Need a kick in the pants to get started re-painting my house

[Home Stretch]

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

[Erica/NWEdible]

Following. Need same pants-kicking over here. :)

[TrMama]

How big is this house? I'm having trouble picturing a house large enough for human beings that can be painted using only 3 ga of paint. Did you mean 3 of those 5 ga buckets?

I helped my parents stain our house several times when I was a teen. My experience taught me that scaffolding is the way to go. Safer and faster. Check out the price to rent one.

[waffle]

Barring a super packed schedule or an insane fear of heights go for it.

[waffle]

How big is this house? I'm having trouble picturing a house large enough for human beings that can be painted using only 3 ga of paint. Did you mean 3 of those 5 ga buckets?

I helped my parents stain our house several times when I was a teen. My experience taught me that scaffolding is the way to go. Safer and faster. Check out the price to rent one.

He's just painting the trim...

[TrMama]

How big is this house? I'm having trouble picturing a house large enough for human beings that can be painted using only 3 ga of paint. Did you mean 3 of those 5 ga buckets?

I helped my parents stain our house several times when I was a teen. My experience taught me that scaffolding is the way to go. Safer and faster. Check out the price to rent one.

He's just painting the trim...

Ah, thanks. I was confused by the thread title. In that case, then yes you just need a kick in the pants, provided you're OK with heights. I'd also probably rent the ladder, rather than buying, unless you plan to use it regularly.

I'd also skip the power washer. Using one from the top of a tall ladder is one of the more unsafe activities you can choose. I prefer a wire brush for cleaning off flakey paint.

[Home Stretch]

I'd also probably rent the ladder, rather than buying, unless you plan to use it regularly.

I'd also skip the power washer. Using one from the top of a tall ladder is one of the more unsafe activities you can choose. I prefer a wire brush for cleaning off flakey paint.

Didn't even think of renting a ladder. There's a place nearby that will rent one for $30/day, and I really only need it for two parts of the house that I can't reach, so I could do everything else and just save that bit for last when I have a whole day free to knock it out! It sounds like they'll also deliver it and pick it back up, which is good because I'm not going to fit a ladder that size in or on my car without a roof rack.

There will be no power washing from a ladder. That sounds ridiculously difficult, what with a big tube that you can get wrapped up in, and the kick-back from the pressure washer. I intend to just blast the parts of the trim that I can reach and just sand the rest. Thanks for the wire brush suggestion. I hadn't thought of that.

[paddedhat]

Even if you have to buy one, I would also plan on getting a ladder standoff. This is a set of "bullhorns" that keep the top of the ladder spaced away from the building. This allows you to do the soffit trim without ending up underneath the work, while trying ( and failing) to do a decent job of scraping and painting trim that is right over your head.

[kendallf]

Just finished this job (and more; we repainted the entire back of the house and I replaced the sheathing on one gable.). Made an amazing difference in the looks of the house! 

Get it done, it really won't take more than a couple of weekends in my experience and it's one of the most inexpensive ways to dramatically improve the house's curb appeal.

[Mrs.LC]

Definitely rent the ladder. Cost savings over renting is huge but even more valuable is the storage of the ladder. Where would you put it where it wouldn't be in the way constantly?

Go talk to the paint professionals at a specialty store like Sherwin Williams to be sure that you are using the right products for the job. No sense going through all the expense and work and then find you need to start over due to using the wrong paint.

Have any friends or family members that can help you? Or at least help you get started?

[Home Stretch]

Definitely rent the ladder. Cost savings over renting is huge but even more valuable is the storage of the ladder. Where would you put it where it wouldn't be in the way constantly?

Go talk to the paint professionals at a specialty store like Sherwin Williams to be sure that you are using the right products for the job. No sense going through all the expense and work and then find you need to start over due to using the wrong paint.

Have any friends or family members that can help you? Or at least help you get started?

Thanks for the input. I actually have plenty of room for a huge ladder (crawl space under house), but renting should still be the way to go.

My SO should be able to help out with some of the work, but I fear I'll be the one spending all the time on the ladder. Maybe she can hold it at least?

[Sibley]

I've done this... yeah, not fun, but totally doable. Don't cheap out on paint. This isn't just an appearance issue - if you don't do it right, it won't last as long, and flaking paint could result in wood rot if you don't redo it. Much bigger headache and expense, even DIY. Make sure you prep the wood right, otherwise the paint won't adhere as well.

I'm personally not a fan of the paint and primers in one or one-coat coverage. The ones I've used are much thicker, which is how you can get away with one coat. It's harder to get even coverage, resulting in drips, and doesn't look as good. Yes, it's a little more work, but primer + two coats of quality paint will generally look better and be a higher quality paint job overall.

[Goldielocks]

I vote power wash with hand quick scape in poor areas before priming.

Re: reaching peaks.  I just painted mine by laying on the roof and reaching down. Our pitch is not too steep, and I only need to do the 20 ft not reached by ladder. DS stood below to tell me what I missed.

[Sibley]

I know lots of people like the power washing idea. Why not, it's a lot faster! However, sometimes it's a very bad idea, and it depends entirely on the building. If there's concerns about the wood softening or rot, then do not power wash. Very detailed woodwork (Victorians) can be damaged or destroyed. You get the idea. Before you power wash, you need to get up and look at the wood and see if it can handle it.

[Chris22]

You also need to allow time for the wood to dry between power washing and priming/painting.  I remember I powerwashed my deck to strip it and then had it stained and the company wanted (I think???) 2 weeks between power washing and staining to allow the wood to dry.  Paint store or paint desk at HD/Lowes will know.

Also, if you want, you can buy (and presumably rent) a long telescoping power wash pole, as well as a long pole that you can attach a paint brush to.  I have the pole to paint with, as my last house had a peak that was ~20' over the garage, but the rest was low.  I paid maybe $20 for the pole?  Probably less?

[couponvan]

The trim is the EASY part - you just have to be patient. That being said, I still have a window and door left to trim at the back and you reminded me about that! Save the front of the house for last so you are more likely to finish. (Note to self - finish the back door and window.)

$2K quote for trim painting seems high unless you have a big house.  Personally I'd power wash one side at a time.  Then only tackle one or two windows at a time to make the project into more reasonable chunks.  Divide the $2,000 by the number of areas you have to trim paint so you can tell yourself....I just saved $450 today painting the front of the house trim. Of course this is advice coming from a person that didn't finish their project yet.

Do the really high part you can't reach without the higher ladder at one time.