I do my own painting, but I've become pretty good with a trim brush. If you haven't done much painting, you might want to hire it out.

I've done both. I'm very picky and when I have the time, if its not too complicated, I prefer to do it myself. But, a master painter can truly enhance the beauty and feel of your home. Not everyone who presents themselves as a professional painter actually is, but if you are lucky enough to find a true craftsman, they are well worth their fees. Spend some time over on the paint forum and you can get a feel for how knowledgeable and dedicated these professionals are.

Inside, we do it ourselves...but we've always done it ourselves. Just take your time and as covingtoncat said, check out the painting forum for lots of good tips. Take your time, use painting tape for the edges (extremely helpful) and go slowly. The only exception is a stairwell that's ladder-challenged. When that needs painting, we call in a pro.

Exterior, that's another story... we usually hire a pro.

I do my own painting when I'm up for it. And I keep a wet jay rag handy. I've found 'painting aides' to be for the birds - edgers etc.(maybe the problem is me), unless using something fancy on a pole, in a two storey stairwell. Biggest help has been a good angle brush (not too big) for cutting (I love my brush with the changeable bristles, which I baby and get panicky if anyone even looks at it), not overloading the roller (more isn't better - more equals more drips, more spraying), don't press too hard (ridges from the roller), and did I mention wet rags for quick clean ups (and if you touch the ceiling, a bit of dish soap and wet rag may help, if you're quick about it - but don't scrub as ceiling paint is usually thin and you'll be down to the drywall paper in no time). And a decent ladder - nothing wobbly or too short (I've learnt to protect my hardwood from the feet of the ladders - dented a floor once, repeatedly....)

You may be able to get old paint off your cupboards with careful use of a razor blade.

I'd always done all of my painting myself but we were really busy during our kitchen reno so I decided to hire a 'pro'.

Big mistake on my part. My contractor recommended him, and he was good, but his new employee was messy. I could have done a better job myself for sure. So, if you've got the time and patience to 'practice' on maybe spare rooms or what have you, you can definitely learn to work it like a pro.

Have you done room painting before?

Thanks for the tips! I didn't realize there was a painting forum on here, I'll be sure to check it out.

The previous owners supposedly hired "professional" painters, and said (through their agent) that they spent 10K on it. As we strolled through the place, paying attention to the layout etc, we didn't notice it, but when it was empty and we started really looking, it was apparent just how unprofessional it really is. We didn't factor in our budget for professional painting of a 3700 sq ft home.

We (DH) plan on making an attempt in the guest room, and if we do ok, we will probably tackle the easy, 8ft celing, square rooms.-- Then hire the professionals for anything harder, eventually that is... Does it REALLY cost that much???

We hired a professional painter when we listed our last place to do 2 bedrooms, entry way, laundry, up & down stairs hallways, & kitchen, with SW paint and it cost about 1100 bucks I believe. They did a great job in a short time.... it didn't seem too bad $ wise. We were in a rush for time though, and we aren't now.

I'm like covingtoncat, VERY picky. I like everything to look professional - perfect... I have no patience for it, my DH is much better in that department, and perfers to work alone. I just hate being the nit-picker when it's not exacty right!

I LOVE painting...not long ago I had a tough hallway,stairway job that I had someone come over to give me a quote on and I almost had a heart attack. The price was ridiculous.

Having a sharp paint job depends on the right tools (angled quality brush and rollers), good paint and patience to take your time. Slow and steady wins the race.

Mind you I am a self confessed paintaholic....

Haley

Want to come do mine Haley?

I do mine. Except the rooms with the big cathedral ceilings. And the exterior.

I like faux finishes -- not lots of color; just some texture -- and I wouldn't even know how to get someone who would do it.

I had all of the interior in this home done by the same man. I had used him in 2002 at the suggestion of a friend. When I had him back in 2005 he was still the same perfectionist and only 30 and hour ..he was 25. He is amazing. I have 12 ft ceilings and lots and lots of fancy moldings and trim and the cabs in the kitchen. Anyway I could never do it.

