.- I guess legally I cannot deduct the entire painting from the previous tenant deposit as most of the walls are OK correct?

What are buy and hold landlords doing to protect themselves when it comes to dealing with erroneous lead paint cases

So far I've used it for tree removal, spackle/paint work, and my dad used it for some new windows.

They have at least 14 layers of paint on them, are cracked and worn in places, large gaps between boards, etc.  

I can put it on market but no cash to paint walls and change carpet.

You are not looking for the home that has been freshly renovated, manicured yard, statues in the garden, etc… You are looking for the house that has phone books piling up, yard needing cut and painting.

Maybe, how to properly paint a metal door, like the Stanley D-21/6 lite panel might be more appropriate.

In higher end markets like La Jolla for example if you pick up a small house rather than do the usual flooring paint kitchen etc. add a master bedroom or in some cases consider tearing down and rebuilding.

And put into service in DEC 2017 , after some paint, floors, and some fixed. 

Also when doing the work yourself...there are some fairly large holes in the drywall that need patched and painted.