The Right Way to Paint the Exterior of Your Home
Looking to freshen up the exterior of your home but unsure how to do it? Outside of some landscaping, you might consider giving your home a fresh coat of paint. You can either hire someone to paint your home or you can take on this task yourself. If you decide to tackle the job, the following steps will help.
Step 1: Pressure Wash the Exterior
Start by pressure washing the exterior of the house. By thoroughly washing the walls before applying paint, you ensure the best possible coverage.
Pro Tip: Work from the top of the house to the bottom in a smooth, controlled manner. Overlap each stroke by roughly eight inches.
Step 2: Repair Surface Damage
Inspect the exterior for any damaged surfaces. If you spot an issue, apply an epoxy filler to any holes or cracks with a spackle knife. Once you've smoothed over any eyesores and the epoxy has dried, lightly sand the area using a sanding block.
Step 3: Lose Any Loose Paint
Any chipped or loose paint should be removed before applying a fresh coat of paint, as it can cause the new paint to crack. You can use a sanding block or paint scraper to remove any loose paint.
Step 4: Seal the Trim
Don't let paint seep into areas where it could cause future issues. Look for gaps between the house and the trim, especially around doors and windows. Using a caulk gun and exterior caulk, fill them in.
Pro Tip: If your house has mixed materials, such as vinyl siding and stonework, add some caulk along the surface where the different materials meet.
Step 5: Prime Any Stains
Examine the exterior for visible wood knots or stains. You'll want to apply a single coat of stain-blocking primer to these areas, preferably with a paintbrush, to ready them for painting.
Step 6: Protect Your Doors, Lights, and Windows
Before starting to paint, be sure to protect your doors, lights, and windows from unwanted paint. Cover them using plastic sheets and seal them off with painter's tape. The prep work is time-consuming, but worth every second.
Step 7: Paint the Exterior
Now for the fun! Splash on that new shade of color by loading flat or eggshell exterior paint into a paint sprayer. Depending on the color's intensity, you may need to apply multiple coats.
Pro Tip: Apply the paint from the top to bottom in the same smooth, controlled, and overlapping manner you used when pressure washing. If you're going from light to dark or from dark to light, start with a coat of primer. When freshening with the same color as the existing one, no primer is needed.
Step 8: Paint the Trim and Doors
Once the paint has dried, remove the plastic sheeting protecting your doors, lights, and windows. Add a few coats of exterior semigloss paint color to any doors with a paintbrush. Keep a cloth nearby to remove drips.
Even if you decide that this is too large of a task to take on alone, it's good to know the proper steps so you can discuss them with your painting contractor and be sure that you hire a professional who does the job well. Contact a service like Lindas Country Cleaners to set up a painting schedule.
