Paintin' the Old House....

[V-Bottom]

Always used a good ole' brush or roller in my day. Now w/ spray guns galore, some air, some electric, and I'm too old and lazy to do my own house.........well, not that lazy. The physical challange is what henders me, and the heat these days. I still work, 62 1/2 y/o, and hope I reach 65 and lay it all down.
I had some one I thought was coming over to bid on painting this ole' house, but didn't have the gas $$ to get here. I waited 4 hours for him to show up after I got off work at 2pm. Only to see an email (PM) he couldn't get here because of that. No phone calls!!! I may have to do this work myself!! I thought about the elect. paint sprayers etc. Have U ever used one? If so, I need some info on them and maybe which one would get the job done ... Remember, I am NO painter. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for one either!!
I live in the Hitchcock area, near Delaney Rd. The wife decided to do a 3 tone color scheme. Do U paint well? Need an extra job? Make us an offer to do the job.Some flashing needs replaced, minimal woodwork too. Drive out and check it out. I may or may not be here, but someone usually is. email me kastmaster2105@aol.com or PM for more details (ed)

[Big Willy]

I would say go for it if you have the time. I painted my entire house, including white trim and white soffits with a airless Wagner paint sprayer in a couple of days. Assuming that you don't own a huge home or a two story, 2 coats with a good sprayer should take you now more than 4-5 hours but you will need to start early and work in the morning hours.

I pressure washed the siding the day before I started and taped off all windows with plastic and masking tape. Then I painted the entire house with my first base coat. Don't worry about not getting the base coat on the trim since you will probably roll that later unless you can come up with a better solution. I started on the east side of my house in the morning and worked my way around the house. By the time I had gotten around to the east side again it was dry and ready for a second coat.

After the base coat was down, I painted the trim with a roller. Two coats on the trim and it was done. Next came the hardest part: soffits!

Use a spray shield to keep the soffit paint of the siding. I purchased an aluminum one from Homedepot that looks like this:
http://www.wagnerspraytech.com/portal/pics/spraytech/DIY%20Painting%20Tips/Painting%20House/Roof_Spraying_With_Guard.jpg

And it worked great. I used my shop broom handle as an extension handle for the spray shield and just went to work. This is the hardest part of the job and I would recommend getting someone to hold the shield while you spray the soffits. My arms got really, really tired after a few hours of painting soffits. I painted my soffits in the early morning and late afternoon to avoid as much of the heat as possible.

You will want to paint on days when there is not a lot of wind and no chance of rain. And I would say a good used paint sprayer off craigslist would run you around $200 or a little less. You definitely do not want to skimp on the sprayer since that can either make your job a joy or a real pain. Ask around and you might be surprised who has a sprayer that you know. I borrowed one from a guy from church but I knew three other people that had sprayers.

Good luck and let us know what you come up with and if you have any questions.

[V-Bottom]

What U have there is an elect. spraygun system? I like to paint actually but never tackled a huge job. Info like this helps. Paint ratio to water/thinner etc. Viscosity?? I suppose the instructons tell U all this. I saw system that my wife showed me the other day, in an ad, $200 I guess...maybe it was on sale??? Recommendations? ed

[Big Willy]

What U have there is an elect. spray gun system? I like to paint actually but never tackled a huge job. Info like this helps. Paint ratio to water/thinner etc. Viscosity?? I suppose the instruct ons tell U all this. I saw system that my wife showed me the other day, in an ad, $200 I guess...maybe it was on sale??? Recommendations? ed

Yup, electric spray gun that doesn't use a compressor. Looks like this:
http://www.homedepotrents.com/images/diy/paint_sprayer.jpg

You can thin your first coat up a little so that you can get more mileage out of your paint. Then, make sure that you mix all of your siding paint together so that you don't have any discrepancies in colors from one can to the other. Once you have mixed all of your paint together go to town!

If your siding is not primed, use an appropriate primer and then put down your top coat. You will have to do two coats and you might as well use cheaper primer paint for your first coat and then do your top color coat. I didn't use a primer because my hardi siding was already primed but if you are repainting older siding you might see a benefit from priming your siding first.

Also, only use water base/latex exterior paint for everything including your trim. Do not use oil base/alkyd paint since you will not be able to get everything cleaned up. Make sure you clean your gun as you go, I would say wash it down completely every 10 minutes so that you do not let the latex based paint dry on anything you don't want painted. Once latex dries you can only peel it or strip it off.

Find some help, rent or borrow a sprayer, and have fun!

