Hey all! Aspiring Mustachian here.
I moved into my current house about 3 years ago and the time has already come to give the exterior trim a new coat of paint. It's peeling and flaking and generally looking weathered. I
think I know what I need to do, but there are two things holding me back, both of which I think the brutally honest and lovely people here can help with.
First, I haven't done this before and I'd love some general pointers on best practices and what to look out for.
Second, I've already got a few quotes to have this done professionally, and the lowest one is less than $2,000 for the complete job (power-washing, scraping, priming, painting, and sealing around all seams). It's very tempting just to pull the trigger and make this work that's been hanging over my head go away. It's been really hard to find time to do this, as it's either dark (I don't get home from work until 7pm most days) or it's the weekend, and I've been out of town or had other plans.
So far, if I don't wuss out and choose to pay someone to do it (convince me not to, please!) this is my plan:
- Acquire a 30 to 40-foot ladder so I can reach the peak of the roof. Hopefully some neighbors have one, otherwise I assume I'll have to pay $300 for one. This is particularly annoying since I bought a 20-foot ladder last year but it just isn't quite tall enough.
- I already own a power-washer, so I can clean everything with that.
- Go around house and scrape all of the peeling paint and sand everything with medium-grit sandpaper so the new paint sticks.
- Prime all places where there is bare wood or the paint is particularly rough.
- Paint it white!
- Go around the house with DAP sealant or something similar and seal around all windows, doors, and where the trim meets the siding.
Cost breakdown for project:
1 gallon primer: $15
3 gallons white paint/primer combo (hopefully to avoid two coats of paint): ~$80
30-40 foot ladder (assuming I can't borrow one): $300
A few tubes of sealant: $10
Sandpaper: $10
Total cost for project: ~$400
Total cost for professional: ~$1,800
Potential savings: ~$1,400