# Efficient way to wrap an entire house interior?



## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Job is a complete repaint (spray all trim, doors, ceilings, and roll walls) of a vacant house. How do you protect everything?

Steps, 1,2,3,etc

I've actually never wrapped an entire house before and the costs could go through the roof.

If I was to guess, I'd buy thicker poly or plastic for the carpet and wood floors. I don't have enough drop cloths for a 4K size house (2 floors)

Part of the knockdown ceiling is two floors high. I am a bit worried about putting extension ladders on top of the plastic.

Do you use the boxed poly or the rolls of poly? Blue tape for floors or the 3M 2020?

I know how to spray but the prep needed is quite intimidating. I'd imagine it'll take 3 guys a few days just to wrap it up before spraying.

I've turned down 4-5 of these jobs this year and regret it now. I need to develop a new skill to increase revenues.

Anyone do this on a regular basis?

Your process including materials?


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

I've seen some painters start by putting masking tape under the carpet near the baseboards and then use a paper machine with 9" paper to extend out.

Then they use plastic to cover the rest of the floor. In my experience paper seems to tear easily in hallways and around doors when dragging the sprayer hose around.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

If spraying the ceiling first the glass part of windows have to be covered with plastic? 

The frames will get dusted but is it faster to just sand sponge them to remove the overspray dust? I used to cover all the trim with plastic when spraying ceilings alone but that could get costly.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Should I spray all the doors first before the ceiling? And then cover them when spraying the ceilings?

I know I can do this but just looking for better efficiency on such a large job.

Eventually, after 10 of these jobs, I'll certainly learn and dial in the process but I want to skip the learning curve. I don't want to reinvent the wheel in other words. Learning can cost you a lot of money.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Just a tip, don’t stretch your floor plastic too tight (leave it relaxed and with some folds in it) or it will pull loose from whatever it’s taped to when you walk on it - especially after you done some spraying.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

Mr Smith said:


> If spraying the ceiling first the glass part of windows have to be covered with plastic?
> 
> The frames will get dusted but is it faster to just sand sponge them to remove the overspray dust? I used to cover all the trim with plastic when spraying ceilings alone but that could get costly.


cover windows for sure, i dont get picky with frames if they are wood because i prep them afterwords anyway


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

are you taking doors off to spray?


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## deadend (Aug 1, 2013)

...Search Nick Slavik #askapainter or Chris Berry #theidahopainter on YouTube or FB...a wealth of info...


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Vylum said:


> are you taking doors off to spray?


yes, of course.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

RH said:


> Just a tip, don’t stretch your floor plastic too tight (leave it relaxed and with some folds in it) or it will pull loose from whatever it’s taped to when you walk on it - especially after you done some spraying.


I have a feeling that it's going to cost a mint for the plastic & tape. I might even consider Ram Board for the hardwood flooring which is only in the kitchen and foyer... That's safer for ladder placement and is durable for walking on it.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

You’ll be walking on a skating rink if you mask hardwoods and tile with plastic. Plus, most plastics don’t tend to hold up very well when you walk on them.

I’ll use red rosin paper or Trimaco x-board for covering hardwoods. 2020 or ram tape for all the floor protection seams and blue tape around the perimeter or where I’m taping to the floor.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Mr Smith said:


> I have a feeling that it's going to cost a mint for the plastic & tape. I might even consider Ram Board for the hardwood flooring which is only in the kitchen and foyer... That's safer for ladder placement and is durable for walking on it.


Yeah, you just have to factor it into your bid of course. As for the Ramboard, unless you need extra protection for the floor I would skip using it (pretty costly). Though it would be a good choice for ladder safety. 

I typically like to use the heavy brown paper for hardwood or tile. I know the red rosin paper is popular with some but I’ve heard too many stories about it staining if it gets wet - though I have never actually seen it occur.


