Thrifty Tips for DIY Painted Shutters

Happy Monday, Friends! As the temperatures continue to soar here in Texas, I am doing less storm debris clean up and focusing on some necessary DIY repairs. Since my shutters took a beating from the hail, they needed some love and today I'm sharing some thrifty tips for the project...

I joked with my brother that this project would have been easier if I was taller...or I guess, if my house was shorter! At first glance, you might think that touching up the paint on my house shutters would be a minor repair.  However, in order to paint the shutters properly, the vines really had to be trimmed first. As much as I love the greenery of the climbing fig, it has a tendency to grow rapidly before I can tend it. You can see from the photograph, that when the vines were trimmed, more paint was removed from the shutters. 

Trimming the vines from the house and shutters is fairly time consuming and even moreso due to the foundation height on the far side of my home. I've never measured the exact height, but seeing the extended ladder gives you an idea. So before I ever began painting, I spent several mornings climbing up and down the ladder! 

Save money on quality paint & buy supplies at the dollar store

I am still partial to the original color I selected for my home, a Sherwin-Williams shade called "ivy wall." However, I am not so fond of their high prices. Did you know that Home Depot will mix paint colors from different brands? Just save the paint sticker--it's usually on the lid--and when you have paint mixed, mention the brand shade. I intended to buy Behr paint, but my local store was out of several varieties of the base that was needed, so the employee offered to mark $10 off the price of the Glidden gallon "for the inconvenience"--and I didn't even ask! Yes, please! Remember the dollar store paint supplies I shared a few weeks ago? You can also find drop cloths, sandpaper, and scrapers there. 

Invest in tools that will make the job easier

Do you have one of these telescoping extension poles? If not, do yourself (and your muscles!) a favor and get one! I cannot remember where I purchased mine or when, but I know I have used it for countless projects over the years! Whether you are painting a ceiling or need to reach something really high like my project, it definitely makes the task easier. Plus, it shortens enough that it can be used to apply paint to floors,  too.

Once the vines were trimmed, I was able to take a break from the ladder by using the pole extension and the dollar store roller to apply the paint. For those of you who are wondering why I didn't go with a larger roller, I find the small one easier to maneuver and it works well on the shutter louvers. It is usually ready to be tossed after a project, which I don't mind since it was less than a $1. Also, I used the smaller brush included with the paint tray for touch-ups, which did require a few more treks up the ladder. 

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With all of the extra work from the storm, I have been trying to be careful to not "over-do it," so although taking my time with this project took the better part of a week, I'm pleased with the results.