Interior Paint/home Improvements

Updated on September 19, 2011
K.K. asks from Traverse City, MI
10 answers

we are moving into an older house...built in 1964. we have lots to do to it.
the first area I'll start with is Paint. I have 3 surfaces to tackle.
first- walls. and I'm not covering up white walls...I'm covering up walls that already have paint on them. we have a couple of nights to paint all the walls in this house. what is the best paint? I'd really like to be able to do only one coat because of time...and patience! what do you recommend as far as brands? any tips you have would be great too, as I've never really painted before.
second- once we are in we will tackle the "finished" basement. its an old house so the basement is full of paneling and a drop ceiling. anyone have advice on dressing this up? is it worth the time to paint the paneling? what about the drop ceiling...it has dark brown rails...can those be painted and look right (if i just painted the rails white and replaced the tiles maybe?) do you think the paneling should be ripped out and drywalled instead? its just too dark and "basementy" in there, and we have to be able to use it as more living space. so which brand of paint would work best for these areas? anyone ever done it? tips advice and stories welcome!
third- the kitchen is an absolute disaster. I'm thinking painting the cabinets may help. to give it the illusion of space. how in the world do you paint cabinets? and what do you use?

thanks mommas!!!!

signed.....freaking out!

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So What Happened?

haha! thanks for all the advice....just the walls need to be painted in a couple of days....the paneling and cabinets are later projects. painting the walls though, because new carpet is going in....rather paint it all BEFORE it goes down.

MAMA'S! Its going well! I went with Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 paint in an egshell finish. It is taking 2 coats, but looks absolutely fabulous when done! the colors are rich and true throughout! and on a note....DON'T EVER BUY TURQUOISE PAINT...EVER! IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! the people before me painted their daughters room bright bright hideous turquoise....that room took 3 coats!

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S.G.

answers from Norfolk on

One little tip...hold off on painting the baseboards until after the carpet is down. The carpet guys use this carpet-stretching tool that puts black marks all over the baseboards so you would have to repaint them anyway. Then so you don't get paint on the new carpet, use a thin piece of cardboard wedged under the baseboard as a guard. Good luck! Oh, we use Behr, too. It's the best paint!

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

Pick a similar in darkness or lightness color and dont spare expense when it comes to price. I love home depot paint, i HATE walmart paint. One coat is not going to do it with any paint, but 1 and a bit of touching up will do it with a good paint.

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I would seriously consider removngi the paneling, I don't think it's nearly the same intensive process as say wallpaper.

Painting cabinets is labor intensive, they need to be sanded if not stripped.

There are paints that are touted as "one-coat coverage"' check Lowes and Home Depot.

You may be able to get the walls done in two days, but it depends on how many rooms you're talking about.

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A.V.

answers from Detroit on

Behr with primer in it works AMAZING for painting a room with one coat...good luck!!

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

I would highly recommend talking to professionals at a paint store such as Sherwin Williams. The most important part of painting paneling and cabinets is surface prep. You must sand the cabinets or use a stripper first or the paint won't adhere well and you will have paint chipping off in no time. (Speaking from bad experience.) The same goes for the paneling. We had someone come in and spray our paneling and it worked great. When we tried to repaint years later, it was really hard because of the grooves and it wasn't smooth. Painting walls is easy but again prep work before hand will make it sooo much easier and will look better. Painting the whole house in two nights doesn't seem long enough unless you work ALL night. But I am pretty picky. I tape off baseboards and around windows and doors. I take off all light switch covers as well as electrical. I also cover the floor with plastic in case of drips. I have painted a lot and learned from many mistakes. :)

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M.A.

answers from Detroit on

Go to your local home depot or lowes and talk to the paint department people about what you are trying to do and what you are covering up. My good friend has been A paint associate at minty local home depot for years and anytime I have a question about what I want to paint in my house he knows exactly what kind of paint to use and how to apply it. I even painted wood closets in my basement because they were made with different kinds of wood and looked hideous. He showed me the proper primer to use so I didn't have to sand slatted closets.

The professionals at sherwin williams or any other paint shop will also be able to assist, but in my opinion don't really want you to do it yourself. At least that was my experience with my local sherwin williams store.

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S.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

Our entire house is panneling and it was well worth it to pain it, it looks so much better.

M.M.

answers from Detroit on

We ALWAYS use Behr paint from Home Depot....covers really well. We do do 2 coats because I always feel like I can see tiny spots in random areas and I want it "perfect"

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A.R.

answers from Dallas on

I just finished painting my 1/2 bath a dark grey, dark over existing light paint. I used Behr premium plus paint (paint and primer in one) and it covered very well in one coat. Little more expensive but completely worth the money. Only paint I have ever used that covered in one coat.

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

Holy Toledo K....slow down! You will throw yourself into a big mess if you try to hurry too much. Painting the RIGHT way makes for a very impressive outcome. First you need to make sure the walls are free of dust and that that there are no holes. Vacume them and fill the holes with spackle. Get yourself one of those sanding bricks with very FINE sandpaper to sand the places you spackle so they are smoothe. Then there is the taping along the floor, windows..anything you don't want to paint. The prep takes all the time LOL! Then depending on what you are trying to cover whether it is dark paint, stains on the surface to be painted OR the paneling first cover it with KILZ. This makes for a consistent surface and seals out any stains and kills any mildew that might be cooking in the drywall/plaster. It also helps keep coats to a minimum because the walls are sealed and won't "drink" the paint. Painting the cabinets is a HUGE project. You have to take the doors off and all the hardware including the hinges. Again the surface needs to be clean and free of grease, sealed with KILZ and painted with a "hearty" paint etc...you can't possibly do all this in a couple of days. The paneling can be painted but again you need to seal it good. Most importantly you need to have the right tools. When you go to get your paint etc, talk to the people in the store to be sure you have the right paint for the surface you are covering, brushes, rollers, poles to do ceiling blah blah! The "guys" at Sherwynn-Williams or Home Depot know their stuff. Tap their knowledge! I would start with the most important rooms and go from there. Prioritize this huge task and don't stress yourself out. Don't try to do it all at once. You will get impatient and cut corners and then be unhappy with your results. Hope this helps, good luck and have fun making your new house a home!

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