[WillieP]

If you don't want to spend an arm and leg on an airless sprayer I would suggest a Wagner. http://www.wagnerspraytech.com/portal/paint_crew_plus_spray,201719,747.html

I bought one of these a few months ago to paint a building I have and it worked great, I think it took me just as long to clean up as it did to do the job. It's not something I use every day so it should last a long time and then some. By the way, I got it at Home Depot.

[Bobby]

Have you contacted Grandpa Cracker. He is always wanting paint work and seems to have some good references.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=217421

[V-Bottom]

Yes I did. I waited for him to call me one day. He and a friend was to have come over to check things out. I got off work at 2pm and he said he would call before coming out. Well, hours went by and no call. About 6pm, I decided to jump on the computer and check out the web. He left a pm saying he could not come, did not have the gas to get here.
The Wagnor ProCoat Airless Sprayer at Lowes Model 0515022 $200 and some change will work I think. The ole' wood frame house is painted white w/ light green fixed roll-out metal shutters. Going to replace some flashing pieces, but I thought I would just paint over the existing white paint. Soft pastel colors will replace all this but want to stay w/ the "Coastal Living" look, decks and all. The apt. in back will go thru the same process, carport, and shop areas. I got the work cut out for me!

I was thinking about those organizations that "used to exist" (I guess) that help senior citizens w/ "work around the house" projects, supervised work details! Guess I will pick up the sprayer tomorrow and read up on the "destructions". Thanx for all the info. Good to know these things. ed

[Big Willy]

The Wagnor ProCoat Airless Sprayer at Lowes Model 0515022 $200 and some change will work I think.

If you purchase from Lowe's, make sure you go by your nearest Post Office and grab a change of address/movers packet. Just ask if you cannot find it. Inside you should find a 10% off Lowe's coupon. Buy your sprayer, paint and supplies all at the same time and you should be able to save at least some pretty decent money.

Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. Make sure you scrape off any loose or pealing paint since it will come off even if you paint over it. Also, do some test runs on some plywood or similar flat material so you can get an idea of how fast to paint the siding. Do not put it on too thick to start with. Putting on a second coat is easy when you consider that too much paint in one area will cause runs and they just look bad.

Good luck. Take lots of before and after pictures!

[V-Bottom]

Went by the post office BW, NO coupon for that at all...I picked up 2 packs, the same!! I got the sprayer tho. $219..... Going to bag up all the goodies prior to tackling the job. By then it may have cooled off. Woodwork to be done, inside and out. Something tells me this may be a job for the Fall season! Got my 27" Original Heddon Zara Spook, now where to hang it.....hooks are the size of a graphling hook. Don't want to mess that paint job up....................

[Big Willy]

Went by the post office BW, NO coupon for that at all...I picked up 2 packs, the same!!

Someone probably grabbed them out of the package. I know our post office in Dickinson carries the 10% off coupon but I have seen people literally stand in line and grab the coupon out of the package and then set it back down. I at least have the common courtesy to take mine to the house and then throw the rest of the stuff away.

[V-Bottom]

NO doubt...me too, I picked up the 2 and went home

[Arlon]

I've been redoing my house paint for a few months now. I did have to take it down to the wood and did a lot of wood repair too. It has been kind of fun but I haven't rushed the job. Just an hour in the evening, few early mornings on weekends.. I have time in the evenings and I'd rather spend it painting than watching CSI reruns. (-:}

I'm using sherwin williams Duration paint/A100 wood primer, best caulk they sell, and a paint brush (purdy). I'm about 3/4 done and it's looking pretty good. Not finishing it in a weekend but a little constant work and it's meeting MY schedule. I'm more interested in not doing it again than doing it fast.

[surfgrinder]

Arlon has the right idea for a long lasting paint job. We paint nonstop here in deer park and have yet to spray a house. Most of the painting companies around here dilute the paint when they spray and that is why it looks bad in just a few years. Even if you spray pure paint all the siding companies recommend that you back roll it. It is hard to beat a purdy brush and a 1" roller

[V-Bottom]

Hope I didn't "blow" $200 on something not worth painting the ole place!! I'll paint something w/ it. Wife is doing the kitchen makeover. Having a blast. I like all these pointers too. One thing about me and painting. Once I get started, hard to lay it down for the day. No hurry for sure. Slow down and do it right..I always say. I got some construction to do yet. I do appreciate the folks that asked about the job. Came out and looked etc. Wife talked me into doing it myself, or ourselves. Then we can say," WE did that".