Since I first laid eyes on our house, I loved it but I knew there were a few things we’d want to change to make it our own. One major thing is that the living room and breakfast room have wood paneling that make the space seem a lot darker than it is, especially since it matches the wood floors. I like THAT it is wood instead of drywall, because I think that once we paint over it the wood will add a lot of character. But the painting is the part I’m stuck at.
I finally got a painter over here today for an estimate. David’s parents and his brother both used the same painting company for their houses so I figured it would be a good one to start with. First, let me show you what we want painted. Here are some pictures of the living room, breakfast room, and kitchen. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t done any decorating at all yet, and we have not received our new furniture either!)
The living room
Another view of the living room
The breakfast room with a view into the utility room
The kitchen
Ideally I want to paint over all the wood, including the ceiling beams and cabinets. There are other rooms I’d like painted too, but we can do those ourselves. I thought that all this wood is the job for a professional.
Here’s what the painter said: to paint over all the wood, including the ceiling, it would be $4475. When I heard that, I was so downhearted, and still am. We have only $2000 escrowed for paint, and can’t really afford to go over that right now. I knew it would be expensive, but I wasn’t counting on it being THAT expensive.
So I’m wondering what our options are. It seems crazy for us to attempt the job ourselves, but is that possible? Is this a fair quote, or do you think we could get it done cheaper? I’m not giving up yet, because I know that painting would make a huge difference in our house. I welcome any advice at all!
From kaitlyn:
This is part of being a home owner I’m a bit scared of! So many home decorating blogs make it look easy, but it can’t be that easy if painters are charging that much for it! I hope you get better advice than I can give :)
From Julienne:
Are there any Home Depot workshops in your area for something like this? I think painting the paneling and beams is a great idea, but I would consider leaving the cabinets for now. See how you like them once everything else is painted, all of the wood might not seem so overwhelming then!
The painters are probably quoting a lot of labour time for that rather than material costs. What if you were able to sand the wood yourself and have them paint it? Would that be feasible for you guys and/or your budget? It might be something worth considering! We did our own demo/removal and it saved us a ton.
From Marchar Stagg:
I think the wood is beautiful. The ceiling beams I think might look better painted but I’d leave the rest unpainted. I’d do some research to see what other things you could do to lighten up the house and if you’re getting new furniture I’d wait to see what it looks like with the new furniture before doing much of anything. I’m not much of a decorator and I haven’t seen your house in person but from the pictures, the wood just really looks great.