Deciding which paint to use has gotten much easier now that acrylic latexes have pushed oil-based paints almost to extinction. The acrylics offer superior performance (they don't harden with age, the way oils do, so they move and breathe without blistering), they don't mildew as readily, and they emit fewer VOCs, so they comply with new air-quality regulations. They also work over both oil- and water-based primers.
If less than half the old paint is left, however, it may be worth stripping it all off. Guertin gets rid of stubborn remnants using shrouded grinders (like the PaintShaver), infrared paint strippers (such as the Speedheater), or chemical strippers (like Multi-Strip), then smooths the wood with a course or two of sanding. When siding (or bank accounts) can't take the shock of a total strip job, Rich O'Neil, of Masterwork Painting in Bedford, Massachusetts, has successfully hidden rough, well-adhered paint under Peel Bond, a thick primer. House Painting CO
Generally speaking, a gallon of paint will cover about 350 square feet. If this is the first time drywall is painted, it will soak up more paint. And remember to factor in whether your job will require one or two coats of paint. Dark and bright colors will require more coats of paint, as will painting a lighter color over an existing darker color. Divide the paintable wall surface by 350 to determine how many gallons of paint you will need to buy. If there’s an odd number with less than .5 leftover, round down, if it’s over .5 round up. House Painting CO
The other difficult part is getting a painting contractor to show up. While this generalization does not apply to every painter, you can rarely get a paint contractor to show up to look at the house and to later produce a written estimate. It's hardly the fault of the painting contractors; it is a combination of the contractors being smaller operations along with a high demand for their work. House Painting
