# Do you wash walls?



## AngieM (Apr 13, 2016)

Do you wash walls? It just seems like an old school thing to do.

Today I actually ran out of my trusty Problock oil based spray can primer and had a bathroom with hairspray all over the walls. My first thought for an alternative was sand it (cuz that's what we painters do when we see shiny things... besides get distracted I hit it with the paint and it immediately crackled up. 

I stood there perplexed, like now what am I going to do. I was thinking, I have some gardz but then I have to get a brush dirty and then wait for it to dry... Then my genius helper asked, Why don't we just wash it off? I replied with the most disgusted look on my face... "Wash the walls? With what?" With a sarcastic tone he's like, "How about Dawn. Ya know, dish soap."

I just busted up laughing because of all the obvious solutions, that one eluded me. I never wash walls (trim, doors etc I do). I problock everything. Spaghetti sauce? Problock. Booger? Problock. Bodily fluids of any kind, human or animal. Problock. I don't touch it, I seal that in as a new artifact of the wall.

Maybe I need to add since Dawn to my painting system. How about you? How often to you wash walls?


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Sometimes I wash walls with TSP when they are super greasy. I use a 'Bee mop' and rinse with hot water afterward. I always carry TSP (powder) in my van.

It's also essential to wash the glue or paste residue off of walls when removing wallpaper. Again TSP + hot water rinse with a sponge 'bee mop'.

https://goo.gl/zVNz2p


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

You should always have a spray bottle of Simple Green or Krud Kutter for those situations. I have usually only washed walls in industrial settings, but sometimes in bathrooms and kitchens, you gotta do a little cleaning. I like to use problock or similar myself though, but sometimes you gotta bite the bullet and maid out.

When I remove wallpaper, I dont use any chemicals, except maybe some dawn or simple green. I just wash it with hot water, scrub it down, then gardz it.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

I always ask the most uncomfortable question. Are you a hair spray type person when painting bathrooms. Nothing worse than rolling out a wall in a bathroom and finding out the hard way. I generally find most people are pretty honest once you explain what happens when they aren't.


If they are, I'll scrub the walls down. I tend to use just straight up hot water. I hate adding anything else to the mix before painting.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

best thing to have in your tool box



https://www.homedepot.com/p/SAVOGRAN-Dirtex-Spray-Cleaner-10761/202935860


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

AngieM said:


> Do you wash walls? It just seems like an old school thing to do.
> 
> Today I actually ran out of my trusty Problock oil based spray can primer and had a bathroom with hairspray all over the walls. My first thought for an alternative was sand it (cuz that's what we painters do when we see shiny things... besides get distracted I hit it with the paint and it immediately crackled up.
> 
> ...


Nope. I'm with you. I'm a painter not a cleaner. But there are a few circumstances where I'd wipe something off with a wet rag or at least bump sand it (like hairspray)

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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Wow, wow, wow! When I first started painting in 1974, many of the guys I worked with were in their 50's or 60's. The norm for these old timers then was to wash or dry-clean sponge any and every surface before painting.

Well, by the time the seventies rolled along, that became a thing of the past because of labor costs.

To this day I still wash kitchen and bath ceiling and walls with Dirtex or the equivalent and warm water, before priming or painting. Dirty trim would also be the norm.

Why or how anyone can paint over severe grease and grime is beyond me. Do you think priming over it will change the fact your painting over $hit?


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> Wow, wow, wow! When I first started painting in 1974, many of the guys I worked with were in their 50's or 60's. The norm for these old timers then was to wash or dry-clean sponge any and every surface before painting.


Yup, the good ole' days, slappin lead paint on the walls, in a smoke filled room with babies crawling all over eating paint chips.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> best thing to have in your tool box
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/SAVOGRAN-Dirtex-Spray-Cleaner-10761/202935860


Yup. Much better that TSP. Not as critical to rinse it completely off for one thing. And you can use it if you are using a Zinsser primer as well! ("do not use TSP as a cleaner")


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

lilpaintchic said:


> Nope. I'm with you. I'm a painter not a cleaner. But there are a few circumstances where I'd wipe something off with a wet rag or at least bump sand it (like hairspray)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


what about pubic hair? It pretty awesome seeing the pubic hairs painted to the wall of my restroom at the store. Nothing like having some strangers gens basically 2' from your head while your doing your business!


