If we’ve made one thing clear about our new house, it’s that we’re not crazy about the trim colors…
Somewhere between the Williamsburg Blue and the Muddy Mauve, our painting hands began to quiver with excitement. Or was that dread? Not sure.
We reasoned that while all of the carpet was up and before the new hardwoods went down, we should take advantage of the can-get-painted subfloor and go ahead and tackle the upstairs trim. Correction: trim and doors. Sixteen doors to be exact… which we removed and de-hardwared first for easy painting.
Attempting to quickly paint four bedrooms and closets worth of trim along with a long hallway plus nine windows (with tons o’ mullions) and the aforementioned sixteen doors seemed like a job that warranted a paint sprayer. So we decided it was finally time to get one. And thanks to a suggestion from the Bowers, we picked up this Graco TrueCoat II which was on sale for $180 at Lowe’s (update: we’ve since switched to using this Wagner model with more success). We opted to buy one instead of renting it because there’s still plenty of stuff to paint in this house beyond just these things – so we’d like to have one that we can use a bunch of times as we move from room to room (did we mention there’s still a ton of blue trim downstairs?).
The sprayer is a lot simpler than I expected. It’s pretty much just a plastic cup attached to the gun, which just plugs in. So there wasn’t much in the means of set-up (although we definitely read the directions twice just to make sure we didn’t screw it up). Then we dove into our primer coat.
We’ve heard that the biggest pain of owning a paint sprayer is clean up, so we opted to use a provided bag in the paint cup to keep it clean and hopefully eliminate one step afterwards.
We don’t have a ton of pictures of the process because one of us was downstairs with Clara while the other sprayed. And also, the process was pretty darn fast. We could zip along the baseboards of one room in about 10 to 15 minutes, and the majority of that time was usually spent refilling the paint cup.
So I definitely agree with what everyone had told me about spraying: it’s MUCH faster, but you use a lot more paint. I could only get through about two door sides before having to refill my paint cup. But boy was it satisfying to watch that blue paint disappear with each swipe. And it’s not that you’re wasting paint, it’s just that you’re getting more coverage (spraying the front of a door once might take twice as much paint, but it’s akin to two coats applied with a brush).
Once we feel a bit more seasoned with the sprayer we’ll do a deeper post about using it, but for now I feel like we’re still getting the hang of it. Our biggest challenge is fighting the urge to go back and “touch up” a spot we missed because we found it’s very easy to apply too much paint and create drips.
But if you go slowly and resist the urge to double spray, the smooth factory-like finish is amazing.
We made the call to paint the windows by hand rather than attempt to get every nook and cranny of it sprayed (we pictured a ton of rogue drips and a bunch of overspray covering all of the glass panes). After the fact, we’re not so sure it was the right call since our hand technique will still require some glass scraping with a razor and all of the blue/mauve windows took one coat of primer plus 3 coats of paint each since we were doing them by hand. Woof.
So yeah, this has pretty much been keeping us busy for the last few days. Spraying only occupied two mornings (priming one, painting the next) but we’ve made several trips to hand paint the windows and other areas that we couldn’t spray easily. I’ve lost track of which trip these photos were taken, but you can see what a difference it’s making.
We didn’t bother to tape off the walls or floors or anything around the sprayed areas (except for some too-close-for-comfort outlets and vents). So it means the walls are in desperate need of painting now too, but that’s a project for another day.
Some rooms, like the guest room and our master, only had cream trim/doors so they didn’t require any primer. Which meant this whole paint job only took 2 gallons of primer. Not bad for four rooms, four closets, nine windows, sixteen doors, and a giant hallway (about 30% of those had cream paint).
But we needed 4.5 gallons of white paint. Had we been able to predict that we’d have bought one of those five gallon buckets at the start, rather than making the multiple trips to the store we’ve been making. Live and learn, right?
The paint we’re using is Benjamin Moore’s Ultra Spec in Simply White (in a semi-gloss finish) based on a few recommendations for that type of paint from you guys (and knowing it’s one of the best white paint colors out there). It’s No-VOC contractor-grade paint that’s more affordable than BM’s Natura paint that we usually use and so far we’re really happy with it. Instead of being over $50 per gallon, it’s just $36 through our local paint store (I’m sure it varies by location, but it should be in that range), which has certainly made buying five gallons of it a little less painful.
