The Door Edge Is a Paint Job: Decide Whether You Repaint It or Hire It Out

Many families paint door frames, rail ends, or light switch plates in a color that contrasts with the wall, so the edges are easier to pick out. That is a choice about the house, and it is a fair one to make on your own weekend. The question is whether you or a painter should do the work.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Start with the surface

Before you buy a can, look at what is under the paint. Fresh drywall and a tired coat of latex are a simple job. Older trim, cracked paint, or a surface you cannot identify is a different job. If the paint may be old, find out whether it has been tested before you sand it, since sanding can release dust you do not want in her air. Ask the hardware store or a local painter what they would check first, and write down the answer.

Count the real hours

The painting is often the shortest part. Count the prep, which means removing hardware, masking, filling holes, sanding, and wiping down. Then count the coats and the drying time between them. Add the hours it takes to move her chair, her lamp, and her bedside items out of the way and back again. If the whole job would keep her out of that room for a day or more, plan where she will sit while it dries.

Do it yourself when

One or two doors, a surface you have painted before, a low frame you can reach from the floor, and a clear block of time are the signs that the job is yours. Mask the edges that matter, and keep the paint off the floor where she walks.

Hire it out when

Hire the work when there are many doors, the trim is high enough to need a ladder, the paint may be old, or you cannot give up the room for the drying days. A painter who will protect her furniture, clean up each day, and tell you in writing the paint name, the finish, and the day the room is usable again is worth comparing against your own time.

Questions to ask before anyone starts

Ask what prep is included, what they will cover and move, whether they use a low-odor paint, when she can use the room again, and who cleans up the dust and the tape. If you want a list of local people who take this kind of house work, Local help for keeping her home is a place to start.