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Brushman4 said:


> Wow, wow, wow! When I first started painting in 1974, many of the guys I worked with were in their 50's or 60's. The norm for these old timers then was to wash or dry-clean sponge any and every surface before painting.
> 
> Well, by the time the seventies rolled along, that became a thing of the past because of labor costs.
> 
> ...


"i don't know why my paint is alligatoring? Must be bad paint"


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

dont know if ive washed a wall in me life


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## cardgunner (Feb 29, 2016)

Wow, I am so surprised to read how many don't wash the walls. I usually run sand paper over then wash with tsp(alternative), very diluted. But I don't rinse except the trim, then I'm using a stronger mixture of tsp(alternative) solution. I forget the name of the product but I know where it is at my store.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Every thing gets pole sanded. If it really dirty then sure, clean it. But as a matter of habitually cleaning every surface every time...no. giant waste of time.

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## AngieM (Apr 13, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> Wow, wow, wow! When I first started painting in 1974, many of the guys I worked with were in their 50's or 60's. The norm for these old timers then was to wash or dry-clean sponge any and every surface before painting.
> 
> Well, by the time the seventies rolled along, that became a thing of the past because of labor costs.
> 
> ...


Prime it, sand it, paint it. Yep


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## AngieM (Apr 13, 2016)

PACman said:


> what about pubic hair? It pretty awesome seeing the pubic hairs painted to the wall of my restroom at the store. Nothing like having some strangers gens basically 2' from your head while your doing your business!


I get the vacuum out for that. Curlies with a slash. Gag!


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## AngieM (Apr 13, 2016)

lilpaintchic said:


> Every thing gets pole sanded. If it really dirty then sure, clean it. But as a matter of habitually cleaning every surface every time...no. giant waste of time.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


I'm with you there!


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## cardgunner (Feb 29, 2016)

lilpaintchic said:


> Every thing gets pole sanded. If it really dirty then sure, clean it. But as a matter of habitually cleaning every surface every time...no. giant waste of time.


How do you get the dust of the walls then after you pole sand it?


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## Fman (Aug 20, 2011)

PACman said:


> what about pubic hair? It pretty awesome seeing the pubic hairs painted to the wall of my restroom at the store. Nothing like having some strangers gens basically 2' from your head while your doing your business!


At that point they become "public hairs".


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## Fman (Aug 20, 2011)

I'd wash walls in a kitchen, paying attention to the area around the stove because you may not see any grease but, you'll find it with a coat of paint. Hadn't thought much about hairspray though as I haven't touched it myself since the '70's. <kinda haven't needed to> Washing walls elsewhere in the house is a waste of time though.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

cardgunner said:


> How do you get the dust of the walls then after you pole sand it?


There isn't much if any dust dragging a pole sander over a painted surface...it removes "boogers",lint bits, bits of dried paint, etc and gives me a fresh,smooth surface to work with....not a messy one. If there is dust I use the microfiber mop head that I bought with the circular pole sanding head.

https://www.amazon.com/FCI-R-DUSTER-Radius-Washable-Microfiber/dp/B01KMZRBJA

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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Woodco said:


> Yup, the good ole' days, slappin lead paint on the walls, in a smoke filled room with babies crawling all over eating paint chips.


You forgot to mention slappin it on with a six-inch brush while drinking a beer.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Every surface we paint needs to be clean, dull and dry before painting. So when appropriate, yes, we will clean the substrate.


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## goga (Aug 6, 2015)

Paint thin, fan over to dry quick, paint thick. Kidding? Washing offices? Or anything? It's a paint, will cover)


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

I've rarely had to wash walls, just for nicotene jobs and, even then, since I had to use BIN over them, wondered how much of that washing was necessary. I find most of my washing/cleaning involves doors and baseboards. I'm not against washing walls, but I just don't come across many situations where I think it necessary.


