Paint selections when rehabbing?

Question

Howdy,

My wife and I are working on our first rehab and we have some questions about interior paint.  Everything I've read about painting when it comes to rehabbing says use high quality paints.  With that in mind I went down to Sherwin Williams and priced out their Duration and Super Paint.  Even with their current promo their prices are running around $38/gallon or so.   We are repainting the entire house (1400 hsqft) including the ceilings.  Also the garage needs to be repainted which is about another 350 sqft or so.

From trolling various painting contractor forums that a lot of painting contractors use Sherwin Williams CoverMax for the ceilings and either ProMar400 or ProMar200 for the walls.  The prices for such products are much more reasonable ($9, $16 and $18.50 per gallon).

I'm curious to what the rest of you guys choose (or what your painters use) for your rehabs.  Our choices are Lowes, Home Depot and Sherwin Williams.  There is a Ace Hardware but I'm not sure if they sell BM paints or not so lets just leave them out of the equation.

One last question about selecting the finishes.  I was thinking flat for all the walls except for the bathrooms and kitchen.  In the bathrooms and kitchen we are planning on textured the walls with knockdown and going over with probably an egshell or satin finish.  We really want all the trim and doors to really pop so originally I was thinking gloss on the white trim.  But now after doing some comparing of samples and this and that maybe we should go with semi-gloss on the trim because it is an older home (1975) that has seen several families and the gloss might show off any dents and dings in the trim more readily than semi-gloss.  Also the semi-gloss should be a big enough contrast when layed over the flat walls.

So in recap ...

Walls = flat
Bathrooms/Kitchen = satin/eggshell
Trim = semi-gloss

Yah or nay?

Thanks.

Account Closed · Answer

Two comments.

1. The cost of the paint is almost never going to be the biggest issue. The labor is much more important. If you get a better quality paint and cover in 1 coat then you are likely saving money even if you paid more for the material.

2. Prep work and making sure you get the edges right is important. You are painting the place to help make it sell. You want people to be impressed and not feel they need to repaint because the job was so messy.

If you are thinking the place might be a rental if it does not sell quickly use better quality paint that can be cleaned and maybe touched up later. You do not want to have to repaint the entire place if one areas starts to show a stain, gets dirty or other wear & tear issue.

Conclusion: Factor in the entire job. The physical cost of the paint is only one variable. If you really are sensitive to the cost then agree a paint contractor discount with a vendor. You should be able to get 30% off the retail price in that case.

My view is good paint applied well can cover a lot of sins and make the whole place feel warm and inviting. Cheap paint applied badly tells the prospect that you are cutting corners and there are likely to be other hidden surprises.

If you do a lot of projects stick to standard colors so you can use surplus materials on the next job or go back and touch up later when needed.

John Corey

Richard F. · Answer

Well, I imagine the OP has finished and sold his project already, but I'll throw in my 2 cents for the next guy/gal...

Knockdown (or ANY) texture is probably the worst possible choice for bathrooms and kitchens. These areas get the most soil, and therefore need scrubbing from time to time. The texture will rub off. Kitchens and baths should be painted with a "semi-gloss", for easy cleaning.

Other rooms, bedrooms, hallways, etc. can generally be painted flat or satin, depending on your preference.

ALL TRIM (unless it is stained or natural wood of course) should be painted with "semi-gloss" the same tint as the wall. The contrast between flat and semi-gloss generally makes the trim stand out nicely, and it also cleans easily.

Do not paint walls/ceilings all one color. The house will look like a cheap rental. Use "hi-hide ceiling white" exclusively for the ceiling, then your walls should be generally any "off white", beige, cream, or whateva...just LIGHT in color. Even actual color can be used judiciously, in a common, light, pastel, especially in small kitchens or bathrooms, or as a single accent wall in the entryway or in larger rooms. Don't go crazy, and don't put color in every room! You just want to create a little "interest" to stand apart from the crowd, while still providing a nice clean canvas for the buyer to easily personalize their new home if they choose.

Tom C · Answer

My current rehab, the walls were bleeding from cig smoke. I had to use a primer. Went with Kilz. Had a contractor tell me to use Benz 123 and tint it to color. He said that you will only have to paint one time by using Benz. Keep in mind, this place was a mess with greese and smoke stains and it going to be a rental, so everything is going to be the same color.

N/A N/A · Answer

So in recap ...

Walls = flat
Bathrooms/Kitchen = satin/eggshell
Trim = semi-gloss

Yah or nay?

Thanks.

Hi!

Depending on the condition of walls you may want to put on a primer coat . This is determined by age of drywall or plaster, exposure to the sunlight, how expensive the home is, and the quality you are trying to achieve.  If the house has been sitting for a long time, use a primer coat.

You will get a better quality product by priming, even though you have to cover the same area twice.

Sherman Williams has the best ceiling paint from my experience. Behr Paint, Home Depot, Valspar are good paints.

Living room, dining rooms walls and hallways can either be satin or flat
depending on what you are trying to achieve.  Bathrooms, kitchens and trim semi-gloss.  Go flat in the garage, it is not as critical.

If you are doing a lot of painting, simplify your project by using the same color for each project.  You will never go wrong.

lms

Minna Reid · Answer

I use the american tradition/valspar paint from lowes. It seems to cover well, and I only have to do one coat. It's like $90 for a 5 gallon. I do satin in living room/bedrooms, semigloss in bath/kitchen, flat on ceilings only. Semi gloss on all trim. Neutral walls, white trim.

Richard Warren · Answer

When painting a rehab I always use neutral colors, the types you describe are fine.  When it comes to paint quality I stay away from the cheapest and the most expensive.  I generally use paint from Home Depot and I buy it in the 5 gallon size.  Any leftover just goes to the next project.

8)