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

Mr Smith said:


> I have a feeling that it's going to cost a mint for the plastic & tape. I might even consider Ram Board for the hardwood flooring which is only in the kitchen and foyer... That's safer for ladder placement and is durable for walking on it.


 okay listen to me I know workin on a budget.Okay step one you can buy whats called a hand masker or a masking film kit i highly recommend these things because once you got one your ready to spray some [email protected] is basically blue tape that attaches to a roll of plastic of your choice.So step one one guy goes to every window and tapes the plastic to the top of the glass about 2 1/2' and the tool cuts it for you ,followed by the next guy thatunfolds the plastic and tapes it to the rest of the glass.your ready to spray that window this process is soo efficient two guys ten minutes later all the windows are done.Save those two guys don't fire them if they smoke the reefer.Next step relax at the end of this job you are now a pro sprayer.Buy a bunch of cloth drop cloths and cover the floor save those use them forever.Warm soapy water on any over spray on the floor but just cover it razor anything that might leak on the glass but do that last.Oh remove and this important remove the tape and plastic asap without messing up the paint job so by that i mean first thing in morning.I personally recommend spray the ceilings and trim cut and roll the walls with a 18"roller.You are now unstoppable.For baseboard on carpet...you can put the drop as close as you can spray pull the drop away and leave it touch up the bottom with a brush later.You can do some tricks with cloth plastic is bad plastic is just crappy the less i have to waste the better.How tall of a ladder we using inside?never put an extension ladder on a drop unless your me.But yeah buy a giant cloth drop every time you get paid.and those will last forever.a roll of thin plastic to tape up stuff like cabinets but chill out on the tape just eough to hang the lite weight plastic.so doors.don't get ocd on me you DONT have to spray everything are they totally flat?roll them.if not i recommend to buy hinge covers that are magnets they cover the hinges perfectly.I prefer to brush and roll rather then use tape so i do a mix of spray/roll/brush a lot of spray heads forget how to brush.I absolutely hate stuff like taping a door knob i can have the whole door painted with a brush before i get that stupid tape on there right.Good luck I hope you made it through this.You'll learn quick.If your worried about one of your workers knocking over a can of paint or something just pay them more and tell them not to do that.don't plastic or paper the floors that's a waste your suppose to be pros.I plan on a final coat on the trim just to cover the roller sprinkles.Do me a favor and relax on the prep the paint doesn't stick better just because your miserable.Prime bare spots only.unless your making the money and not sherwin williams.Prime using the finish paint.If it's quality paint it should be able to be applied to a wall.Paint thoroughly, pole sand,thoroughly and patch anything you missed and paint the finish.We're not cutting corners just we're avoiding obsessively priming and prepping for NOTHING and how about the guy that starts spreading joint compound on the walls when you thought the job was done?Don't be that guy. wasting everyones time.I make bank i dont advertise don't listen to people that want to make this difficult its not.oh use cardboard from the cardboard dumpster as often as possible and save it too no point in being wasteful.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

LOL... did you manage to take a breath while writing that? :wink:


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

RH said:


> LOL... did you manage to take a breath while writing that? :wink:


I can normally turn it off but i am so immersed in paint world right now its in my best interests to keep it on.Gonna pull 10-20 hour days this next week.Gonna hire a laborer.gonna blow out 6 interior specs then i can relax and brush and roll some lovely coastal properties for the winter with my like 300 brushes.woops...mighta went too far with that,but that corona zane looks soo good...


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

Mr Smith said:


> yes, of course.


why yes of course?the doors are often in the best possible situation to be sprayed.Hanging off the ground not touching anything,hanging from there hinges.two easy things to help A. simply cut the hing side of the door (I can magically do this with just a whizz) or cover them with blue tape and kinda cut the excess off with a razor or use the magnet covers they sell.if you can buy these magnet covers they save a lot of time and trouble.the magnet cover fits perfectly on the dang hinge and ...stays there!With the power of magnets!spray them where they are.I have to take the doors off usually to caulk that stupid crack but if its not new i spray.done move along.The way to make money spraying and keep your sanity is to find an efficient system that moves in moves out fast AND doesnt make life suck for you.its all about you.like i hate taping therefore I dont tape.I also don't sweep.Fu#k sweeping.but thats just me.
Their is nothing unprofessional about spraying them right there if it works do it.If you DO decide to take them off a two foot stick with a nail tacked onto the top of door so you can lean it on the wall and paint both sides and lean it there to dry.get one stick for every door.lean and paint the door right next to where it goes.confusion is the enemy.the walls are still in need of a pole sanding at this point.keep those sticks you'll use them all the time.Its not hard to pop a door off but its even easier not to.i'm all over this because i'm about to do the same thing...I'll be taping plastic on windows while i'm still asleep tomorrow morning. 
so you can sleep better... hot soapy water.pour it on any paint that spilled on the floor go have a coffee 5 minutes later the paint comes right off yet i'll see professionals in there old age crying over this kinda stuff or worse trying to give some poor kid a heart attack.