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## jennifertemple (Oct 30, 2011)

Never! I will sand down to the drywall before I'd try washing! Now, if, like you I had fresh paint on bad prep, I definitely would consider a good scrubbing. I will try to avoid the need for doing so by a deep sanding followed by priming with sure grip or aqua lock first.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

As a rule of thumb, I always tell clients to wipe down the bathrooms and kitchens for us, if not we reserve the right to add cleaning fees because of the oils and chemicals from cooking and personal hygiene products. I started that clause after doing a year of college dorms a decade ago and realizing every single kitchen was a grease fest and every bathroom (the girls were the worst) needed the walls prepped more than usual. I also typically recommend using a specialty paint in kitchens and bathrooms (California's Nano) because it'll generally stick to anything and are very very good at cleaning up for years.


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## Painting Practice (Jul 21, 2013)

Brushman4 said:


> Wow, wow, wow! When I first started painting in 1974, many of the guys I worked with were in their 50's or 60's. The norm for these old timers then was to wash or dry-clean sponge any and every surface before painting.
> 
> Well, by the time the seventies rolled along, that became a thing of the past because of labor costs.
> 
> ...


No offense but back then doctors smokes Camels, the cities were smog filled, nothing was vented efficiently, you get the idea. As things have changed so have our requirements, as well as our coatings.


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## Painting Practice (Jul 21, 2013)

I'll wash, but i don't have a set system for my estimates, so a dirty job gets a higher number and i just do it, or hire somebody if it is really bad.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Painting Practice said:


> No offense but back then doctors smokes Camels, the cities were smog filled, nothing was vented efficiently, you get the idea. As things have changed so have our requirements, as well as our coatings.


Camels, is that all you got, my Granddaddy smoked 3 packs a day of Chesterfield King non-filters a day for 60+ plus years, and passed at the ripe old age of 93!


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

Washing walls is usually so much faster than the above stated ways of getting a non paint ready wall going. If necessary we use Krudjutter and a clean rinse. Sand afterward to get off any stray debris that may have been on the sponge and rag. Way faster than applying another coat and waiting for a proper recoat time plus it's the right way to do it. Just another reason that sets certain painters above other ones. Such a simple step and people make rocket science out of it... interior and exterior.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

jr.sr. painting said:


> Washing walls is usually so much faster than the above stated ways of getting a non paint ready wall going. If necessary we use Krudjutter and a clean rinse. Sand afterward to get off any stray debris that may have been on the sponge and rag. Way faster than applying another coat and waiting for a proper recoat time plus it's the right way to do it. Just another reason that sets certain painters above other ones. Such a simple step and people make rocket science out of it... interior and exterior.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You lost me at the "sets certain painters above other ones" bit. Yes, washing is the best way to clean a wall. But why should painters be responsible for cleaning people's homes? I'm not a maid, and other trades aren't responsible for cleaning people's homes prior to work. I've done work in several trades and I can say for sure painters get **** on the most because people look at them at think it's just painting, it shouldn't cost much and anyone can do it and what's an hour more of their time to clean up walls or touch up walls that I'm not paying for because they already have paint out. 

Don't get me wrong, setting a standard is cool and if you're down to be a part time merry maid and you can even make money doing it that's cool too. Just realize that you also have to make sure that people aren't taking advantage of your desire to do quality work.


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

PaPainter724 said:


> You lost me at the "sets certain painters above other ones" bit. Yes, washing is the best way to clean a wall. But why should painters be responsible for cleaning people's homes? I'm not a maid, and other trades aren't responsible for cleaning people's homes prior to work. I've done work in several trades and I can say for sure painters get **** on the most because people look at them at think it's just painting, it shouldn't cost much and anyone can do it and what's an hour more of their time to clean up walls or touch up walls that I'm not paying for because they already have paint out.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, setting a standard is cool and if you're down to be a part time merry maid and you can even make money doing it that's cool too. Just realize that you also have to make sure that people aren't taking advantage of your desire to do quality work.




