Painting to appease the Man

I have a conventional house in a conventional ghetto neiborhood.
The cities idea of improving the hood is to cite poor homeowners for things like peeling paint.
My beibors idea of improving the hood is to lodge false complaints about my chickens.

Sticking with paint for this thread, is there a cheap effective way to paint my house?
If I had the money, I would replace the shakes with metal siding.
But I'm broke.
I know cheap paint is generally not worth the hassel, so I'm looking for options.

Cement paint, whitewash, I don't know what.
Any ideas would be great.

Hide the house behind a thick layer of vines and say you've joined the ivy league?

Seriously though, I remember someone on the forums making paint by melting styrofoam with nail polish remover. He was trying it on some outdoor stuff, and theoretically it would work.

Hah! Im trying to coax a grape vine down the west wall, strictly to cover the brick first story.
A foot of brick is durable, and a thermal flywheel. It retains the heat of a summer's day well into the night 😔

I have seen that recipe, I would use it on a boat or shed, but not the house,too flammable.

If you don't care too much about the color, you might ask some local paint stores if they have miscolored batches. Or collect a bunch of leftover paint from friends/craigslist/etc. Mix it all together once you have enough and you'll probably end up with some kind of brown.

Or maybe just tell them you're going for the "shabby chic" look, and that you've spent a long time working on those paint peels ;)

Without trying to cause offence, I am amazing looking in from Australia to hear the story you tell.
Of not being able to paint house because of the cost.
How does a community work when so many people seem to be oppressed?

Old timers always used white wash to make the barns look nice ...

This guy has some good ideas ...

In some cities the city actually gathers used paints from residents who have leftovers they don't know how to dispose of. Those remnants are mixed together and then redistributed to interested citizens either free or very cheaply. I don't know if there are programs like that in you area, but I bet whatever department is responsible for issuing the citations will know. From what I've seen the resulting color is usually pale muddy or greyish. Very bland, but a good choice for exterior paint in a hot climate.

Of course, there are exceptions. The interior of our house had been painted with such remnants when we moved in and one room was an odd color like oxidized pepto bismol. If you can get a large quantity of paint with such an unpleasant color for free, maybe you can afford to buy enough of another strongly colored paint to mix in and create a better shade.

edit: I watched the video above and this information is covered there as well has letting you know where you will probably find it in your town.

John C Daley wrote:Without trying to cause offence, I am amazing looking in from Australia to hear the story you tell.
Of not being able to paint house because of the cost.
How does a community work when so many people seem to be oppressed?

Heh. Yeah, I drive past street walkers and drug dealer everyday, but a house is a big fat target.
It only makes sense to ignore the criminals, apprehending them costs money.
Houses generally have owners with a vested interest and some income.
Leveling civil fines on home owners is safer and more effective.

That being said, I know it needs to be done, but I have more pressing matters, including a leaky roof.
There are some great suggestions here, I think I'll be able to afford the paint, as long as I'm not picky, and I'm not.

My house is roughly 2.5 stories on the west side, due to the sub grade drive way, that will be the biggest challenge.
Maybe I hang out the window.
It's only the second story that has paint.
It might actually be worth paying for white paint, to reduce thermal gain.
It's frustrating, I know the right way to do it, but it takes tools, time and materials I struggle to afford.

You may be able to build some scaffolding tom suit, it will be a shorter task if you are not moving ladders etc every 10 minutes.
I can help with a design if needle

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for their "opps" paint.  They've usually got a rack near the counter where they mix paint.  Every day it's something different, but I've often seen 5-gal pails with high quality paint for a third of what it costs if you have it mixed yourself.

If your paint is peeling, use a pressure washer to scrape it.  Scraping by hand is torture.

If you've got bare wood, you really should prime it first.  Some paints claim to be "paint and primer in one", but I'm old-school and I prefer to get a good primer and put that down as my base coat before putting a top coat over it.

If you've never used a sprayer, STRONGLY consider using one.  It's worth the cost of purchasing one, which I did.  I bought a top-of-the-line model, but you don't need to go that fancy.  If I were to do it over again, I'd buy something a bit less expensive (in the $175 range).  