Outside we have always done our own . At our old house we painted the exterior 2x in 20 yrs. It still looks great and the people that bought it in 2002 still have not had to paint. We are really perfectionist outside. Prep is the key. I am doing all the hard stuff outside here at this house. Wall repair and stucco work and brick repair and staining. We rented scaffolding and painted the exterior in 2005. I am doing all the stuff we skipped at that time as we didn't know how to do it. I decided to teach myself. It has been a slow go but I have folks stop all the time and ask if I am for hire LOL. I guess I should start a business LOL. Good Luck. Prep is the most important part !! c

I love painting, too, with the right tools. Near the end of my recent kitchen reno, I admitted that I would probably be painting (I hadn't contracted for that) myself for weeks on end, and I was so sick of the project's ongoing mess that I just wanted it done, so at the last minute I hired the kitchen guys to paint. (Probably wasn't smart as that's where I believe a few cost overruns may have been buried, but it was convenient and quick and I trusted them.)

Moving to my adjacent living room, which I'd planned to do myself, I ended up hiring the kitchen painter to come in on a Sunday and just cut in at the ceiling for me. My eyes and steadiness at that height are just not what they used to be and this was going to be a high-contrast joint (dark walls, white ceiling) where looking at even the slightest wiggle line (painted by me) would drive my Virgo-rising soul crazy beyond measure.

I paid him a flat $50 cash, he cut in a razor-sharp edge with a good 2" lap on the wall and I followed him up with a roller later that day. I had already cut in everywhere else (doors, window, baseboard.) It was a great compromise, to my mind. Admittedly, I'm not sure how many pro-quality painters would be interested in that kind of thing. You almost have to know someone.

I had good brushes already but finally invested in a top-quality lambswool roller, a 5-gallon bucket and grid, and used Aura paint, and boy, is it a joy painting with the good stuff. Homer might sell good orange buckets but his paint is for crap.

You know what you can and cannot do. My DD should not be left alone with paint, brushes, rollers, or even drop cloths. She makes a mistake--says "Ooops!" and keeps on going. Anyone trying to paint with her would end up drowning her in the paint bucket. Her husband stayed up all night long to paint their new house inside rather than let her touch it. If you are like that, you must save money, get references, and hire it done. It will be money and peace of mind well-spent.

I do all my own painting. I'm not the best ever, but I do a good, clean job. Like chloe's mom, I use the wet rag, clean up any mistakes right away, and use an angled brush. I spend a lot of time choosing my colors, spend a little more money to get good quality brushes, roller covers, and paint, and a lot of time allowed for doing the job right. When I'm done with a room, I can truly step back and enjoy the fruits of my labors. I enjoy the process. I don't mind the work. And I don't like a shoddy paint job. Better to leave your walls builders' beige than a designer color with dribbles and streaks.

Red

If I can reach it, I will find a way to paint it. I don't do cathedral walls/ceilings or exteriors. Everything else is pretty much fair game! I do not skimp on paint, brushes or rollers. I also "cheat" with plastic roller-tray liners and I bought real drop cloths too. The right tools are very important in getting good results. I ALWAYS do two coats, even if it looks good after the first. I know I am a very fussy painter and take farrrrr too long to get it finished, but I do an excellent job!

I use to paint all the time and loved it. Now I hire it out, but that may change due to the economy.

....Jane

I think your idea of starting in the guest room is excellent. I was going to advise you start in a room that doesn't matter quite as much. But, I see you already know to do that!

Get the best quality paint you can. It does make a difference. When considering $50 paint over $25 paint (or $100 paint over $50 paint for that matter) you should think about how spending more will make the job easier for you with better coverage and less spatter, will give you a better finish, will wear better over time, etc.

You should also think about the cost per square foot...the differential is only pennies. Especially those who hire it out and then scrimp on paint, using Duron or whatever. The cost of materials is such a small fraction of the total cost, why cut corners?

I learned to paint after the best builder in town sent two marginal painting crews to my job. I let them both go and never looked back.

Professional painters cost a lot, guys who paint cost less.

But, if the paint job is recent and you have some leftover paint, you can fix most of the sloppiness yourself. I use blue tape since I can't get lines straight.

