How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Temple has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a fast, affordable way to improve its appearance. So if your home is looking shabby or if you are simply ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your home yourself or pay a professional painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a big project, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to understand how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

You can also meet in the middle with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work on your own, but then having their team come to your home and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice 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 consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting go a lot faster once you begin. Collecting your equipment beforehand guarantees that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combination. You will also need to choose 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 also efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of the home for its beautiful new paint! Put time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the most effective way to remove old paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your home. Some areas of paint will peel right off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand each surface all the way 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.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or result in a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only does a brand new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection for the overall exterior of your home.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious signal that it needs to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you really need to have it repainted in order to protect the wood surface.

Deteriorating paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the easiest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Temple

After the prepping is done, you might want to turn the job over to a professional painter in Temple (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with minimal effort on your part.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter will know the most efficient way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will move a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint anything above ground level.

Depending on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to handle each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the new paint.