Oh and as for choosing the color, we brought home about ten swatches of white and just picked the one that looked the best when we taped it up next to all of the others (some were too yellow, some were too blue, but Simply White looked clear and crisp without feeling too warm or too cool). Of course it’ll look a whole lot better after we paint those yellowed walls and ceilings…
Our total budget for four rooms and four closets worth of trim/baseboards plus nine windows, sixteen doors, and a giant hallway has been:
- Paint sprayer: $180
- Primer, 2 gallons: $36 (on sale)
- Paint, 5 gallons: $180 (we still have half a gallon leftover for a future project)
- TOTAL: $396
It’s certainly more than we envisioned spending, but because we’re on a time crunch to get the new floors in before we move, we’re counting our lucky stars that painting so many things went as quickly as it did. And now that we own the paint sprayer it’ll probably will work out to around ten cents per use by the time we’re done painting this house (so. much. blue. trim.).
Next step is to rehang all of the doors (after we replace some of the old pitted brass hardware) and then we can get to laying those hardwoods. We contemplated getting some other painting done while the subfloor is still exposed – walls, ceilings, closet interiors – but we’re starting to feel that move date creep up on us (T minus 2 weeks!). We figure we can move in with unpainted walls and ceilings more easily than moving in without completed floors – and thankfully we’re no strangers to painting walls and ceilings with hardwoods that are already in place.
So that’s what we’ve been up to. How about you?
Victoria • Restoring our 1890 Victorian says
I started reading this with total empathy… I’ve painted about 27,000 miles of trim, doors, windows, baseboard, crown molding… and I have SWORN that I will NEVER buy another house with painted trim…
But then I got to the part about the sprayer, and my head pretty much exploded. The photo of him “zipping” along the baseboard… was actually painful for me.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! It’s a pretty sweet machine!
xo
s
Julie says
What a difference!
I wanted to come over and paint the cabinets in your laundry nook. It’s sort of like weeding — you see more to do with each item you complete!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! It’s so true. Every time I’m over there I find more projects to add to my list…
xo
s
KayGray says
What a difference!! And that paint sprayer looks awesome. What color are you going to do on the walls? A single color upstairs or different colors for different rooms?
YoungHouseLove says
No idea yet! Probably a few different tones, but we’ll tackle that as we go. It typically takes us a few years to get all the rooms painted though :)
xo
s
Anne says
Happy dance for white trim!
Ashli @ But What About Protein? says
What a difference painting trim makes! I’m in the process of painting my house from the flat builder grade paint to something washable. Just don’t know what colors! My house is totally open plan so I want it to look cohesive. Gah!
Cara says
I have a friend with an open plan that painted everything in the main house a silvery gray. I was surprised by the choice, but years later I see the brilliance. She’s changed accessories, furniture and even swapped her dining rooms and living rooms without having to repaint. And since it’s all one base color, she can play with accents while being assured its always cohesive. But, it feels finished and classy, unlike the renters beige my entire house had been painted by the previous owners. (I’m pretty sure that was on realtor advice. Bad advice.)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty!
xo
s
Veronica says
I did the same thing, the main areas of our open floor plan house are a silvery gray color (painted almost 2 years ago) The rooms have changed and evolved, but the paint has never felt like it needed to go. It is a great neutral for us after living in apts with cream walls for 4 years we wanted another color on the walls of our first house. We are getting ready to paint the kitchen (FINALLY!) which is open to the “gray painted main area” and we are going with a pretty blue. IT will be nice to add that pop of color and it still doesn’t clash with the rest of our already painted house. Good Luck picking a color! I picked up about 7 paint strips, then from those chose three or four testers and paint big swatches all over the open area to figure what color worked best in the areas with different light. Took about a week (while we were doing other things around the house getting it ready for move in) but we are still in love with the color and we get tons of compliments on it.
V.
Donita says
Veronica, what color of gray did you use? I am planning to paint all the rooms in our 900 sq foot home, gray. I have several swatches taped to the wall now, but having a hard time picking one.
