When it comes to painting your home’s exterior, reparation is much more important than even the actual painting. Many times, especially when repainting, preparation takes more hours than the actual painting. Painting on a poorly prepared surface always results in a colorful disappointment. On the contrary, well-prepared surfaces always lead to quality and long-lasting results.
Armed with this knowledge, below are six critical steps you need when preparing your home’s exterior for painting.
Here you go;
1. Wash the Exterior
If you’re done with your color choices and checking the weather, the first step would be to wash the exterior from top-down, all around. You can rent a pressure washer, which is quite affordable, and save a lot of hours that you would have used to hand-wash. Only use cleaning additives if you have mold and other stains. Doing thorough cleaning means a clean surface, which maximizes paint adhesion. Allow the wall the dry completely before proceeding.
2. Ground Cover
Keep plants and shrubs around your exterior in mind by covering them with a lightweight canvas tarp. But always remove the cover at the end of each painting day so as not to kill them. Similarly, place the drop cloths on fixtures you can’t move and below the part of the wall that you will be painting.
3. Sanding and Scraping
Sanding and scraping the surface takes the bulk of exterior prep. If you’re painting a new house, you can give it a quick prep and head on to painting. However, if you’re doing and exterior repaint, chances are the old paint is peeling or flaking –and all this needs to be scraped off.
Paint peeling and sanding can be a tiring and tedious process, but extremely important. Painting over flaking paint will only result in new paint that flakes off, and skipping the entire sanding process will result in a paint job with large unsightly patches on your wall. You can use a power sander to make the process less of a hassle.
4. Apply caulk
Caulk any cracked seams along vertical junctions or between clapboards. Fill all the cracks and voids with caulk until it overflows and then wipe away the excess using a damp cloth. Watch out not to caulk gaps between structures designed for ventilation purposes such as between a gutter and the edge of a soffit.
5. Surface Repairs and Cleaning
As you sand and caulk your surfaces, you might notice certain areas that have been damaged. Such areas might have been damaged by wear and tear, weather, mold, insect activity, and so on. Regardless of what caused the damage, now is the best time to repair them.
If you don’t have the skills or tools, you might want to call in a separate handyman to make repairs, especially if they are extensive. If you’re hiring an exterior painting contractor, chances are they have a reputable handyman on speed-dial.
6. Apply primer first
All the washing, sanding, scraping, stripping, caulking, and repairs can be extremely exhausting, and you might be tempted to skip the priming and head straight to applying the paint –but don’t. Using a primer helps the paint to adhere properly to the surface, and considering it’s an exterior painting job, you need all the paint durability you can get.
Prime all the exposed areas on your exterior walls with an oil-based primer, which is designed specifically for exterior painting. The primer seals the bare surface and creates moisture- and airtight barrier between the paint job and your house. That needs to be done as the last process before applying the paint. The number of coats will be determined by the nature and condition of the surface you’re dealing with.
If you really need good exterior preparation and paint job for your home’s exterior, consider hiring a professional painting contractor. If you need any professional help with exterior home repainting, Aspen Painting can assist. We have years of experience in residential painting and can help you choose the best colors for your project at no extra cost.
Our residential painting services are currently available in Ambler, Dresher, Ft. Washington, and Blue Bell. Call us today on 215-773-8422 for a FREE estimate to get started.
Ray is an inspiring leader with a strong work ethic stemming from his exemplary upbringing in a caring and loving family environment. His parents modeled the importance of integrity and hard work to him and his siblings, values which Ray now instills in his teenage daughter. As the owner of Aspen Painting & Wallcovering, Inc., he leads by example by expecting nothing but the best from himself and his employees. His primary goal is to provide superior service and quality craftsmanship to each of his clients so that they become enthusiastic ambassadors for the company. Ray is a passionate team player who always strives to exceed expectations.