we did it ourselves.  It took us 2 full days to paint the downstairs and masterbed, the rest of the house we painted on weekends after we've already moved in.  It's actually mostly me.  At first, it seems like a big job, but in hindsight, it wasn't really that bad at all. So I say, if you are willing and have the time to paint, I recommend you do it, because it definitely is a money saver.  You'd be able to use the money somewhere else, maybe get a 4K TV

 

[ZeroLot]

Yes, painting is definitely do-able for Marigold.  The materials are very inexpensive, really you only need paint brushes (get good ones they are washable/reusable), roller brushes, pans, painters tape and drop cloth (reusable). We painted the entire downstairs, masterbedroom, accent walls in all other bedrooms and the hallway and downstairs bathroom.  I say we spent maybe $500 or less for everything. We shopped the paint at homedepot (highest premium behr) and generic painting materials from Walmart.  I am very proud that not only did we save but we also did a good job.  All perfect lines and edges (we got tips from youtube). Very even paint.  No one can tell that we did it ourselves.  It took us 2 full days to paint the downstairs and masterbed, the rest of the house we painted on weekends after we've already moved in.  It's actually mostly me.  At first, it seems like a big job, but in hindsight, it wasn't really that bad at all. So I say, if you are willing and have the time to paint, I recommend you do it, because it definitely is a money saver.  You'd be able to use the money somewhere else, maybe get a 4K TV

Very true, it is a very big money saver if I can do it myself.  But there are places I can't reach (like the walls going up the stairs) and I am also having my painter do the closets and pantry removal and patch work as well.  In addition to painting the ceiling. 

I also have to factor in the price I have to pay to have someone babysit my kids while I get this paint job done.  So for me, it's more cost effective and safer to have someone else do the work.  No 4K tv for me. 

Also did you take the disposal of your paint and thinners to a hazardous material disposal facility?  Just thinking about that gives me a headache.

 

[bones]

.

 

[Leano]

Yes, painting is definitely do-able for Marigold.  The materials are very inexpensive, really you only need paint brushes (get good ones they are washable/reusable), roller brushes, pans, painters tape and drop cloth (reusable). We painted the entire downstairs, masterbedroom, accent walls in all other bedrooms and the hallway and downstairs bathroom.  I say we spent maybe $500 or less for everything. We shopped the paint at homedepot (highest premium behr) and generic painting materials from Walmart.  I am very proud that not only did we save but we also did a good job.  All perfect lines and edges (we got tips from youtube). Very even paint.  No one can tell that we did it ourselves.  It took us 2 full days to paint the downstairs and masterbed, the rest of the house we painted on weekends after we've already moved in.  It's actually mostly me.  At first, it seems like a big job, but in hindsight, it wasn't really that bad at all. So I say, if you are willing and have the time to paint, I recommend you do it, because it definitely is a money saver.  You'd be able to use the money somewhere else, maybe get a 4K TV

Very true, it is a very big money saver if I can do it myself.  But there are places I can't reach (like the walls going up the stairs) and I am also having my painter do the closets and pantry removal and patch work as well.  In addition to painting the ceiling. 

I also have to factor in the price I have to pay to have someone babysit my kids while I get this paint job done.  So for me, it's more cost effective and safer to have someone else do the work.  No 4K tv for me. 

Also did you take the disposal of your paint and thinners to a hazardous material disposal facility?  Just thinking about that gives me a headache.

Makes sense.  At the homedepot, there is a powder that can be mixed with paint and the paint hardens - once it does, you can throw in the normal trash. I forgot what it is called, but if you ask at homedepot, they'd tell you.  To clarify, we did not paint our ceilings; and on the second floor, we painted only accent walls, except for the masters bedroom.

 

[ZeroLot]

Makes sense.  At the homedepot, there is a powder that can be mixed with paint and the paint hardens - once it does, you can throw in the normal trash. I forgot what it is called, but if you ask at homedepot, they'd tell you.  To clarify, we did not paint our ceilings; and on the second floor, we painted only accent walls, except for the masters bedroom.

There's a powder??!!  That's so awesome!  I asked Lowe's the same question and they said I have to go to a hazardous material facility to dump my materials. 

Thanks so much RCV!  I will talk to Home Depot!

 

[irvinehomeowner]

There is a free drop off for paint and hazardous materials over at the Construction Circle just north of Barranca and east of Jamboree... at least it was free the last time I dropped off a few cans of paint.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Too bad Zerolot is buying new... I need her skills to vet kitchen and bathroom contractors.