I'm no merry maid but if the surface is dirty no matter what it is don't you want to make sure it's done the right way. Not joe the homeowner saying ya I cleaned it, when in reality they wiped it with a paper towel and water and say it's paint it'll be fine. Once it's painted I own it so it's just a safety net. No primer on earth will take care of soap scum, hairspray, toothpaste, piss, spaghetti sauce, or any other bodily stain. I'll man up and use some krud kutter, bleach, 409, or whatever else it takes to make sure the surface is perfect. To add to the merry maid comment we wash all the floors in the house on an interior job when we're done. Of course it's takes maybe and extra hour but that goes so far for a reference or word of mouth I suppose that's why I've never spent a dime on advertising. Try it sometime and you'll be surprised how far it gets you.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Had a customer yesterday that was hired to re-paint a house for the new owner that had bought it from a "flipper". They asked my customer to make sure they removed the texture from a wall in one of the bedrooms. When my customer looked at it....it was a wall full of snot rockets that had dried and the "flipper" just painted over. So now, my customer gets to scrape painted boogers off a wall. I guess the idea is, do you clean the walls or just leave it for the next painter? I guess after enough coats of paint those boogers wouldn't show......


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Hmmm... well I will ask customers to clean the toilet and the areas around it. Other than that, it just depends. Kitchens with obvious signs of grease, cooking, or smoke residue will be cleaned. Bathrooms, at least around the sink area, will get cleaned too. Not one of my favorite chores but if it needs to be done in order to create a decent base for the paint then it gets done. Also, I want to be in control of how it is done. Many HO’s idea of “cleaning” can be pretty loose so I’m not going to put the quality of my work on the line as a result of a half-assed HO cleaning job.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

I'm not cleaning. If it's that bad, I'll tell the homeowner to clean it. This isn't siding...these are the walls that they are living within.

If it's so dirty that paint won't stick, I'd rather be somewhere else, which can usually be quickly deduced during the initial visit.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

ParamountPaint said:


> I'm not cleaning. If it's that bad, I'll tell the homeowner to clean it. This isn't siding...these are the walls that they are living within.
> 
> If it's so dirty that paint won't stick, I'd rather be somewhere else, which can usually be quickly deduced during the initial visit.


Exactly.....if ya run into this situation frequently enough that you have it say "I always clean walls", ya might think about getting a different type of customer. Once in a while we all gotta clean something off a door or something stupid, that's par for the course but cleaning,imo, should not be part of my sop.pole sanding is though. Pac I'd drive right over those boogers with a pole sander. 

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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

imagine a world where a human could tell the difference between two well sanded average interior walls, one being cleaned before two coats and one not. i dont want to paint in that world, christ this job is finicky enough.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Thank you.*



RH said:


> Hmmm... well I will ask customers to clean the toilet and the areas around it. Other than that, it just depends. Kitchens with obvious signs of grease, cooking, or smoke residue will be cleaned. Bathrooms, at least around the sink area, will get cleaned too. Not one of my favorite chores but if it needs to be done in order to create a decent base for the paint then it gets done. Also, I want to be in control of how it is done. Many HO’s idea of “cleaning” can be pretty loose so I’m not going to put the quality of my work on the line as a result of a half-assed HO cleaning job.


RH, I was going to reply to the back and forth between jr.sr.painting and PaPainter724, but you hit the nail on the head.

Why would you let a homeowner who doesn't know enough about how to keep a kitchen or bathroom clean go ahead and clean their very dirty kitchen and/or bathroom?

I used to work for a realtor who sold foreclosure properties for banks. Some banks had the realtors find contractors to do the work necessary to get a house ready for market and some banks had their own vendors do the work. The banks who had their own vendors often got their services on the cheap.