I do my own painting and then obsess about my mistakes. That's why I know so much about fixing it afterwards. A glob of wall paint on the ceiling has become my signature. :)

The last time I painted instead of hiring it done (20 years ago), I used a power roller. You still have to cut in with a brush, but the power roller really made it go fast after that. I borrowed it from a friend, but you might be able to rent one.

We have since had pros do the painting. DH always wants to help. I believe he and redbazel's DD are related, at least by temperment. I don't think "good enough" and paint belong in the same paragraph, but it is a standard he is happy with. Compared to the expense of a divorce, a painter is cheap.

We hire and have had mixed results. The current crew painting our upstairs is meticulous and professional. The jokers before them were the worst - can you say 'no primer' on the walls?

I'm going to paint our stair spindles myself because the quote we got was outrageous, but I'll leave high-visibility walls and ceilings to the pros.

I used to hire painters but no more. Painters around here charge too much.
I can do as good of a job or better.

In the previous years I had no idea what they should charge so I got 2 quotes and went with the lower one. They did a good job, but no better than what I can do.

I just repainted all those areas myself!

Anyway, when they were done I did some figuring and thought that I was wayyy overcharged for the amount of time it took them to paint. It was 2 guys 2 days and $2,600. Paint was extra ( I supplied it). I'm guessing it was approx 1000-1200 sqft area, but you should deduct half of that because it's an open space, kitchen cabinets, etc., so no walls. It seemed as though the painters looked at the area and thought they were painting most of the house. Wall space was deceiving. In reality, the wall space was minimal. They were fast workers, but I looked at it from a per hour type estimate and figured, after the fact, that making 1300 per day is obnoxious, esp since it didn't require anything special like scaffolding. There was one area above the stairs, but the rest was simple work, and not $2600 worth.

In general, I find that contractor type work is very expensive around here. Blue collar workers make more than doctors! LOL

I do it all myself. In fact my dad was at my place a little while ago after having spent a month w/ my sister and he said that I should do it professionally.

I had painted my sisters kitchen red the last time that I was visiting and I didn't bother taping off or anything around the trim or the ceiling. My dad said he couldn't believe it when he saw it. He was getting ready to paint my nieces bedroom and he told me there was no way he could do what I'd done w/o tape.

Typically I find taping to slow me down too much as I can often knock out a room in a few hours if I'm not interrupted and left to my own devices. The only time I tape off is if I'm painting a ceiling and the wall color isn't changing.

Ironically one of my worst paint jobs was when I did tape off this Spring when I painted my hallway ceiling black. Clearly I needed a straight line and there could be NO mistakes. Well with the house being so old and the walls being so wonky there's a huge mess up spot where the ceiling and smoothness of the wall just weren't jiving.

Oops, sorry - forgot to add that the only reason that I can do that is all of my yrs. of art classes and being out on the rifle range in the Marine Corps. Both places taught me the improtance of breath control. The first time I whipped out an angled brush to paint a straight line the teacher told me to throw it away.

The key to a straight line as I was taught:

Load your brush properly w/ enough paint (many people don't use enough paint).

Get a good 'bead' going.

Learn good breath control: Slow steady breathing.

I taught myself how to paint after buying our first home 10 years ago. We lived in an expensive area and bought a true "starter" home that had good bones but was really neglected cosmetically. The first room I ever painted had pink walls and PLUM trim including chair rail and crown moldings. I got pretty good at painting during the time we lived in that house, and our next house was brand new. Changing colors in a brand new home was a breeze.
I would have a real hard time paying someone to paint anything that I can reach. The truth is that most professional painters are motivated to work as fast as they can and their idea of a good job doesn't meet my OCD standards.
I tape off everything. It's faster for me to do that and we have a lot of trim that draws the eye in-I want those edges to be perfect.
I only use BM Aura paint-in my experience it's actually cheaper than using another paint that will need more coats to cover. It also saves me a lot of time-being able to recoat in 1 hour (or even a bit less in my experience) means that I can prep a room the night before and finish the walls in one morning instead of having to sit and wait 4 hours to apply the second coat.
I find doing it myself to be really satisfying. It's one of those things that gives me immediate satisfaction and when you do a good job and pick the right color it just transforms your house.