Amanda says
Our house is very similar. We ended up using Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter and have not regretted the decision. It’s the perfect gray and a wonderful neutral.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds beautiful!
xo
s
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
That bag in the cup tip is awesome! Now I want to go buy a sprayer just so I can do that! Man so I wish we’d had one when we did the spindles and banisters. I still see a drip here and there and I’m just too lazy to sand and repaint but I know I’ll have to. I think that’s probably the best investment you guys could make at this point! Happy spraying!
Lisa @ Paintbrush & Screwdriver says
What a difference!
Thanks for the info on the sprayer. We’re looking into buying one and we’re debating on one that attaches to our air compressor or a “stand alone” model like you have.
As much as I love color, it’s hard to wrong with white trim.
Courtney Madden says
Just a suggestion, but I’ve been looking a lot into it too and I’ve heard that the ones that attach to an air compressor are WAY better and actually use less paint. I would love to go that route, but air compressors are expensive! It’s great that you already have one!
Allison says
Go with the air compressor models. My father in law has done furniture refinishing and paint contracting his whole life, and he’s firmly in the air compressor camp.
Wendy @ New Moms Talk says
Great improvements!
I’ve been working on making the most of what we have on hand to make a bike outfit for Susanna while the hub studies away in summer grad land.
Next up will be a trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons and then the Bear Lake Monster Ride (for Scott…Susanna is a bit young still!).
Katie says
It’s so exciting to watch your new house start to transform. Show me more! Show me more! I’m antsy to see all that you do, but I know it all takes time. I am really excited to see where the pieces from your current home will go to live in your new home and how you might choose to switch things up. Glad it will provide me some daily reading material for another several years!
Jessica H. says
You guys are inspiring. Just LOOKING at all the work you have to do in the new house makes me feel overwhelmed. I know you’re going to do it all and have that house looking AMAZING. I would love to see another post on staying motivated – I need to hang two curtain rods today and I can’t even get the motivation to do that!
YoungHouseLove says
Our big tip for staying motivated is to do things a little at a time (ex: measure for where to hang the curtains and mark the wall one evening, then the next evening drill the holes and sink the anchors and hang the rod, then get the curtains ironed/hemmed and hang them another time). Breaking things down seems to make them more doable. And never work without a full belly and good tunes – those help a ton!
xo
s
Casandra says
Hey Sherry,
Now that you brought it up. I’d love to know what tunes you guys jam to. :)
YoungHouseLove says
We usually just put on Pandora but let’s see, we like The Killers and Vampire Weekend and random pop like Minaj and Riana.
xo
s
KathyG says
This.Looks.Great! Good Work Guys! Nothing more motivating that instant gratification! ha
And I agree, I am always asking people who seem highly motivated to me, and after they shrug and say *justdoit*, then it really comes down to doing just one thing, then doing one more thing, then one more. Just like you said, don’t overwhelm yourself with the big picture, just pick the first step and do it.
Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy says
It looks so crisp! You guys are painting machines. I can’t help but wonder though: which was more fun the power washer or the paint sprayer?!
YoungHouseLove says
Power washer for sure!!! It feels less scary and I-could-mess-this-up than being inside with a paint gun (which was a little scary at times)!
xo
s
Madeline says
Weve been frosting bathroom windows thanks to your suggestions & getting a Karl couch- sounds like we want to be the next John & Sherry! Question- did you stain your Karl couch legs before puttng them on or after?
Oh and we had a horrible thermostat fail.. I guess weve been up to a lot!
http://createbakecelebrate.blogspot.com/2013/05/create-little-updates.html
YoungHouseLove says
We actually spray painted those oil-rubbed bronze a few months after we got it (just took them off, sprayed them outside, let them dry, and put them back on the next morning).
xo
s
Angel says
Have you seen these? Pretty legs for ikea couches:
http://www.prettypegs.se/
YoungHouseLove says
So much fun!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
Wow, it’s amazing the difference! About the windows, I’ve not personally used this product but what about the stuff you can completely cover the glass with (great description right?) that you then scrape off afterwards? Sort of like a masking fluid. The DIY’er from the show Rehab Addict seems to like that method and mentions it cleans the windows anyway when you scrape it away. Just a thought. . .