This realtor had a listing in Cicero IL, a bungalow with a semi-finished basement and an attic that had a stairway to get to. THe bank had their own vendors doing the various jobs - trash-out, winterization, etc.

The bank sent out their crew. I came afterwards and took photos for the realtor to send to the bank. The trash-out was half finished - they left junk in the attic, the basement, the back yard and the garage.

Winterization is where the toilets are flushed clean and they and all the sinks, showers, tubs, whatever needs water freezing prevention - have the water air pressured out and RV antifreeze fluid poured down every drain - its a certain procedure if you will.

When I took my "after photos" there was a pile of _____ above the rim of the main floor toilet that had the pink RV fluid poured right on top of it. The toilet in the basement still had water in it. The bank's vendor had poured pink RV fluid into it which resulted in something along the lines of the color puce. Look up what that color is and figure out what was blending with the pink RV fluid to produce that color.

Now I was this realtor's field man and I either knew how to do all of these forclosure services or I had friends who knew how to do them - at a price. I was indignant at what a terrible job this vending company did with their forclosure duties, and I told the realtor what I thought. I offered to contact the bank and tell them to send their vendor back out there to correct the mistakes they had made.

I don't remember if I contacted the bank or my realtor did, but it was a big mistake! The vendor came back out and made it look like the toilets had been properly winterized. This was all in the fall of the year. Late winter/early spring the realtor had an offer on the property. The new buyer wanted to see how the plumbing worked. We sent our plumber out to de-winterize the property. He called me soon after he got there to tell me that there were leaks from busted pipes! 

I later spoke with the vendor and he told me that he worked for another vendor who worked for the bank. There may have been another vendor in between as well. Price for winterizing a 1 story house - $65.00. Price for trashing out a house? $400.00. If you are familiar with forclosure services, these prices are peanuts.

Do you really want a clueless HO cleaning surfaces that you are going to paint? How do you know they are going to do the job right? Is it just that you don't want to do prep that you consider not part of your trade?

I am still trying to figure this one out myself.

futtyos


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

lilpaintchic said:


> Exactly.....if ya run into this situation frequently enough that you have it say "I always clean walls", ya might think about getting a different type of customer. Once in a while we all gotta clean something off a door or something stupid, that's par for the course but cleaning,imo, should not be part of my sop.pole sanding is though. Pac I'd drive right over those boogers with a pole sander.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


What grit for boogers so i can pass it on to my customer. No one at Menard's has a clue which grit to use.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

futtyos said:


> RH, I was going to reply to the back and forth between jr.sr.painting and PaPainter724, but you hit the nail on the head.
> 
> Why would you let a homeowner who doesn't know enough about how to keep a kitchen or bathroom clean go ahead and clean their very dirty kitchen and/or bathroom?
> 
> ...


aaaaaand another thread goes to 5hit!


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

PACman said:


> What grit for boogers so i can pass it on to my customer. No one at Menard's has a clue which grit to use.


Pick one. Roflololooolol

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## Tprice2193 (Oct 3, 2017)

Most of my work is on my own units so I get to clean all the time. I have found that a good cleaning will sometimes give a paint job another couple years. Two years ago I bought a condo that had been built in 1985 and it was owner occupied and never rented. I had planned on painting because it was pretty dingy looking. I found some cans that looked like it had been repainted navajo white about 5 yr ago with PM200 flat. The tenant I had was a single man in his 50's and said he would do his own cleaning if he could move in a little early. Next day I came toting a five of PM200 low sheen eggshell, some proclassic semi, and my supplies. To my surprise the tenant had cleaned all the walls and the baseboards and the place needed only minor touch-up. It appears the previous owners of the condo burned candles in every room and soot was everywhere causing the dingy look and black dirt on horizontal surfaces. He must have had 50 partially burned candles and at least 50 new ones in a trash bag. I was very surprised at how well the PM 200 flat cleaned up.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

PACman said:


> What grit for boogers so i can pass it on to my customer. No one at Menard's has a clue which grit to use.