Red - I laughed out loud reading about your daughter!

We left DH's uncle paint the one room in our house and I was less than impressed with the whole process. He used to be a painter. I could've painted a better ceiling line with my eyes shut. Crown moulding fixed that. :)

So far I've painted the rest of the house myself but our ceilings are only 8'. I was concerned about reaching the area near our stairs but I borrowed one of those nifty Little Giant Ladder things from a friend. I agree that you know what you're capable of. For me, It's not worth the extra money to have someone else do it. Time and time again I've seen professionals in different areas botch things up -everything from hair stylists to plumbers. If you do your homework right you may end up with a gem of a painter. I did spend a bit of time on the paint forum and invested in a good brush before starting. I also learned it is important to be patient and leave the paint dry before applying the second coat! You could give it a go in a smaller room first.

I've done all my own interior painting...except for my front hall. It has a two story open stairwell...and I don't own scaffolding. So I hired that out.

I pay people to pain outside. I'm too picky and the bugs that get into my paint distress me. Doesn't bother me once it's finished...

I also paint the inside myself if possible ...

During my big remodel 2 years ago, my contractor sub-contracted the painting to a "professional" ... before this "professional" was done, I walked my contractor through the house pointing out the messes made ... he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

We fired the "professional" before he was finished, and my contractor made him give me a large credit.

I had the barn painted this year by a semi-professional who did a really nice job, I just didn't have the time.

Another DIY painter here. I've been painting for over 35 years and could (probably) do it for a living. A friend and her brother had a painting business years ago and they were always asking me to come and work for them. One time I jokingly told them that the only way I'd do it was if I would become partners with them. Without missing a beat they both said "yes". But I declined because although I love to paint I don't think I'd want to do it 24/7. I'm an excellent painter, have a very critical eye, have an art background, am extremely detail-oriented (but not to the point where it hangs me up), and am meticulous about my tools and am a stickler about using the right tools. Not into the fancy-schmancy accessories like edgers, etc., but am a die-hard painter's tape lover. I can get a good bead and a straight line going but the painter's tape is one of my idiosyncratic obsessions. Don't even breathe near my brushes or I'll have to hurt ya'.

Hubby does ours. He is a painting perfectionist and while that sometimes drives me crazy, but I couldn't hire someone to do as good a job as he does.

I am terrible on painting anything other than doors, trim, etc.

tina

I've painted everything in my home(s) on my own, but got chicken about painting the very high walls above our open stairwell. So, I called around for a painter for that single job. Only one taker for such a "small" job during the height of the housing boom. I unfortunately hired that man, who was painting while we were at work. A week later during housecleaning, I discovered dried paint under my throw rugs that seeped between the wood of my oak floors. Apparently, he spilled the entire bucket of paint and just blotted it up and covered it up. Even re-finishing couldn't get the paint from between the boards. That was the one and only time I would hire someone. What an expensive mistake. Next time, I'll buy one of the ladders Shee mentioned to paint above the stairs.

I do my painting myself. I don't like painting, though it is better with the no-VOC paints. I'd rather be outdoors in my garden any day than painting (which is why it's taken me 5+ years to paint my interior and I'm doing it wall-by-wall.)

My neighbor highly recommended her painter; I took a look at the job he did and he painted the wall color right onto the sides of the window and door frames - I couldn't live with that! We hired out our exterior paint and already our front stairs are peeling - after only 8 months...I'm sure there are great painters out there but you're taking your chances.

I homeschool my dd and I'm teaching her how to paint walls and trim. I figure she'll never go hungry if she is a really good painter! And she can take over my painting duties when I am in my dotage :-) Also, she is a natural artist and much better at selecting and matching colors than I am.

We used to do our own painting until our color choices got darker, easier to see mistakes.

We used to do our own painting, too, until our joints and eyes went-lol! We have found someone who does a good job and is very reasonable, but not, I think, as good as we used to do. I think preparation is the key. Spackle and sanding!!!