On a side note, I couldn’t sleep this morning and I actually watched an info-mercial about the Kreg. As entertainment. Enough said. : )
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome! We’ll have to look into that! And as for the info-mercial watching- hilarious. You’re turning into John. Haha!
xo
s
Blake says
I was going to suggest that product, too. I saw that show and she used it on all the exterior windows. It’s a gel that goes on with a roller and dries to a rubbery substance that peels off.
alisha says
I was coming to leave the same comment! Never used it myself, but Nichole Curtis seems to love it on Rehab Addict! I’ve seen her mention it multiple times on multiple homes.
The trim looks great! That door really DOES have a glossy awesome finish in that shot of the sunlight reflecting off it.
Colleen says
Paint makes such a huge difference so quickly! What prep work did you do to the surfaces? Any sanding?
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully all of the trim/windows and even the doors had a matte dry feeling, so since they weren’t glossy we knew good primer + paint would do the trick. If you have something super glossy (ex: polyurethaned wood trim) you definitely should sand a bit to get them down to that matte finish before spraying :)
xo
s
Lizzy says
Those paint sprayers look like so much fun! I might have to buy one for my husband for father’s day – I tend to buy him things that I would be more likely to use :)
Our doors all have old pitted brass hardware too. We want to replace it all but hardware can be so pricey! Any recommendations?
YoungHouseLove says
I like a site called myknobs.com (you can also google around for a coupon code on top of their already discounted prices). I’m hoping to score 10% off when we order soon! Will post all about it!
xo
s
Alex the friendly Airhostess says
Before replacing your old hardware, give this a try: fill a bucket with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate, the stuff you wash dirty walls with before painting) and warm water and let the TSP gently eat into the brass finish. Rinse them off and let them dry. You’ll wind up with a more ORB-ish finish. Then just a clear spray topcoat and you’re good to go.
Much more budget friendly, much greener, but the nicest part is that you don’t have to try and get new hinges to hang straight, or the lock sets to click in, etc. Most of the old hardware is made of much nicer metal, it was drop forged or made of solid metals, not crappy cheap alloys like the stuff sold now.
Hope this helps!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Alex! Some of them actually don’t function (don’t turn, don’t lock) since they’re so corroded but if we can save a few we will do our best :)
xo
s
Kari says
Looks great! It’s already making a huge difference!
Liz says
I’m glad the paint sprayer worked for you! Ours was a nightmare, but our sprayer was waaaaaaaay cheaper than yours! I guess that’s something that shouldn’t be skimped on. Did you have to water down the paint before loading it into the sprayer?
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully with this model you don’t have to do that, which was definitely a selling feature for us!
xo
s
Steph @ SeeStephRun.com says
Can I just say how selfishly excited I am that you purchased this new fixer upper NOW?? My husband and I are planning a big move in the next couple of months and are likely going to need to do a lot of work on the new place. It is SO inspirational seeing you work on this place step by step around the time we are considering this ourselves!
rachael says
Ahhh! I can’t wait to see more projects in this house! We have been painting trim too! Last week I just finished painting the baseboards and window trim in our baby’s new room and he’s been sleeping in it for 4 nights now and he’s doing great! But I hand painted all that trim and I’m so glad I don’t have to anymore for a while.
Lu says
Can’t wait to see how you say buh bye to the rest of the paint!
Julie says
Good gracious alive. It already looks a million times better. I’ve been contemplating a paint sprayer, too. Your commentary on it was extremely helpful!
Emily says
What Julie said!
Bethany says
Love your blog, guys! Just wanted to correct you on the term “mullions” (I work for a window company). The bars in your windows are actually “muntins” – “mullions” are the covers that go between windows when you put windows right next to each other :)
YoungHouseLove says
Smart! Never knew that! Thanks Bethany! Has anyone seen the episode of Sarah Richardson’s show where the man calls them “moooolions” and Sarah has a good laugh? I love that one.
xo
s
Bethany says
YES! Love that episode lol
Monika says
You may want to consider leaving the doors off the hinges for the floor installation. We found that we had to remove all of ours when our hardwoods went in… Unfortunately several doors had to be trimmed since the floor was raised by that mere 3/4 inch. Hope you don’t have to deal with that since it was fairly traumatic ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Monika! It looks like our doors will be the right height (whew!) so hopefully we wont have to trim anything. At least we think it’ll work… (famous last words?).