I find 180 to be a good choice: aggressive enough to dispatch a booger yet subtle enough to deal with the occasional snot smear. :devil3:


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

....i did tell my customer to keep their mouth closed if they scrape those boogers off.....you know....


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

futtyos said:


> RH said:
> 
> 
> > Hmmm... well I will ask customers to clean the toilet and the areas around it. Other than that, it just depends. Kitchens with obvious signs of grease, cooking, or smoke residue will be cleaned. Bathrooms, at least around the sink area, will get cleaned too. Not one of my favorite chores but if it needs to be done in order to create a decent base for the paint then it gets done. Also, I want to be in control of how it is done. Many HO’s idea of “cleaning” can be pretty loose so I’m not going to put the quality of my work on the line as a result of a half-assed HO cleaning job.
> ...


I thought I made it pretty clear. I outline my expectations to the customer and explain to them that if they aren't met or I have to do additional prep beyond what is in the agreed upon scope of work, they will be charged accordingly. I know I've said this before, but I am 90 percent high end industrial/commercial, 8 percent new homes and small commercial and like 2 percent home repaints. Of which I only accept jobs where I know them personally and I turn down most. I'm very picky about repaints. 

I mention this because your experience may vary.


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## pjohnson1970 (Jul 5, 2018)

I have never washed a wall in my life


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

pjohnson1970 said:


> I have never washed a wall in my life


I used to make a lot of money hourly for washing the ceiling and walls in kitchens and bathrooms. I had several customers call me in to do this every year, along with painting in other areas.

Blue soap is about $15 for a 5-pound tub and you can wash a $hit load of rooms. Washing is pure profit$


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

Usually I just wash doors and walls where there is hand contact.Wall switches and around door knobs for example.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Another advantage to washing is your hands and fingernails will never look this clean again till the next wash job!


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

RH said:


> I find 180 to be a good choice: aggressive enough to dispatch a booger yet subtle enough to deal with the occasional snot smear. :devil3:


Gross! I would have to do a 180!:glasses:


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## SweetLu (Feb 28, 2017)

Never have and never will wash walls before painting. That’s the homeowners job. Drywall dust does not mess up a paint job if you sand between coats and prime. And if there’s grease or other things that would bleed through, I charge to prime with stain blocker. I’m not gonna carry around cleaning supplies in my van because my customer happens to be a pig.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

pjohnson1970 said:


> I have never washed a wall in my life


 I have occasionally washed grime of the wall where the dog slept but no more than that


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Well, I guess you guys, gals out there who don't wash walls are just a bunch of Dirty Wall Painters (DWP) for short.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Brushman4 said:


> Well, I guess you guys, gals out there who don't wash walls are just a bunch of Dirty Wall Painters (DWP) for short.


Cant see it from my house...lol

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## goga (Aug 6, 2015)

Brushman4 said:


> Well, I guess you guys, gals out there who don't wash walls are just a bunch of Dirty Wall Painters (DWP) for short.


Never had an issue arguing about my way of doing things, call me anything you'd like, it makes no difference to what ppl are looking at and thanking for when I'm done.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> I used to make a lot of money hourly for washing the ceiling and walls in kitchens and bathrooms. I had several customers call me in to do this every year, along with painting in other areas.
> 
> Blue soap is about $15 for a 5-pound tub and you can wash a $hit load of rooms. Washing is pure profit$


yeah but painting is better work than janitorial services. if its worth your while to clean rather than paint you should up your prices


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Vylum said:


> yeah but painting is better work than janitorial services. if its worth your while to clean rather than paint you should up your prices


You can make double the money washing kitchens and baths as you can painting, with virtually NO material costs!!!


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

lilpaintchic said:


> Cant see it from my house...lol
> 
> Sent from my LG-G710 using Tapatalk


So you're saying you don't wash the walls in the kitchen and bathroom when painting at home?


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

goga said:


> Never had an issue arguing about my way of doing things, call me anything you'd like, it makes no difference to what ppl are looking at and thanking for when I'm done.


Once a DWP, always a DWP!