Thanks to everyone for their responses. DH is going to give the guest room a shot. Maybe I will get him to come online for some tips & tricks. Maybe learn some techiques before he starts. I will let you know how it goes! Now to find the time to do it!

I do my own because I too am really picky. That being said, I only get one room done at a time, versus a pro team who can have it all done within a day or two. Unless you have seen first hand a professional's work, I would caveat emptor, "let the buyer beware". Consider taking this question to the Paint forum where you can ask real pros how to find a good one.

"Pros" did the house I currently live in. I have drip marks and "stings" of paint on the carpet, on the base boards, etc. They touched up some of the trim with latex over the original oil which has flaked off and looks terrible.

My mom always said, you want something done right, you do it yourself.

When we first moved in, we hired someone to paint all the rooms. He did a lousy job, but we've lived with it.

Now, we're remodeling room by room and are doing it ourselves. When I got estimates, they were very high just for 2 rooms. Frankly, with the rooms we've done so far, it looks like a professional job pat on back>>....plus, I know how to cut in so that helps alot and I don't use blue tape. Having the right angle brush is the key.

Besides, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to things like this.

We do our own inside - always have. DH painted the porch once - took it down to bare wood, then primed and painted it. I have gotten quite decent at plaster repairs, but when we wanted all the rooms done, we hired someone to do that part. We then did the primer and painting.

If you end up hiring someone, at least for the staircase, heed Donka's story. We have learned the hard way that even if someone is highly recommended, if they have new/different staff than the job that caused the recommendation, you may not get the same result.

I agree with the others who said it is slower but less frustrating to just do it yourself. Make sure you have good light. I don't like the blue tape, myself - the paint can bleed under it. Try both ways and see which works for you, I guess.

Janjan, don't make DH do it all himself! Painting is really fun project to do together. Enjoy!

If I had the $$$ I'd definitely hire it out. But since I dont, I do it myself. It's alot of work, but I found that what people charge is way more than I feel willing to pay.

I had a 1000 sq ft house in San Diego that I was renting to a friend (after I moved to Ga and before I sold it) and I got estimates for painting it, 2 bedrooms, LR, DR and den and the very cheapest I found was like $1800. UGH, and UGH. So I got on a plane ($300) found a whole lot of great oops paint ($5 a gallon) along with a bunch of paint I left behind when I moved, and gave it a face lift. Took 3 days to do it all for me. the people who ended up buying the house, LOVED all the paint colors and still have not changed a thing :) so I guess it was a success.

I can if I have to, don't like to, too picky, slower than Christmas, but it is nice to know that I can.

I have a wonderful "handy-man" who can do basic electrical, carpentry, hang and finish sheetrock, basic plumbing, lays tile and hardwood and is a great painter. But the best part is, he only charges $10/hr. I don't think he knows how talented he is, and I try never to take advantage of him. That just happens to be one of the advantages to living in rural Appalachia. Very interesting character - old hippy, rehabilitated druggie, still an alcoholic (we don't work him on Mondays - he is usually hung-over). Oh, and he doesn't drive. There is a story there too from his past. But, we are more than happy to transport him and feed him and check up on him at times.

Tuesday

Tuesday, it's a pity your guy does not travel, LOL

If there's any way we can afford to, we'd prefer to hire it out. Our cutting-in always looks like s*** because neither of us has steady hands (the one lingering aftereffect of DH's bout with Graves' hyperthyroidism is hand tremor, even though he's been in complete remission 10+ years), and I fizzle out way too quickly with repetitive motions like rolling. We painted (and otherwise half rebuilt) our porch this summer and it was pretty miserable.

We have a friend rather like Tuesday's, kind of a jack-of-all-trades, who moved back to this end of the state after a few years away and will likely be helping us with a bunch of stuff as the budget permits, and he's agreed to try to teach DH some honey-do kind of things. He's a major hippie with a taste for the ganja (but never while working) - he's slow but quite picky about his work, and thankfully he only asks $15/hr plus materials from friends. He and I put in a lot of hours together working on the master suite-lette in the other house.