How to Prepare Your Home for Painting
If your house in Plymouth has to be updated, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a fast, inexpensive option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home is starting to look worn down or if you are simply ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your home yourself or pay a local painter to do the job for you.
Painting a house is a big project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You just have to do your research to know how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints you need to use.
You can even team up with a painter by doing all the prep work yourself, but then having their crew come over and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.
Whichever direction is right for you, you will still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to remember.
6 House Painting Preparation Tips
- Decide which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Organizing your equipment beforehand guarantees that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
- Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combination. You’ll also need to pick the right paint finishes for each part of the home. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options if possible.
- Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of your home for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the recommended way to eliminate peeling paint, and it cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the sections of paint will peel right off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
- Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smooth.
- Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new paint, and a smoother exterior with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t blend into it or result in a rough patch.
- Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter can look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, with very low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.
Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea
Not only can a brand new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your home.
Paint can help prevent insects from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the way it does to bare wood.
Peeling paint is an obvious indication that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you need to go ahead and have it repainted in order to protect the wood surface.
Deteriorating paint takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the best things you can do.
Painting is a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can update its vibe.
Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Plymouth
After prepping is done, you have the option to turn the work over to a professional painter in Plymouth (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with minimal effort from you.
Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:
- A professional painter will know the best way to complete the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will be done a lot faster.
- Pros don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
- Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last longer than if you painted yourself.
- A professional painter will have the safety equipment required to paint anything above ground level.
Based on your DIY capabilities and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of every part of the project, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the new paint.