Topic: How would you paint a patio cover?

[grumpy]

I have one similar to this.
It needs to be painted.
Any advice on how to do it?
A brush/roller would suck so I'm assuming some kind of sprayer?
Do I have to strip the old paint (ugh)?

[Bob Wessner]

If it were someone else's house, I would walk away from that job.  I don't know if you would have to strip all the old paint, but you would have to check carefully for areas where the current paint is failing and strip and prime those. I would consider a sprayer for the final coat, but you might have some major masking/covering job depending your situation. All I can suggest is, its all in the prep work. Take short cuts on that and you will be redoing it much sooner than you would like.

[flybox1]

Grumpy~ you dont have to strip it.  pressure wash it. that should take most of the old paint off.
be sure its completely dry before you begin painting. I would suggest lightly sanding the posts.
they get the brunt of the weather, and human contact.  400 grit.  this will help with adhesion and smooth out any rough edges. ya dont want the kiddies to get splinters.

brush it, unless you want to get overspray everywhere.
yes, it sucks, and your shoulders will hate you.
do it in pieces, dont rush, and have a good supply of beers.
do a good job and it will last years.

I prefer the look of natural wood.  Restaining is a breeze.
Here's what a friend and I put up after I bought the house.  
mostly cedar.  clear cedar stain.

[Uncle Ernie]

Plant some of the allegedly lovely vines we grown down here.  In a year you won't even know there's a roof under there.

[switchum]

  I used to work for professional painters including even mural ones. You should follow the prep work that flybox 1 described then hire some monkeys ( school kids or whoever willing to work, I mean) give them a cup of paint/stain, a brush and a piece of cloth with a few step ladders. It will be done in a day if the weather permits. Give them more than minimum wage plus beer end of the day regardless of their age.

  Spraying is quick when you are spraying but prepping takes long time and if you screw up on that you will have to detail all of your neighbors' vehicles. That has happened to the company I worked for once.

  Good luck.

[grumpy]

Man, I really don't want to brush that damn thing.

I should just tear it down & rebuild. It would be done in a weekend & look way better in natural/clear stain anyway.

Except there's the cost thing....

[Stev-o]

cover everything in sight and spray the h*ll out of it!

[BLUE71TURBO]

 Hey, all you have to do is organize a painting PARTY/BBQ with some friends. It'll be done in a day and everyone will
         be happy.  I have done it twice.  NOTE: NO BEER UNTIL ALMOST DONE !!   

[Stev-o]

  a painting PARTY/BBQ with some friends.  NOTE: NO BEER UNTIL ALMOST DONE !!   

That doesn't sound right?!?

[BobbyR]

I have one similar to this.
It needs to be painted.
Any advice on how to do it?
A brush/roller would suck so I'm assuming some kind of sprayer?
Do I have to strip the old paint (ugh)?

I like the look of that, how much shade does it give you? I need something for my deck.

[Hip Nip]

You didn't mention the material used in your cover. Is it wood, vinyl, aluminum, synthetic? Each have different requirements.
The cover in picture looks identical to a product I have been selling for about 10 years. If it is same as picture you're in luck. This is known as a Pergola & is made of aluminum with a lifetime finish (powder coating). The factory finish is much more durable than any paint you could apply. Just spray on a good siding cleaner & power wash. Presto!
Looks like new again. Power washer with 3,000 psi or more has never been a problem.
If it is wood, do yourself a favor. Tear it down & start over. Painting is more trouble than it's worth. Besides, by the time it needs a second paint job, you will most likely have so much wood rot you will need to rebuild anyway. 

[333]

Man, I really don't want to brush that damn thing.

I should just tear it down & rebuild. It would be done in a weekend & look way better in natural/clear stain anyway.

Except there's the cost thing....

That, and it's way more work.  There's no difference between paint and stain/poly as far as the work involved, so it's down to powerwash/scrape/light sanding, or teardown and rebuild.  To me, it's a no-brainer.  Clean and paint.

[Stev-o]

I have one similar to this.
It needs to be painted.
Any advice on how to do it?
A brush/roller would suck so I'm assuming some kind of sprayer?
Do I have to strip the old paint (ugh)?

I like the look of that, how much shade does it give you? I need something for my deck.

Build one that has a waterproof roof, you will enjoy it more and always have shade.

[seaweb11]

Someone put that squigle board up sideways

I don't imagine the water runs off very well.

[grumpy]

Mine is wood, already painted white & chipping from 14 years in the weather.
I HATE the white - I was gonna paint it to something like weathered redwood (faded red/brown)

I could seriously build a new on in the time it would take to strip / prep / paint this one.
IF I could find someone to haul away the old one (no truck for me)
But the wood would cost 10x the paint & this is going to be a baaaaaaaaad tax year...

gah.

[Gordon]

Someone put that squigle board up sideways

I don't imagine the water runs off very well.

I think that's lattice, not corrugated panels. 

[Stev-o]

Someone put that squigle board up sideways

I don't imagine the water runs off very well.

I think that's lattice, not corrugated panels. 

I agree, it is "optical confusion" from the shadow.