Should I hire a painter?

Question

I have a 1080 square foot apartment. All of the walls are painted WHITE. My children have marked on every inch of every wall, door and closet with colored markers, permanent markers, crayons, pencils, pens, keys and whatever else they could find. They think the walls are giant paper.

I've tried scrubbing the walls but decided that it's not worth the time being that large areas are covered with these markings. My lease ends the end of November and I did't pay a security deposit when I moved in and don't want to get charged and I need to find out if I should hire a painter to paint the walls white or do it myself?

I'm trying to be as cheap as possible. There's nothing special about the paint that is on the wall. It's not glossy or anything. I think that it's just flat, white paint.

My question is... would it be cheaper to hire a painter to paint a 1080 sqft. apartment WHITE, not including the celing or should I do it myself with no family or friends that can help?

Answer 1

I think that you should hire a painter, not because it's cheaper but because you can't paint over colored markers. You have to wash it or scrape the paint off to take the colored markers off. This means a lot of work. If you have the time, go ahead and do it. If not, it's easy to hire a painter.

Answer 2

I am a painter and it will cost way too much not to do it yourself. It First requires covering the markered areas with Oil based primer (the sell it in spray cans at Sherwin Williams for 5-6$). Then I would go to walmart and get a 5 gallon bucket of Colorplace flat or satin paint (or you can buy it by the gallon) and get one of their complete paint kits (pan, brush, roller and cover) and start painting. This should only cost you about $70 to $80 for all your materials. If you are short on time and have the money use a painter. You can get free estimates and make your decision. Whatever you decide Good Luck:) I just read some of the other answers and I think you could get some one to do this for less than !1080$ I havent seen your apt but if the walls are the only thing being painted and you are using one color of paint some painters take these things into consideration and dont overcharge for one coat of paint (specify this to the ones you get est. from) You should also look into seeing if the landlord paints after every tenant. If so explain the issue to him and ask him if you could pay for half of what the painter charges or what the extra cost the painter will tack on due to all of the primering to be done. Most landlords have painting companys that come and paint for them on a regular basis so they get better deals.

Answer 3

1) You could ask him for references. 2) You could call the Better Business Bureau to find out if there are any complaints against him. 3) Be sure you use a high quality paint. Shop around a little. 4) Ask the painter for written proof that he is bonded or insured. You don't want him or a crew member to sue you if one of them falls off a ladder. 5) Do not pay the entire $1100 up front. If he's a crook, he won't complete the job. If he insists on money up front, $300-$400 ought to do it. Make the final payment when the job is done to your satisfaction, including cleanup and removing paint from woodwork, etc. 6) Make sure he will "touch-up" as directed by you. Usually, it is not a good idea to go to the low bidder. I think you're on the right track. It's easier if you're in a smlaaer city, a smaller market. Then he would be more careful because the word gets around if he does a lousey job. Good luck.

Answer 4

I would personally do it myself. A painter could easily charge you the same or more as your security deposit cost, so what would be the point?

Not sure how long you've lived there, but the landlord likely has to paint anyway. A quicker solution might be to simply match or try to match the paint color...there are a million different shades of white...and simply clean the walls as best you can, then spot paint over the major damage.

For future reference, and not trying to be preachy here, but perhaps you should consider a little more discipline with your children. While I can see a few mistakes they might make, sounds like your situation is a more than that. If you teach them not to mark up the walls to begin with, you won't have this problem in your next place.

Answer 5

KILZ and ZINZER sell an oil based primer. Once dry it accepts latex over. As opposed as I am to using primer needlessly; this is an obvious case of need.

In your case a gallon will probably be more than enough, and you need only prime over the marks. Then spend money for CHEAP paint and do the job.

I've applied multiple thousands of gallons of paint in my time; but I'm not a Pirate. In your case I'd probably charge you no less than $1080 to paint the apt.,,,at the low end. That equates to $1 per sq. ft. of assumed living space; NOT wall sq. footage; which might be triple that. It hardly seems worth it for you.

Steven Wolf

Answer 6

go for it and do it yourself as far as the colored marker and everything else get some kilz from Lowes or Home Depot and paint over all the kids markings with it then while it is drying start cutting in all your edges and corners with a cheap white paint by the time you are done with the edges you'll be ready to paint the walls

Answer 7

Well since your kids already think that your walls are a giant piece of paper, go with it. Have fun and let the kids help. just don't forget the plastic to cover the floors or you will be paying a carpet layer. Painting is easy, cheap, and fun, and i bet those kids would love to help.

Answer 8

to answer your question,, yes it will be cheaper for you to paint the house,,
wolf has the right number for my area but different areas have different prices
kilz and contractor grade paint (another way to say cheap) sounds better dont it
you have 2 months ,,have some fun ,,paint the house and apply some leather to the children next time
you didnt ask for child raising advice ,, but it is all the same price

Answer 9

do it your self. use a good primer (kilz-2 or zinsser or bin) to cover all the marks. pull the furniture away from the walls, cover the floor (if you don't have drops use newspaper) use a roller and brush (to cut in around the edges) keep a rag handy to clean off any mistakes quickly. use a pole with the roller handle (a broom stick works fine).

Answer 10

I would do it myself, but I like to paint! With all the markings on the wall you will probably have to prime at least the areas that are marked up......you are probably looking at three to four gallons of paint at the most, primer will cost more that the paint, just buy Walmart flat paint it is made by Sherwin Williams, it shouldn't take that long to paint the square footage you have, I painted 800 sq ft in two days, ceiling, wood work and walls...