xo
s
Laurie says
2nd this advice – even if the door clears you’ll need them doors off when installing the floors – especially near corners or other doors. I’ve installed wood or laminate floors in 8 houses (everywhere but bathrooms & kitchens) and the first thing we do is remove all the doors! The other thing you may need is a jamb saw – you can rent them at a big box store or buy one, but if you want no gaps around your floor trim it is a must! We did the first two houses without and the slight imperfections still drive me crazy (they are rentals).
We just bought a Georgian very similar in layout to yours (and in worse shape than yours) for a song last summer. I would get the ceilings painted if at all possible before you lay those floors and you can use the sprayer! (not sure if you have the right kind).
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Laurie!
xo
s
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
So much brighter and crisper!
We’re prepping to paint our kitchen cabinets. Some were never painted so they were the original stained oak from previous owners but then a year plus ago I painted some of the cabinets an off white which I hate. I’m taking Friday off to work on stripping those and start painting them all black. :)
We thought about buying a sprayer but decided not to based on the cost…but it would be so fast!
Natalie C says
I’m so excited about yall’s new house that I could pee in my pants. I won’t. But I could.
YoungHouseLove says
I love you.
xo
s
alisha says
HA!! Natalie, this just made me happy clap.
Donita says
HILARIOUS!!!!
Marianne says
I’m guessing there was no chipping or peeling paint to deal with? It looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully no, it was all matte feeling and smooth, so we didn’t have any sanding to do.
xo
s
Clueless says
What do you do with peeling trim paint to prep it for a fresh coat?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
You’d want to sand it smooth (make sure it’s not lead paint first) and then fill any dings with wood glue. The idea is to get it all smooth before you prime/paint because that stuff emphasizes imperfections instead of covering them.
xo
s
Adrienne says
It’s coming on 3 years in our house and I still haven’t gotten to the window trims. It’s so overwhelming! We still have the old–er, “character-filled” windows and the frames are in rough shape and peeling. The prep work alone makes me wanna roll over and forget about it! Maybe your after pics will be the inspiration I need to get to it…
Jessi says
ooh, ooh, me too! sounds like your windows are our windows’ twins – old, grody and peeling, and after 3 years in our home i’m still trying to work up the courage to tackle them.
question for john & sherry – how did you go about painting the windows? did you really just get paint all over the window panes as you painted and scrape it off afterwards?
the previous occupants of our place did a super sloppy job painting the exterior window trim, so there’s old brown paint all over the outside of of our windows. i never tried scraping it off – do you think it would work?
thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
We tried not to get it all over, but you can see from the photo we got about an inch or so on the glass – then you can scrape off the excess with a razor and it’ll hopefully look seamless. I would definitely scrape the windows with a razor, any paint on glass panes can be removed that way :)
xo
s
Nicole Chiles says
Did you guys do anything to prep the trim and door? Simple dusting? or more? I wondered if you needed to sand or de-gloss or anything?.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we wiped things down with a damp cloth (dusting + cobweb removal) but since the paint wasn’t glossy it was ready to be primed after that. If you have polyurethaned wood trim you’ll need to sand most likely.
xo
s
Lala says
It’s looking amazing! The sprayers are a life saver. We did our kitchen cabinets and what a blessing it was. Can’t wait to see yours.
Sarah says
Wow, what a huge difference already! It looks like a different house. You must be so excited!!!
John @ Our Home from Scratch says
What a time saver! Definitely the smart move buying the sprayer. I have an HVLP gun (of course I do), which I used to spray paint our wainscoting and cabinets, but it doesn’t put out nearly as much paint as what you have. Those type of sprayers are designed for latex too, which makes it ideal for what you’re doing. The overspray doesn’t look too bad either.
