Home Improvement

[Conan71]

I've been working on a home improvement project for/with my mother since just after the first of the year.  

She prefers painted light and wall outlet plates because it blends in.  I don't like them because it makes me think the painter was too lazy to pull the plates off and tape off the switch or sockets.

Wall paper:

Kilz it and paint over, or strip, skim-coat, Kilz & paint?

What's your preferences?

[tulsa1603]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I've been working on a home improvement project for/with my mother since just after the first of the year.  

She prefers painted light and wall outlet plates because it blends in.  I don't like them because it makes me think the painter was too lazy to pull the plates off and tape off the switch or sockets.

Wall paper:

Kilz it and paint over, or strip, skim-coat, Kilz & paint?

What's your preferences?

Painted switchplates and outlet covers are actually common in high end homes, but they are usually metal plates that have been paitned to match whatever wall they are in.  The socket or switch itself is not painted.  So I'm for it if it's done right. EDIT:  you would paint the plates while they are off the wall, not while they are in place .

And regarding the wallpaper, you need to strip it, or future owners will be cursing you later.

[sgrizzle]

only skim-coat if you can do it really well. My hall bathroom was skim coated, then REwallpapered. So we spent a day stripping wallpaper only to find the thing was still wallpapered.

[TheArtist]

I paint over wall sockets all the time.  Who wants to see one in the middle of a mural? lol.  Light switches, I prefer not to paint over the plastic ones.  They can scratch easily with a ring someone is wearing and when they get dirty the paint may peel off when you try to clean it.  

However there are some inexpensive alternatives.  Garbe's has a large selection of unfinished wooden plates for light switches and wall outlets. You can often find them at Lowes or Home depot, but the style and size of them is more limited than what you can find at Garbe's.  If you were to paint over a wooden light switch plate and the rest of the wall is flat. I would say put a gloss or semigloss clear coat over it to keep smudges and dirt from being a problem.  This will also make the plate look "custom" and not just painted over.

As for wall sockets, even if you use wooden plates, metal, (or what I often do is just take the plastic one that is there and use a fine sandpaper on it so the paint will grab,,,) you will run into the problem of the socket itself scratching when you unplug and plug in things.  Whether you decide to paint that part is partially up to how dramatic the color change is between the socket and the wall and plate color, and on whether or not you think a scratch, or the socket remaining unpainted, would bother you more.

[LisaPeace]

I've been sloooowly restoring my bungalow.  I'm about halfway through with my bedroom, and as I've done in all of the rooms, I've steamed the wallpaper off.  The bedroom wasn't as bad as the dining room, only six layers (with paint and spackle between lol).  It's tedious, but if you have plaster walls....it's very rewarding to get down to the actual walls...THEN skim, kilz and paint.

I wanted metal switchplates in the bedroom, but my budget didn't allow for the 8-10 bucks each this time, so I bought .49 plastic ones, spray painted with some paint that looks "hammered" when it's done (which you will be as well, if you don't wear a mask), and applied clear coat.  I got the same look as hammered pewter, but at a fraction of the price, plus I get bragging rights.  I did the same technique with a cheapo brass headboard I had, and now it looks like an old iron bed.  

[RecycleMichael]

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it.

[Conan71]

I had to do a lot of work on the walls on the guest bath.  I'm assuming it was originally papered, someone tore off the old paper best they could (well not the best they could), then there were at least two or three colors which had been painted over.

Basically there were jagged pieces of wall paper which had been painted over in several places around the walls. [xx(]  

I hope to be done with this w/in the next month.  Then I've got a boat project.  With any luck, I'll have time to sail again before I retire[]

[Conan71]

How about opinions on various paint brands?

I've used Anchor paint on various projects in the past and have been happy with it.  This time the logistics didn't work out since there's a Home Depot nearby to the project I've been working on.

I used Behr for most all the wall stuff except for some Glidden "white wash" in the garage.  I wasn't that impressed with the covering capabilities of the Behr.

Is it just my imagination, but when I've used Anchor paint in the past it seemed like it covered better.

Last night I found a can of exterior Anchor paint at the house to repaint a couple of exterior doors and it covered like a charm?

Anyone else have favorite paints and paints to avoid?

[tulsa1603]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

How about opinions on various paint brands?

I've used Anchor paint on various projects in the past and have been happy with it.  This time the logistics didn't work out since there's a Home Depot nearby to the project I've been working on.

I used Behr for most all the wall stuff except for some Glidden "white wash" in the garage.  I wasn't that impressed with the covering capabilities of the Behr.

Is it just my imagination, but when I've used Anchor paint in the past it seemed like it covered better.

Last night I found a can of exterior Anchor paint at the house to repaint a couple of exterior doors and it covered like a charm?

Anyone else have favorite paints and paints to avoid?

Benjamin Moore and Pratt and Lambert are the best according to painters, but I like American Tradition by Lowes and even Wal-Mart (gasp!).  I was never impressed by behr, either.

[Breadburner]

I talked to a painter yesterday....And he said Anchor makes some very good exterior paints and primers....Not to mention the fact it's made in Oklahoma....As far as interior I go to Elder Paint on Harvard....