ellis.hayden•1mo agoProlific Poster

I just hit 50 gallons of paint mixed for my own house projects

That number really hit me because everyone online says to hire out painting. I've redone every room, the trim, and the garage myself over 4 years. The cost for that much pro work would have been huge, maybe over 15 grand. I learned how to cut in without tape and which rollers don't shed. Has anyone else kept track of a material amount that made DIY worth it for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

valh321mo agoMost Upvoted

That's a crazy amount of paint. How did you keep track of the total gallons, just by saving all the cans? I'm curious if you found one brand that worked way better than the others for all those different surfaces.

luna8911mo ago

Keeping track by saving cans sounds like a smart move. It made me remember the time I painted my old garage and just wrote the totals on the wall with a pencil as I went. As for brands, I got stuck on one that was terrible on wood but fine on drywall, so I had to switch halfway through. It was a huge mess and I ended up mixing up my own counts. I learned that no single brand seems to get it right for every surface in my experience. You really have to pick based on the specific wall or trim you're doing.

the_riley1mo ago

Totally feel you on the brand struggle. I did my whole kitchen with this one "all-surface" paint and the cabinets looked awful, like a sticky mess, while the walls were fine. Ended up having to strip and redo them, which was a nightmare. Makes you realize those paint labels are more like loose suggestions than actual promises. Now I just accept I'm buying at least two different kinds for any big project.