Painting decisions for a neurotic perfectionist procrastinator - please help!!!

Obviously I'm brand new to this forum, so "hi" and thanks in advance for any and all tips and pointers.

I've agreed to paint a funky little rental cottage for my inlaws. It's in my nature to over research, get hung up on perfection, and ultimately under-execute. Now the time has come to actually buy the paint and start painting and I'm finding I'm still hitting some mental blocks.

Here's the background stuff:

I've painting a fair number of interior spaces successfully and once spent a summer painting exteriors. Although I was the go-to girl for my abilities with the sprayer, I've probably taken away more of an appreciation for how much I don't know than anything else from that experience.

The cottage is fairly old and neglected so I've been spending more time than I care to on prep. Soffits needed lots of scraping and sanding, some are being replaced. Caulk is failing pretty much everywhere (which i've now removed) and much of what is made of wood has a fair amount (but manageable) of rot. There is a moderate amount of 100% silicone caulking used in a number of odd places (some I was able to remove, some not), including between wood framed patio screening and the body of the house and on the concrete of the patio itself. Fascia boards mostly needed to be sanded down completely (due to a cheap, crumpling laminate being applied over it with gobs of hard adhesive).

The cottage is synthetic (Sto) stucco over cinder block. Stucco is unpainted. There is no mildew but there are bad red soil stains. There is some minor water damage here and there that's being addressed by an actual handy person.

The climate conditions are dry/tropical.

SO...

What type of paint do you all recommend? I thought I had settled on Valspar since it's available at the big box and also at the more conveniently located local hardware store, but it turns out the colors I need are not available both places. I've gotten different answers about whether that matters, but it does sound like even if I get the color custom matched off the chip from the other store, they won't match between the two stores. So, now I'm wondering if I should just get my colors matched but from Sherwin Williams. I need paint that will block the stains underneath it, look ok on the stucco finish, be ok over the Sto (lots of conflicting info about what that means), and hold up to sun, dirt, and regular, gentle washing (due to all the dust and dirt). I did get sticker shock yesterday and am not sure where I need to be on the spectrum from $65/5gal to $240/5gal.

Is it worth getting Valspar Reserve or SW Ovation for all coats? Or at all? Can I go for an eggshell/satin on the stucco without it looking odd? How seriously should I take manufacturer's recommendation of the color having at least 30% reflectivity and how dark is that anyway?

What is recommended for priming the areas of bare wood on the soffits and fascias? And sheen-wise for the top coat, I'm torn between future maintenance and showing the flaws along the feathered edges where I've sanded (I'm not sure how it will look, but also not sure my neck and lady arms can handle much more sanding upside down). The roof is flat and while it rarely rains, there are storms and there has obviously been past exposure, in addition to loads of dirt and salt. Help?

I'm leaning towards a 2-part epoxy for the concrete patio, but haven't used that type of product before. Due to flaws in it's design, it's almost impossible to clean thoroughly, it is uneven and has some minor cracks and will have standing water after any storm. Is this a product I could reasonably manage myself? Anything I should know about it or watch out for?

The front door is steel and I've like to paint it red-orane (SW "Peppery"). As mentioned, this is a hot, dry, but moderately humid climate. The door gets a little direct sun in the later afternoon. I've been told any quality exterior paint will do. There is also a wrought iron security door that will need paint. Thoughts? Oh, and I should add, there is also a metal storage shed that will be getting painted and I'm skeptical about latex on that, too.

The inside should be all downhill once I get in there, but if anyone has tips on painting over stained cabinets in a way that will look nice, go fast, and hold up in a rental that's be super-duper. ;D

Budget is definitely a factor, so anywhere I can save I need too, however, all parties have agreed that a killer paint job on such a funky old place will really help it look, well, a little less funky and a lot more charming. Which is to say, I don't mind putting in the time, thought and effort to do a good job - and of course mistakes are costly. But so is an empty rental :-\

 

Welcome to the forums!

