OK. here's my problem: I'm a widow. I live in a development that has an association. In other words, they(the board) tell you what you can & can't do to your house. They want all the houses in here to be cookie cutter cutouts of each other. I can't afford to move so I have to go along with their demands or they will take me to court.The problem is I can't afford to hire someone to do any work for me & I don't have a husband to do the work so that leaves me to try & figure out how to do the things they demand of me on my own. I am so not handy. The latest demand is that I paint my shutters & repair my front door. The shutters are made of plastic.The paint is chipped & dingy-looking. Do I have to sand them? Or is there another way to prepare them for painting? Being plastic, I'm a little concerned about how they will hold up to sanding. And can I use a belt sander or do I have to sand them by hand with sandpaper? Then, do you have to use a primer or can you just start with the color after they're sanded smooth? Now, the door. It's metal & has plastic trim rectangles in a pattern on the outside. Three of the plastic rectangles have melted due to the sun & have fallen off. There are holes where they were connected on with pegs. Question 1: Can you buy replacement rectangles to replace the melted ones? And if not, is there a way to fill in the holes if I remove the remaining rectangles so I can just paint the whole door so it looks better? If there are any handymoms out there I really need your help because I have 2 left thumbs when it comes to this stuff. Thanks Sharon

Have you tried contacting the board and asking these questions? It could accomplish a few things: you may get the answers you need, you may get an offer of help, they could see that their demands do cause hardships, and although it's understandable why this needs to be done, perhaps they could find ways to assist those that don't have the means to do it, such as contracting a company at a discounted rate. Sometimes asking for help brings out the human side. Your local Lowes or Home Depot may be able to help with your questions, also. Good luck!

as for the suitters I would not sad them I would buy spray paint for plastic and go to town on them. it is very easy I have spray painted many things in our new house( mail box, over the range hood, numbers on the house) to name a few. As for the door to the house I would take off the plastic things just so you don't have to do it again if anotherone melts. fill the holes with silicone/putty (ask what would be best to use at a hardware store) they will help also. and spray paint the door or just paint it will a sponge roller. We just re painted our from door and the brush left to many marks for me to like it so I just went over it with a sponge roller and liked how it came out and was easy to get in all the little areas.

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Thanks, girls. Those were good suggestions

I Would Tell The Board Your Problem And Ask If Anyone Would Be Able To Help You. How Many Shutters Are We Talking About. It Might Be Easyier To Just Buy New Ones That Dont Need To Be Painted. I Feel For You, We Moved Because Of Our Home Owners Asso.