Wall
insulation | Drywall
| Finish carpentry
| >>Paint
| Attic and crawlspace
insulation | Hard
floor coverings
Everyone thinks that
they are a painter. While painting is a common trade
that many homeowners do, painters do a lot more than
just apply paint. Latex (water based) paint is used
for drywall and MDF board while oil based paints,
stains and finishes are used for real wood. Eventually,
most oil based products will probably be discontinued
because they are not environmentally friendly.
Paint sheen is defined by the amount of gloss that
a paint has. The spectrum varies from flat paint (no
shine) to high gloss (very shiny). Flat paint tends
to hide defects while gloss paint is more durable
and easier to clean.
Once the finish carpentry is complete the painter
starts the prep work. Painting a home interior is
probably 80% prep work and 20% actual paint application.
Preparation consists of the following activities:
Once holes and joints
are filled, excess filler must be sanded smooth. After
the prep work is completed the house must be cleaned.
The walls are blown clean with an air compressor,
and the floor is vacuumed. If the house is not vacuumed
the dirt and dust will contaminate the paint surface. The
doors are usually put in the basement or garage to
be painted. One coat of primer is applied followed
by one top coat. Professionals use airless paint sprayers
to do the bulk of the work. One painter can spray
an average sized house in about 3- 4 hours. Natural
woods are masked and finished before the painting
process, or they are installed after the paint process
is finished.
The cost for painting depends on several factors.
The quality of paint, the amount of prep work, and
the number of colors. The least expensive choice is
a low cost acrylic paint, single tone paint job. Which
means that the entire interior including doors, trim,
walls and ceiling are one color. Prices rise for two
and three-tone paint jobs. Painters often have set
prices for single-tone, two-tone, three-tone paint
jobs. Painters usually figure the job by
the floor square footage. For example a 1500 square
foot single tone paint job might cost $1.50 per ft²
making the total paint bid $2250.
The
contract with the sub should include the following details:
Natural wood moldings are installed after paint or
they are masked. A good two-tone paint job will
take 5-6 days to comlete.
Wood door tops and bottoms need to be painted or door
warranties will be voided. Unpainted tops and bottoms
allow moisture to enter the door and cause warping.
It is important that
painters organize the hinges by door and position
on the door. The reason is that those hinges have
been adjusted by the carpenter to make that door close
correctly.
