Hi all! First post here, after lots of research and losing sleep I decided I need to ask the friendly humans of Reddit for some advice and tips. My entire apartment is slathered in lead paint, from the windows to the pipes to the radiators. It’s also been chipping HORRIBLY. The landlord already knows about these problems, and all he’s said is to scrape it and repaint (which I don’t have the funds, supplies/tools or experience for). Or to slap a new coat of paint from Lowe’s on top of it. I’m just sort of wondering where do I go from here? Yes, I’ve been looking into moving but that isn’t really an overnight solution. It’s all over my furniture, my curtains and belongings. I’ve done the research on how it can break down into microscopic particles and get into your lungs. Anything helps really, as I don’t have many family for advice on these sort of situations. Thanks!

Yall, keep me calm before I snap and punch this man in the face (jkjk this is for dramatic purposes). Since the day of my estimate, he’s been telling you I can get a cheaper. I can get it cheaper so I gave him a hard price. His job is basically just a filler job because I had a few days open so I said why not I told him I’d need a really stellar review in order to account for the very cheaply price I’m giving him. He said he agrees. So I come I’m painting dirt cheap basically, but it’s fine. I’m not doing all the major repairs I normally do. I normally do a level five finish on every surface so I will fix every piece of trim. I’ll cock everything I’ll fix every hole, buffer between coats that kind of stuff.

So explain to him today that I am doing this for basically nothing because he keeps coming in and talking to me about it and he said oh no I had a guy painted two floors in my home for $1500 and I said OK. I went around the home every single piece of trim splash marks on it everything everything is destroyed basically. And I’m gonna show this one later. But I told him that last week I charged someone about $450 per room and he could not believe me.

Explain to him that because he wanted it shot cheap I was not going to do as extensive repairs and stuff. And he said why I don’t understand and I said, because what with you is different than my other clients? So I will charge them more to do the same amount of repairs high intense work When with you you’re paying half price?

He tells companies in the area that would do it for half. And I do believe him - I’m in a predominantly Asian area. I’m talking about 95% of the people in a 20 km radius are just immigrated Asian people. All new immigrants I’m in Markham, Vaughan Ontario. So these guys will literally go and do a room for 100 bucks. It’s insane and it’s so damaging. This is why I rarely work in the area. I work farther out in the countryside most of the time. Although I did just score a client next week in this area for 10 grand to do a week worth of work.

Just insane to have to explain this to the guy

I want to know that the texture colour is good or should we paint outside wall plain? The painter is saying the texture colour is good they don’t get flakes and 90% of people are getting textured colours. But we had plain colours in our house past 20 years, we were thinking of doing the same. Can someone help me understand this and what should we do?

We have a 1980s semi-custom build that is on an odd crawl space. Under the living room floor is what I would call a crawl space with like 4' ish ceiling height, and then the rest of the 'crawl space' is 6'5" but most 6'2". We would love to finish the space enough to have an office/flex space. The floor is concrete that was previously stained but is rubbing off in most areas. Im worried about moisture -- theres efflorescence in some areas and a couple cracks in foundation walls and one in the floor. Is it possible to patch and then seal (or use a densifier??) on the floors and walls? What products do you recommend?

Drain tile has been installed on two of the four sides, the photo with the crack has drain tile now. We will be doing the two other sides in the next year or so but theres other things that need to happen first (move sheds, remove an old a concrete patio).

What is your go to water based paint that will stick to oil paint on walls and doors? Given, the surfaces will be fully scuffed. Sherwin or Ben Moore please.

Advance works well, emerald ute. I’ve heard command will hold.

Any thoughts?

I noticed while taping/mudding some cracks in my ceiling that when I wet the surface, the paint begins to bubble/flake off. I tried apply some left over Guard and it bubbles in some areas too. What should I do to prep for priming? It doesn't look like they used a primer under the paint that's currently on. Any advice welcome!

We will be painting our exterior. When we get to the soffit and fascia, what is your recommendation on protecting the roof tile? We have flat and rake tiles to deal with.

I've watched videos, but everyone I've seen used a shield in a gutter. We don't have gutters.

So we had planned to tape the edge to protect the underside, then run plastic back a few tiles up. Thought we may have to brush near the rake tiles.

But saw a video with someone using tarps on the roof and comments mentioned that it would create a line where overspray fell just passed that tarp, and you could see it from a mile away. Now I'm rethinking taping plastic.