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

an easy formula (i can't sleep) 3 guys start taping plastic on windows.once one room is done cover the floors with your big ass cloth drop and have one guy start spraying ceilings by lunch the windows are plasticked and the ceilings have one coat.you should do two coats plus back roll because sprayed ceilings come out light and never touch up good.but one will do if noone cares.the paint wont fail.i don't know what you got for prep so now would be a good time for everyone to caulk and fill in nail holes for the rest of the day.patch big holes in the walls..etc.do enough so someone can start spraying asap in the morning.next day everyone sands trim until one room is done.then one guy starts spraying all the trim.depending on the quality of job more prep on the trim maybe necessary but its not uncommon for me to spray nonstop all day until all the trim has two coats.don't worry about a little over spray on the ceiling no one will know.like a finely oiled machine though.in two days all you got left is cut and roll walls.sand the semi gloss overspray on the walls pole sand with 150 and cut and roll walls.don't put any goddamn tape on that trim you can wipe off roller speckles with a wet rag or paint final trim coat last.best case is the wall color and trim are close enough you cant see them.we can be illusionists too.in 3 days done you got those two guys putting plastic on the windows at the next job.if you don't have a lot of drops do one room at a time. Obviously the house your painting might have more to it but thats the kinda groove you want.you just gotta be more serious about covering the floor which means calmly remember to look around and make sure the floor is covered before you spray.take your time youve already saved a lot of time.have some one help move the hose and hold doors while you spray them.

think i'll go start taping windows.......


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

I'm going to work! I wish someone would answer _my_ questions this awesomely! Heres probably the best tip for using cloth drops to spray:just because you have a drop doesn't mean you can spill paint.ALWAYS and tell your people clean any spilt paint that falls on the drop immediatly.someone will step in it and track it around or they'll forget and put the dirty side down when it gets moved.drops are a tool get good at using them and never worry about plasticking a whole interior again.drops have stitches on one side and smooth on the other.make a rule that stitches always go down always for the rest of eternity.that way the dirty side stays up.Be neat have the drop stretched out all the way not folded or crumpled.so you can see it.This will all go to hell if some idiot spills paint,steps in it and walks all over the place.so make it a primary focus and soon it will be second nature.Ive never had a problem i couldnt fix.
one roll of that light plastic and one roll of tape and as many cloth tarps the bigger the better every size.Sheets work if your totally broke not for spills but for spray.Thats what you need.and all those specialty tools i mentioned.but you don't need them.unfold the plastic not all the way unfold it to a rectangle size smaller then the glass and tape the rest.don't try to unfold all that flimsy plastic and work with it.spray,twice,remove plastic and tape the next morning while the paints still tacky. its usually pretty easy to fool the eye where the trim paint meet the glass window or that plastic in between.so put the tape where ever it cuts the best looking line.you can get away with spraying some hardware some times.everything i said i'm about to go do.check on you later.Now twenty people are going to say I'm wrong about everything!


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

I would never consider spraying out a repaint. Are people living there?! Do a few rooms at a time, so much less stressful. You also wont need 4k sq. Ft. Of drop cloths and have to throw 10k yards of plastic in the landfill. 
Y'all are trigger happy. Lol.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Cheap blue trimaco drops from the box stores. 3' builders paper for what that doesnt cover. Blue tape on any hardwood or tile. Spray your ceilings first, unless your doing the method where you spray and backroll the walls first, then drape the walls and spray the ceilings afterwards. I usually spray lids and possibly closets (one spray coat) , spray trim and doors (usually only one coat as well, depending on the circumstance), then cut and roll all walls, two coats. Unmask, touch up and go. Its at least HALF the time as doing it all by hand, when trim is involved. 