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Fyi, 10 out of 10 paint companies surveyed say wash the walls.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

PACman said:


> Fyi, 10 out of 10 paint companies surveyed say wash the walls.


10 out of 10 paint companies will also tell you they have the best paint.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Brushman4 said:


> So you're saying you don't wash the walls in the kitchen and bathroom when painting at home?


As sop? Heck no. If theres a spot or three that need some 409 or whatever, sure. Then a bomb can of cs or bin maybe depending on what the deal is. But no,i absolutely do not go around washing all walls prior to painting. I do pole sand all smooth walls,bump sand smooth lids as needed, and usually give textured walls a quickie also.it literally only takes a few minutes per room. And wete talking about a repaint. But i only wash if theres something on the wall that will telegraph through the finish.

And yes,that is true also in my home though i suspect there was a typo in your post...

Sent from my LG-G710 using Tapatalk


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

PaPainter724 said:


> 10 out of 10 paint companies will also tell you they have the best paint.


and every painter is the best painter!


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

lilpaintchic said:


> As sop? Heck no. If theres a spot or three that need some 409 or whatever, sure. Then a bomb can of cs or bin maybe depending on what the deal is. But no,i absolutely do not go around washing all walls prior to painting. I do pole sand all smooth walls,bump sand smooth lids as needed, and usually give textured walls a quickie also.it literally only takes a few minutes per room. And wete talking about a repaint. But i only wash if theres something on the wall that will telegraph through the finish.
> 
> And yes,that is true also in my home though i suspect there was a typo in your post...
> 
> Sent from my LG-G710 using Tapatalk


Let me clarify, I don't wash all the walls just my kitchen and bathroom at home! The kitchens I've washed for customers were in lieu of painting, back in another time I painted kitchens and baths with semi oil, so most of the time they would look like new after a good wash!


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> Let me clarify, I don't wash all the walls just my kitchen and bathroom at home! The kitchens I've washed for customers were in lieu of painting, back in another time I painted kitchens and baths with semi oil, so most of the time they would look like new after a good wash!


do you do toilets if the money is right?


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

What is this...a convention of Merry Maids?

Carpenters don't wash walls, nor do plumbers, electricians, HVAC guys, landscapers, etc. 

If you want to do it, more power to you, but I'll put to you that this is probably one of the reasons that painting as a trade is so disrespected. How can you argue that painting is a skilled trade when you are cleaning customers' toilets?

Get some self respect.


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

chrisn said:


> I have occasionally washed grime of the wall where the dog slept but no more than that


Dog in the pic?


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Vylum said:


> do you do toilets if the money is right?


Show me the money, dude!


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

ParamountPaint said:


> What is this...a convention of Merry Maids?
> 
> Carpenters don't wash walls, nor do plumbers, electricians, HVAC guys, landscapers, etc.
> 
> ...


The old timers that I started with back in the mid-70's, were used to washing or dry cleaning every surface, in the residential market before ever touching a brush!

If you would have called them Merry Maids, you'd be missing a few teeth.

I never said anything about cleaning a customers toilet, is that your job at home?


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

mudbone said:


> Dog in the pic?




Not mine.


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## LynnDingler (Aug 31, 2018)

No, I don't wash walls. Rather, I clean it up.


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

Many moons ago I worked for a company that painted mansions in Newport RI.They washed everything interior and exterior.Everything was to the 9's.It made no difference imo they were just super rich and got there house scrubbed and painted every year. 
Me I don't even touch a wall until it has a coat on it.unless it has some serious damage paint,pole sand,paint.Its amazing what that first coat will make you not care about...


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

SwampCat said:


> Many moons ago I worked for a company that painted mansions in Newport RI.They washed everything interior and exterior.Everything was to the 9's.It made no difference imo they were just super rich and got there house scrubbed and painted every year.
> Me I don't even touch a wall until it has a coat on it.unless it has some serious damage paint,pole sand,paint.Its amazing what that first coat will make you not care about...


So you're saying some people don't like you to paint over $hit?


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