When painting with a sprayer, you'll spend most of your time doing prep work, masking windows and such, and getting everything ready to spray.  The actual spraying only takes a fraction of the time that everything else does.  It doesn't sound like you are that invested in putting a lot of time or money into your house, but from my experience, if you're going to be living in it for more than 5 years, take the time and do it right.  I put two coats of primer on my house (concrete stucco) and then two coats of elastomeric paint on top of it.  That was 12 years ago and it's only starting to get thin on the south side where the sun beats on it.  

You use a bit more paint when you spray (due to overspray) but it is so much easier.  We blasted out our house in about 2 weeks, just my wife and I, working in the cool morning hours and a few hours at night.  It's a big house -- 2 story.  I'm an old dude who is getting too old for tall ladders, but it saved me about $4000 over what I'd been quoted, and that includes buying the sprayer and all the paint.

Sprays often change the colour of the cars in the area, neighbours windows have been known to get a mist over them.
I suggest you think carefully about spray units.
PS I have used them, but it took effort to keep cars etc away

Most people don’t think of Sherwin Williams because it’s such expensive paint but they also have oops paint. They call them mis-tints. Sherwin Williams often processes large commercial orders and if they mess one up its your lucky day. Mis-tints often go for $1 a gallon and more than once I have walked in and they have mis-tinted an entire order and there is anywhere between 2 to 5, 5 gallon buckets of matched paint sitting there. Many times I have bought $1,000 worth of high quality paint for $30 to $50.

Around here the Habitat for Humanity ReStores have LOTS of paint, and it's cheaper than the mistints at Lowes. I picked up several 5 gallon buckets, each  with about 4 gallons of paint in them, for 10.00 each. I chose the colors and type well (I needed brown exterior latex) mixed them to get a shade I liked, then did it with a roller on an extension pole. ReStore always has lots of rollers too. Worth seeing if you have one near you!  

Hmmmm... Cincinnati. I've heard you can't polish a turd. LOL Just kidding.

Actually I had a similar experience in Lebanon, IL.  I had aluminum siding (not peeling) and only the fascia boards had peeling paint. Not really that offensive in my opinion. In fact, a quick drive of the neighborhood and I found several homes in much worse states of paint chipping, gutters hanging and various other visible signs of disrepair.  So I took some pics and lost the sense of worry pretty quick. I did touch up the paint, just wasn't worried about the notice I had received from the town as much.

Long story short... when I lived in South Dakota I know they had locations were leftover paint would be dropped off and given away for free. May be a Google search might help you with that possibility in Cincinnati. Craigslist is also a good place to search for free paint.

Lack of funds is a common complaint, so you might try running a yard sale this weekend and generating some quick funds. Throw in some listings on craigslist.org (or LSN.com maybe?) to help move some fancy items. Whatever you have sitting around could bring in a few bucks. Valspar is a good primer/paint combo that runs about $30 a gallon for a one coat paint product. Touch up the bad spots first, then spread to the better areas. If I lived closer I'd help. Can't stand the politics myself.

Good luck!

Anne Miller wrote:Old timers always used white wash to make the barns look nice ...

This guy has some good ideas ...

I live near Wichita, KS in Sedgwick county.  The county runs a household hazardous waste facility similar to what he mentions in the video.
I've gotten gallons and gallons of paint there.

Since money is an issue (& frankly, I don't think I know many people for whom it isn't), you might also check into renting your equipment, or looking for a local tool/equipment sharing co-op. Then, you don't have to store or maintain, other than cleaning it up, when you're done.

William Bronson wrote:

Heh. Yeah, I drive past street walkers and drug dealer everyday, but a house is a big fat target.
It only makes sense to ignore the criminals, apprehending them costs money.
Houses generally have owners with a vested interest and some income.
Leveling civil fines on home owners is safer and more effective.

Man, I totally know how you feel.  I just started a thread about my city violation for a fence I put up.  I installed a 6 foot fence for security, they made me cut it to 4 feet to meet code, and I had to pay $95 for a permit to do so.  But there's still prostitutes and drug dealers walking past my house every day.

It really is just because it's easier for them to extract homeowners' money systematically because YOU DIDNT FOLLOW THE CODE, rather than go after people who actually commit crimes.  That's much too dangerous for the public servants, who are in fact much more well armed and prepared to deal with them than the general permies, and are employed to do so.  

Free Paint is easy to come by.  Just print a flyer that says you'll "pick up old paint if it is in a sealed container on Saturday Morning".  Pass them out on Monday then drive by Saturday Morning and pick up the free paint.  Mix the colors you think you can and don't  be picky about exact hue.  The extra paint is not really a problem just remove the lids and let dry before you put them in the garbage can.