Resisting the urge to buy one myself… must. stay. strong.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah it’s awesome, there’s some overspray but not too bad. And the “getting two coats with one spray” thing is awesome as well as not having to water down our paint.
xo
s
Katja @ Shift Ctrl Art says
Oh that was my question – if you had to water down the paint. I am taking notes over here. All of sudden all mauve trim houses don’t look so scary anymore ha ha…
Alyssa says
It’s looking great guys!! That wood floor next to that fresh white trim is going to look amazing, I just know it!!
Sarah says
I really wish it was against the law to paint trim anything but white. It always looks so fresh and crisp!
Lisa E says
Such a huge difference already! You were smart to buy that sprayer for sure. I’m sure it’s tempting to do more painting but when do you guys have time for packing with that oh-too-close looming deadline?!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Seriously! We haven’t packed A THING! AHHHH!
xo
s
mribaro says
Have you considered bringing a box or two of rarely or out-of-season things with you each time you go to your new house and just leave it in the storage room? It might save up some time the last few days of moving (or it might not, not sure).
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’d love to start doing that! We keep running out of the door in a panic (dropping Clara off at school and rushing over to the new house for an hour and then going back to get her) so we’d love to have time to toss things into the car and make a few trips with out of season stuff!
xo
s
Hanna says
I think I just felt a little surge of panic on your behalf. :D You can do it! I remember this from when we bought our house – floors first, then packing, then moving then… relaxing? You guys are doing awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yeah I’m reminding myself that moving is always a crazy time no matter what, so this is normal. We will survive!
xo
s
Lisa E says
Not packed a thing? Yikes! Wish I lived close so I can help you. Seriously, maybe you can get a packing party or something going on. Or maybe a painting party with trusted family members while you pack? Thankfully we had a few months where we could move stuff into our new home while we painted every room. However, we didn’t have a small child to worry about. So every single time we went to the new house we went with no less than a carload. Our new house had sat vacant for a year so there were lots of cobwebs and dust. I enlisted help from two groups of girlfriends. One at the new house to clean the dust and cobwebs before we moved in, then another at the old house to clean up for the new tenants, since we rented it out. I don’t know how you feel about enlisting help, but with such a close deadline, I hope you do so. Cheering you on from afar!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, John’s sweet family has offered up some carpooling so we can get some smaller things over there before the moving truck next Saturday, and thankfully I’ve wiped down a lot of stuff at the new house since every time we go over there I try to tackle one area (the fridge, the pantry, under the sink, etc). Slowly but surely…
xo
s
Shelley says
This is getting exciting! The new house is so cute, can’t wait to see it updated!
andrea says
It’s already looking waaaaaaaay better with the new trim color -but I have to admit, the hallway seems so cavernous! Is it just tricky to photograph, or is it as dark as it looks?
I’m excited to see what you do to brighten it up.
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’s my terrible phone pics. I think once we paint everything and I take proper pics with the good camera it’ll be more true to life. It’s a nice little hallway and we love that it has that bend in it so it’s not like a long alley. It makes it more interesting I think :)
xo
s
paintergal says
So smart to use the sprayer! I can definitely relate to painting all that trim. I have painted the kitchen cupboards, window trims, baseboards, and doors throughout our house. Only I had to use a brush. Took a l-o-n-g time.
Way to knock that project out!
Rene' @ thedomesticlady.com says
I am exhausted reading that post. Reminds me of our 1200 sq ft flooring project that my husband completed the week of our wedding. My husband thought he could get it all done in two weekends…. seven weeks later we were finished. So much work. Phew. So so tired. Good luck on your floors.:)
robin @ our semi organic life says
What improvement! Is there any way to get contractor grade paint?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we actually used contractor grade paint. That’s what Ultra Spec is :)
xo
s
Danielle says
You have officially sold me on a paint sprayer…those doors look fantastic! Which is more awesome – paint sprayer or nail gun??
YoungHouseLove says
This is our order: power washer (first!), nail gun, and then paint sprayer. But probably because we’re still getting our bearings (there’s still something scary about being in your house spraying paint everywhere, haha!).
xo
s
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says
Much, much better!!!
Amy says
Do you ever watch Rehab Addict on DIY? She always uses this coating on windows that you paint right on the glass, then she sprays the panes with paint. The coating peels right off so there’s little scraping. It’s pretty cool and it looks like it works pretty well. Not sure of the name, but I’m sure you can find it on Google.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re the second person to mention that! Sounds amazing!
xo
s
Elaine says
HA! I just came over to mention that.