No, I usually dont spray in occupied houses though. If I do, I will do it by sections.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

finishesbykevyn said:


> I would never consider spraying out a repaint. Are people living there?! Do a few rooms at a time, so much less stressful. You also wont need 4k sq. Ft. Of drop cloths and have to throw 10k yards of plastic in the landfill.
> Y'all are trigger happy. Lol.


Unoccupied

Normally I would agree with that but they want everything repainted and it's a nice house with flawless trim that was originally sprayed. No brush and roll on this job except the walls.

I don't want to get my interior drop cloths dusty so I'll use poly. Those bad boys are 50 bucks each and impossible to shake clean. Washing them wrinkles them and ruins the edges. I have enough drops for about 3k sq feet but won't use them when spraying. 95% of what I do is brush and roll repaints on interiors. (i spray a lot outside) My drops never get dusty either when using a Festool setup.

I have two 12x14 drop cloths I had sewed together at a tent store. I use that for the large areas.

I think I'll paper the hardwood.

I store a bunch of exterior drop cloths in my garage, and my van is stocked with 3K sq feet of clean interior drops. I don't want to store another huge stack of spray-job drop cloths.

Anyone who thinks they can easily shake the dust out of a 12x14 drop cloth in the middle of winter with a foot of snow on the ground good luck with that. It's winter 6 months out of the year where I live. Sometimes I try to vacuum my 12'x28' drop cloth but that's not easily done with the suction...lol


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Mr Smith said:


> Unoccupied
> 
> Normally I would agree with that but they want everything repainted and it's a nice house with flawless trim that was originally sprayed. No brush and roll on this job except the walls.
> 
> ...


Ya, in that case giver. The brown construction paper works great on hard wood. Then tape and paper around door jambs. Spray doors in one of the rooms..


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

Mr Smith said:


> Unoccupied
> 
> Normally I would agree with that but they want everything repainted and it's a nice house with flawless trim that was originally sprayed. No brush and roll on this job except the walls.
> 
> ...


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

seriously, these guys right here are the bomb. They seem flimsy, but they're really not. I had some of them for years now. They're cheap as hell, lightweight, so you can lug around a ton of them easily, absolutely reusable, but at the same time, they are disposable. If they get crappy, toss em. If not, keep em around. Sold at the box stores. https://clarkstore.online/Detail_i3400808


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Woodco said:


> seriously, these guys right here are the bomb. They seem flimsy, but they're really not. I had some of them for years now. They're cheap as hell, lightweight, so you can lug around a ton of them easily, absolutely reusable, but at the same time, they are disposable. If they get crappy, toss em. If not, keep em around. Sold at the box stores. https://clarkstore.online/Detail_i3400808


I have many of those blue vinyl tarps with the grommets for exterior work. You can find that 12x14 size (or even double that size) dirt cheap when on sale. They seem to last forever. I bought a huge tarp this year that's really quite thick vinyl. Durable but heavier obviously.

Good news on this job as the homeowner now wants to replace all the carpet upstairs. Yippee!


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## canopainting (Feb 12, 2013)

1. Spray windows, doors, trim. Drape said windows with plastic, spray ceilings, closets. Brush and roll walls. If spraying walls back mask said windows and trim first. touch up and clean up last.


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## Willirim (11 mo ago)

Wrapping a room is one thing, but the entire house? Good luck with that, my friend. It can be very tiring and annoying. I'm just saying that you need looots of patience to do it. I know it's very exciting when it comes to planning your room, but it's such a pain when you actually have to do it, lol. Anyway, I'd say buy good plastic wraps and do your best to prevent them from holes. So, every time consider the material you're buying. Also, a good idea I've seen on this forum is to invest in a masking machine.


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