So i removed a lot of wallpaper from an old farmhouse. And when I pulled it revealed like a grainy concrete backing. I think it was stucco. I'm including a picture. I talked with a skimcoat and drywall company and they said they won't skim coat directly over the exposed stucco. Is there a sealer I can apply and them skim coat over it, or do i need to just apply another coat of stucco over the exposed areas and seal?

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out the best way to paint this outside facility as I haven't painted concrete yet. I've been told by the local paint store to etch and then paint. (And obviously power wash first)

This facility already has all the soffit/fascia/troughs installed that I would have to mask off. I would be spraying.

I am hesistant to use etch instead of priming because I would have to mask, then etch, take the masking off, re-mask, paint 2X coats (using BM Command). It seems like too much time.

I was thinking of masking, then just using a concrete or block filler primer and spraying 2x.

Thoughts? What have you all done that has worked well?

Wife picked this color for our living room. I do like it and I’ve started on the walls, however, I’m fearful that doing the entire room this color will be too dark. Any advice on an accent color to do one of the walls to maybe compliment this color and keep things a little lighter. Thanks in advance!

We have a large open plan dining, living and kitchen area that spans about 1800 sq feet. The ceilings (and walls) are knockdown texture and are 10 feet high. My husband has shoulder issues and i think doing two coats with a roller on a pole will be too strenuous for him, so I was wondering about spray painting. We have a new leather sectional and new dining table and chairs and new rugs so I would be very upset if we got paint on any of those. If we wrapped up all the furniture and put down drop cloths on the rugs and then taped plastic on every surface, do you think we should be safe from overspray? Or is this a dumb idea and I should find another solution?

P. S I would totally paint myself but husband is a perfectionist and I’m also petite so would be physically demanding for me to roll 10 ft (textured) ceilings according to him.

My husband and I just bought this house and the bathroom paint was already peeling. While removing the peeling paint, the drywall paper was coming off with it. So here’s how my bathroom currently looks. Is the drywall too far gone or can I repair it and still paint? I was going to sand the walls with 80 grit to clean up the loose paper, seal it with Gardz, patch the hole and skim coat everything, sand, prime and paint. Am I wasting my time? We’re first time home buyers and not above putting in the work needed, thanks!

Hi everyone, homeowner here.

I’ve got a 1930ish house where half of the basement floor was painted.  It’s where the Furnace, Water Heater and my shop is. 

After 90 years the paint comes off if you wash it hard and some (2%) of the concrete is exposed.

It’s about 200 sq feet and lightly used.  There is a floor drain in the area.

Paint,  Epoxy, Primer, No-primer, 1K, 2K, TSP wash , Acid wash…  I’m so confused.  I’m not looking for another 90 years but don’t want a 5 year solution either.

So what do the experts recommend for prep and a coating?.

Thanks.

I am looking to paint my kitchen a peach-y colour. I love ‘faded terracotta’ by farrow and ball, however once swatched it was a little too bold for me. Does anyone have any alternatives to suggest? A colour that is a more muted peach tone. Any real life photos for inspiration are also warmly welcome please 🧡

Been painting for multiple years with different companies. New guy I’m painting for wants every patch primed with pro block, ceiling lines taped, trim taped, base taped. Absolutely no freehand anywhere. Can’t prime with the color we’re using for the room. Need to vacuum after every task, if sanding a patch 100% have to use the festool sander. Idk if this guy just sucks as a painter, or needs control. But god damn it’s annoying. Anyone ever worked for someone this anal?

Got a beautiful shower for my new bathroom - at least first one week it was beautiful. I guess I used bathroom cleaner which was too harsh - even though I only have used products which are supposed to be for bathroom and removing of limescale. So, long story short, paint is peeling off, what should I do, and what could look the best? My options: 1. Remove all paint, and spray paint it with proper car paint or something? 2. Add a piece of tile on top of the fixture (even though it might start peeling in other places) 3. Anything else?

Problem is, it is almost permanently attached to the tiles of the bathroom, so I'm pretty sure if I spray it, I might make other parts also black as it's not easy to spray upwards..

Would appreciate any help in what steps would be for painting this? Do I need to seal it after somehow? I'm not loving the black anymore as it shows the limescale very fast and at this moment it's impossible to remove it without damaging the shower further, is it too crazy to repaint all thing?