Jason says
Yes Youngsters, please do something other than plan to scrape later – I did that on the few windows and doors that weren’t replaced in my house. I remember telling my neighbor – oh no need to tape – you scrape it off later with a razor.
I found out later – it’s very difficult to scrape and when you have primer involved especially and the razor can leave scratches – I’ve learned the taping time is worth it. And I didn’t have the 12 lite windows either, so I know that is more scraping – ugh. I hope you find it goes better and my situation was not normal.
If you try the magic coating – I’m sure you’ll tell us how it works!
YoungHouseLove says
Will tell you all about it! We’d love to try that for downstairs since we’ve already painted all the windows upstairs (now just to scrape them- although others have said rubbing alcohol or a magic eraser can remove paint a lot more easily).
xo
s
Emily R says
Jason – i’ve primed and painted (with Oil!) and scraped, and while it can be slow, I never found it to be terribly difficult to do. You just need to make sure you have a fresh blade and change them often. I think it’s so much easier than taping, or applying a coat of something to the panes. Just my two cents!
Kate says
I actually learned recently that window manufacturers recommend you actually tape and lap-paint 1/16″ onto the glass. This seals the glazing compound and provides a moisture stop. This is recommended on both the interior and exterior of the window.
YoungHouseLove says
Who knew?! Thanks Kate!
xo
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Char says
GUSH! I love white trim. With new floors and fresh paint, that upstairs is going to look like a brand new place. Amazing!
jennypenny says
Wow! Huge difference already! I am so excited to see the transformation of your new digs!
Mary@TwoHappyLambs says
Painting trim and doors and windows is suuuuuch a relief, isn’t it? I love that crisp look, and in an old house it’s like giving everything a rinse off. It’s all clean and new again.
Okay, so… TELL ME that pile of hardware isn’t begging you for some ORB??
YoungHouseLove says
We thought about that but there’s so much of it and many of the knobs are actually rusted and pitted (even with spray they’ll look bedraggled) so instead of spending the time and money on a band-aid we’d love to get new knobs. If they were in better shape we would have sprayed again since they held up well in our current house though!
xo
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Heather says
I’m guessing you don’t have time to ORB the hardware? That would be so great while you have it down. Do you feel like it held up well the last time you did that?
YoungHouseLove says
We thought about that but there’s so much of it and many of the knobs are actually rusted and pitted (even with spray they’ll look bedraggled) so instead of spending the time and money on a bandaid we’d love to get new knobs. If they were in better shape we would have sprayed again since they held up well in our current house though!
xo
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Courtney Madden says
Good tip: a Magic Eraser gets paints off the window paints very easily! It does tend to quickly destroy the eraser, so have plenty on hand but it is SO much easier than scraping! We painted both sides of eight french doors with 10 glass panels in each – plus a bunch of windows – and it was a lifesaver!
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh I’ll have to try that!
xo
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Kathryn says
Loving that tip, Courtney!
Chelsea @ Riding Escalators says
WOW! What a difference already!!! Now that you’ve used the sprayer – do you wish you had used it for your kitchen cabinets? We’re gearing up for our kitchen renovation and I’m still hemming and hawing about whether to hand paint or buck up and get a sprayer!
YoungHouseLove says
I think the finish of a sprayer on the cabinet doors would have been awesome and it would have sped things up although I think we’d have to do them outside and that might have been hard with weather, etc. In the new house we could use the garage so if you have a garage that would help I think!
xo
s
Courtney @ FamilyGoneHealthy says
Wow that makes a huge difference! The trim looks great. I do not envy you having to paint the window trim though. :)
Ryan says
Looking good!
We just bought a house ourselves and none of our trim is white either (although it wasn’t nearly as bad as all of that blue!). We’ve been working on getting everything painted before we move in and it has been such a pain! I wish we could use a paint sprayer, but in our case we’d have to remove all of the trim, and wainscoting, in every room and that’s just a little beyond us. I keep cursing our sellers for their obvious aversion to nice, white trim :)
Can’t wait to see how the new house comes together. Good luck laying the floors!