Sounds like you know that proper prep is about as important as using the correct coatings

Paints don't adhere to silicone caulk but when it's not feasible to remove it, coating the silicone with a pigmented shellac like Zinnser's BIN helps. The better paintable caulks will be a siliconized acrylic latex [not to be confused with pure unpaintable silicone] The dirt stained stucco probably doesn't need a special primer to hide the stains but the stucco does need to be primed. Most any exterior latex prime will do, years ago we used to thin the finish paint 10% and use it for the prime coat,

While I've used a good bit of oil base Valspar exterior paint way back when, I don't know much about their modern day coatings. Generally you'll find better coatings [advice too] at your local paint store. I don't recall having used SWP's Ovation line of paint but know that their SuperPaint or Duration will give you good results.

Satin is ok for stucco although I wouldn't go any shiner. IMO it looks best if the trim on the house has a little more sheen than the body so if you use satin on the stucco - use semi-gloss on the trim. Whenever you spray porous substrates it's important to back roll [or brush] so the coating gets worked into the substrate.

Residential steel doors generally need to be painted with latex because the metal is often thin and will expand/contract with temp changes which will make oil base coatings peel. There are often big differences between brands/lines of latex paint with some of the cheaper ones being prone to stick to the weather stripping even after they've had time to dry

What is currently on the patio? Generally it's best not to paint exposed concrete as any moisture that migrates up thru the slab will lift the paint. I've had better results with concrete stain than paint [assuming it isn't currently painted]

Proper prep is key when painting previously stained cabinets. A solvent based primer [oil base or pigmented shellac] along with sanding is needed to insure a good bond! You might find this helpful - http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pa...t-repaint.html

If I missed anything or you have other questions - don't hesitate to ask

 

Thank you so much for the help! I really appreciate it. Although I've gotten decent help at the paint store before, when I thought I was ready to buy paint the other day, the gal working really didn't know anything and I sort of got panicky. A lot of information online is contradictory, including paint reviews ("best paint ever," "worst paint ever," "really thin," "thick and clumpy," "took one coat," "took NINE coats" all describing the exact same product). I haven't painted an exterior in forever and you know, it's my in-laws place, so I have a right to get a little crazy over this.

I did read the cabinet repaint article and that sounds reasonable enough. Ventilation won't really be an issue, so I'll go for the nasty stuffs. I know higher sheen isn't advised for amateurs but I think that's the way I need to go...?

Great point on the patio. It is unpainted currently. It's just that it's atrocious. It's sort of a patchwork of cements with weird lines and cracks - very funky. Covering it would make it look a lot more cohesive, obviously. But I will check it for moisture condensation on the surface. I suppose I was hoping epoxy would be strong enough. Stain might help the look , but...it's just not a pretty slab. What would you recommend stain-wise that might help hide the patchy-ness? Now I know why it was covered with pieces of rotting astro-turf.

Thanks on the silicone. Will it bridge successfully where it's a thinner bead, like with the good quality paintable caulk? Where it's really thick I suppose anything I do will fail eventually...

Can I use the same latex paint on the security/screen door as on the metal front door? And on the storage shed?

THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

I think sometimes bad reviews are more a product of inexperienced [faulty] application or the wrong coating for the job at hand .... but it also goes the other way with folks that haven't used superior coatings and think the one they used did a fantastic job. The particular line of paint is more important than the brand name! Both B.Moore and SWP have some fine coatings but they also have some that aren't fit for much. That can be said about most paint manufactures. Don't think I said earlier but most any paint store [maybe not a paint dept] can match anyone's paint - all they need is a sample. The paint chart chips aren't always accurate but they can match that chip.

What sheen to use is mostly a personal decision although less sheen is more forgiving in both application and with defects in the substrate than a shinier paint is. Personally I like gloss although I've painted a lot of cabinets with both semi-gloss and satin or eggshell - the customer's likes trumps mine

While a few heavy coats of paint will minimize the different textures in the patio - it won't make them disappear. A concrete stain would make it all the same color but again the other differences will still be seen. I'm partial to the H&C solid concrete stains sold at SWP. They will wear off over time but there isn't much prep other than cleaning to ready it for another coat.

Pure silicone and paint just don't go together just do the best you can with removal and priming and hope for the best.

Latex is usually recommended for residential steel doors. Oil base is best for wrought iron. You could use latex over primer on wrought iron but you'd be relying on the oil base primer to stop any present/future rust.