Frequently Asked Questions
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PAINT MY HOUSE?
FOR EXTERIORS:
- 1500-1700 square foot homes usually cost around $5,000.00
- 1700-2000 square foot homes usually cost around $5,500.00
- 2000-2200 square foot homes usually cost around $6,000.00
FOR INTERIOR (walls and baseboards):
- 1500-1700 square foot homes usually cost around $4,500.00
- 1700-2000 square foot homes usually cost around $5,000.00
- 2000-2200 square foot homes usually cost around $5,500.00
Every price will differ on each house depending on size, the prep work needed, obstructions to paint around, accessibility, the difficulty of the job, substrates being painted over and much, much more. To get a general idea, visit our pricing tab and plug in your specific criteria for a general ballpark estimate!
DO I NEED TO PRIME?
- Surfaces that have already been painted with a water-based product and you are going back over with a water-based product generally, do not need to be primed. If the surface you are painting over is has an oil-based product on it, or is lacquer, varnish, raw wood, raw concrete, rust, new drywall, plastic or other “hard to stick” surfaces, then yes, you will need to prime before applying the finish coats.
- Priming is also a good first coat option when trying to cover over dark or flamboyant colors.
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT DO I USE FOR MY HOUSE?
WE LIKE TO USE:
- PPG- Speedhide (Interior & Exterior)
- Sherwin Williams- Promar 200 (Interior)
- Sherwin Williams- Super Paint (Exterior)
- Dunn Edwards- Suprema (Interior)
- Dunn Edwards- Evershield (Exterior)
You can use a variety of different products and brands for your walls and ceilings. Sherwin Williams, PPG, Kelly Moore, Valspar, Behr are all good paints to use. Just make sure if you are painting surfaces outside that they are labeled “exterior paint” and interior surfaces are labeled “interior paint”!
HOW MUCH PAINT DO I NEED TO PAINT A BEDROOM?
SHORT ANSWER: 1-2 GALLONS
- A typical bedroom usually takes 1-2 gallons of paint to cover the walls, twice. If the room is quite larger and if you are doing ceilings as well, you will most likely need 2, if not 3 gallons. A good rule of thumb is 1 gallon of paint covers 350 square feet. So, if a room is 10×10 with 10′ ceilings, that would be 400 square feet to cover (4 walls 10 feet long= 40, times 10 foot in height = 400) Don’t forget to calculate for a second coat!
HOW TO PAINT A STRAIGHT LINE?
SHORT ANSWERS:
- Frog Tape (with trick described below)
- Normal masking tape with caulking (described below)
There are several ways to achieve a professional straight line while painting. First and easiest option is to use frog tape. There is a trick to using it though. Sometimes frog tape will bleed paint through, but to fix this, after taping your surface run a damp rag over the edge of the tape to activate the “paint blocking technology” then you are good to paint over. Another way is grab general masking tape, tape over the surface your protecting, put a bead of caulking over the tape and smear with your finger, then paint over the wet caulking and pull the tape immediately. This will achieve a straight line as well!
WHAT SHEEN DO I USE?
CEILINGS:
- Ceilings generally go flat, except for kitchens and restrooms. These rooms need a satin or higher sheen to protect from humidity and moisture.
WALLS:
- You can paint any sheen on your walls, just keep in mind you can’t wash flat sheen walls. Generally, people will paint their walls eggshell or satin.
DOORS, FRAMES & BASEBAORDS:
- These typically go semi-gloss. Semi-gloss is more durable than other sheens and is washable. Since these surfaces tend to receive the most damage, semi-gloss is usually the best option.
EXTERIOR TRIM
- These areas endure all different types of weather. It is best to put a satin, eggshell or semi-gloss sheen on them to help protect from UV rays, rain and the constant weather changes of the seasons.