We used to have to paint the inside of the barns to appease the dairy farm inspectors, and being such a big building, and being a dairy farm with very little money, our go-to-method was always mixing lime with water and lard and spraying it on.

I would recommend NOT using a sprayer, but only because a sprayer uses so much more product. We did on the barns only because it was such a huge area.

I'll chime in, if for no other reason than we too are broke and live on a ridiculously low fixed income.  A notable difference is we live in the country. I've been struggling after a four year long illness to return to functioning, around the house. I totally hear you on the paint and the work needed to put it on. I also hear the comments from people outside the US who weren't aware how bad the corporations have driven down the standard of living here to a point we can't take care of our own homes. Anyway, it seems obvious to me that you need more than paint. I'm surprised no one has asked the question of what society can do to help? I know I am naive living in the country, no hookers or dealers, but If the community wants the house to look a certain way, yet the community isn't sustainable in any way, meaning no jobs, then the community it seems to me must take the responsibility for its people and pull together and help each other out. Surely there are some like-minded folks, maybe even a local politician can help organize a group to help paint houses in the area?
Spoiled in the mountains,
Brian Rodgers

Just a follow up,  since I found my own thread,  while looking for other advice.
I did look for help from a really great community group, People Working Cooperatively but, I make too much money...
The city is still fining me.
They can't seize the house,  but they are piling on more debt.
I'm even reconsidering DIY, because I can afford to die,  but getting seriously hurt while NOT on the job would ruin my family financially.

My dad has offered to help financially, so I'm considering the smartest way to honor his generosity.

Brian Rogers, you have made an interesting point about society being driven into the ground.
How on earth would the whole community start to push back?

William,

If you've got a truck, I've got scaffolding in Berea, KY that you could borrow for as long as needed.

Check a farm store for 5 gallon buckets of white barn paint.

Look for seconds of similar color and composition on paint and mix the together. Be sure you have enough. You won't get a second chance. Do not mix oil with latex, gloss with flat, interior with exterior, etc.

It just hit me, you community is large enough to have a paint recycling center.  You might want to explore this option

William Bronson wrote:Just a follow up,  since I found my own thread,  while looking for other advice.
I did look for help from a really great community group, People Working Cooperatively but, I make too much money...
The city is still fining me.
They can't seize the house,  but they are piling on more debt.
I'm even reconsidering DIY, because I can afford to die,  but getting seriously hurt while NOT on the job would ruin my family financially.

My dad has offered to help financially, so I'm considering the smartest way to honor his generosity.

If you have a habitat for humanity restore in town they will have recycled paint, it's usually in sort of off white colors. They may also be able to connect you with some help getting it applied as well

I am so perplexed by the US and it's priorities. That honestly sounds like a rule that's just been made to make money.  HOAs aren't a thing in Canada really, and even when I lived in a garage apartment in a nice neighbourhood in one of the richest cities in Canada - there was some peeling paint and some neighbours with overgrown lawns. Oh well. Whatever. They'd fine you for having a trailer in your driveway (?!), but not for peeling paint!

I understand your concerns with injuring yourself - I'd be terrified to get injured in the US.

Is there any restrictions on what colours/the quality of the paint job? I'm a contrarian, and I'd be tempted to paint ONLY the areas that are peeling. In some (or several)'lovely', garish colours from mistints or paint remnants. A previous neighbour had a reddish pink brick house with dull, muddy purple trim and a dull muddy green door. I don't mind creative colour choices, but that was probably the ugliest colour scheme I'd ever seen. That might be a suitably obnoxious colour scheme. Just painting the peeling sections might take less time and be cheaper.

Edit: I was raised in a community where Tyvek is considered an appropriate long term siding choice, sometimes going through multiple iterations of re-Tyveking before eventually, maybe, getting covered with siding. I've also seen OSB plywood used as siding - by the time it's there for 10 years, it becomes a really interesting rich brown grey colour with a nice pattern that almost looks deliberate. Peeling paint is the least of my aesthetic concerns, and just seems like an idiotic thing for a city to be inspecting.

John F Dean wrote:It just hit me, you community is large enough to have a paint recycling center.  You might want to explore this option

Exactly the point I was trying to make with our household hazardous waste center.