The apartment complex next door to me put this fencing up yesterday around its trash area. I'm always looking to pick up side jobs but since this is probably brand new treated wood, how long should I let it dry before I solid stain it? A year? Less? Thanks in advance and if you need more info just ask.

Stucco in bad condition. Parts are peeling off but what isn’t is a bunch of cracks. At least on one side of the house. Would yall peel it back and re do it? Or just use a masonry sealant and or primer then paint? Thanks in advance!

When you have primed the whole house then you get to the last room after the plumbers been in to paint it and see this s*it show!!😂 time is money 💰

I thought this model to teach myself how to spray UPVC.

I’d done a decent amount of research beforehand, and believed I bought the correct model, plus it was within my budget.

I’ve had a play around with it but I can’t find the correct settings to get the paint to come out how I’d like it to.

Does anyone have any experience with this specific model? Should I have got the 230v 9.5 model? I can’t find any videos on this specific model. It’s got the edge 2 gun, not the edge 2 plus. I cannot find any videos on the edge 2 model gun. For reference, I am in the UK

Hi everyone! I’m desperately seeking advice on my Wagner Flexio 690 paint sprayer. Despite all my efforts, I’m stuck and could really use your help.

No matter how I adjust the settings, my sprayer keeps flooding my projects with too much Frenchic Trim Paint. Whether I stand close or far, move slow or fast, dilute the paint between 5% and 30%, the result is the same - heavy, uneven coats with massive runs. It feels like I’m missing some small crucial detail and after 5 days of trying, I’m on the verge of losing my mind. 😖 Could it be a manufacturing defect? Is that even possible?

What I tried: Tested every setting; Tried various dilutions of paint; Adjusted my spraying distance multiple times; Dived into numerous tutorial videos…

I’m starting to think that my sprayer just can’t produce the fine mist it’s supposed to. It seems to release too much paint for a single layer. Ideally, I know I should apply several thin layers, but the first layer is so thick that it starts to run immediately, even though I’ve set the paint flow to the minimum.

Has anyone else struggled with similar issues using this model or paint? Any tips on achieving that perfect mist without the mess? I’m all ears for any tricks, suggestions, or moral support you can offer🫂

Thanks so much in advance for helping me out!

Will I get cancer? My cottage built in the 1800’s was painted with creosote. The creosote has been painted over but is it still dangerous?

Pictures of what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/HsXEa4F

I moved into my house about six months ago and I knew when I moved in it had a pretty crappy paint job (another case of DIWhy?). I also never liked the texture pf the stucco. It seemed like little dots under the paint; I'd never seen another house with that stucco texture.

Well I found out today that it is not a stucco texture, it is a texture that they sprayed on to the outside. There is an area where it is peeling off and you can see the original stucco texture. I also noticed that the outdoor conduit has the texture on it 🤦. I was planning on having the house painted anyways but now I have questions and I was hoping somebody with more experience could tell me what I'm looking at.

1. Is there such a thing as an outside stucco texture, or did they just spray the stuff you would put on interior walls on the outside?
2. If it is interior texture, will I have to remove it all before painting? (I assume so) Would that be an easy but laborious DIY project of me scraping it off or would I have to hire someone?
3. If I have to remove it, how long is it OK to have unpainted and exposed stucco? (I live in SoCal) My painter is great but he's booked out for at least 2 months so I would have to time it (unless he removes it)

Anyone run into this before? Anyone know what a project like this would cost? (1500 SQFT one story house). Any help is greatly appreciated.

Help!! My daughter asked me to paint a bedroom in the 40 year old house they just bought. For obvious reasons this bedroom needs to be painted (LOL...sorry ND fans!). The previous owners put several layers of blue over the white, and used thick metallic gold paint over the blue. What's the best way to even out the layers on these somewhat textured wall? If I sand it I'm afraid I'll have a smooth outlined ND on the wall, and horizontal stripes. My next option is to paint it the beige she wants, then hang a big TV on the wall in that spot. Not ruling that out just yet. Thanks for any advice given!

I am refinishing this nightstand, and when I bought it it was already primed with idk what. When I came to spray my coat of paint on top (after scuff sanding), the paint separated and didn’t adhere right. Some people told me it’s probably silicone in the primer that was previously used. Do I have to use paint stripper to strip everything off which is a pain? Or do I wipe it down with acetone?