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You can make your house look spectacular when you repaint the exterior if it is done correctly. Here are some tips on making your house painting work a success:
Examine the surface of your house. Clean off all the dirk and cobwebs from the outside. Take a putty knife and scrap off all the chipped or bubbled-up paint. Sand-down the rough areas of the siding. Use a pressure washer to save time if there is a lot of debris or tough substances on the surface. Tape off or remove all outside light fixtures.
Apply primer to surfaces that have not been previously painted. Different surfaces require different types of primer (wood, stucco, metal etc.). Note: Make sure that the surface is completely dry before you apply any primer or paint.
Look up the weather for the next few days to see if it will interfere with your house painting. Check the paint can label to see how long the paint needs to cure before it can get wet. You will waste a great deal of time and money if your fresh paint is ruined by sudden rain.
Set down a drop cloth near the areas you are painting. This will keep you from leaving paint stains in your driveway or concrete surrounding your house. It will also prevent you from tracking paint into you house or other parts of your driveway (gives you some dry area to wipe your feet).
Examine the existing paint on your house and determine if the paint is acrylic (latex) or oil-based. Using the same type of paint as the existing house paint will help the paint stick better to the surface.
Make sure to get the right painting materials based on the surface of your house. Use a thick paint roller if you are painting stucco or a flat surface. Get a large brush (4”) if you are painting a house with horizontal siding. Using a paint sprayer will save you a great deal of time on larger surfaces. Only use a sprayer if you are able to control the overspray and no other objects are in danger of getting overspray (your neighbor’s house if it is close enough). A 2” angled paintbrush will help be sufficient for the window frames and door trim.
It is important to properly clean your materials after you finish your work for the day. It only takes a few hours for paint to harden. Your materials will be ruined of all the paint is not removed before it hardens. Hose down your materials with water if you used acrylic paint (dissolves in water when wet). Soak your brushes/rollers in mineral spirits if you used oil-based paint. Your job will become very expensive if you have to replace your painting materials after each day of painting. Make sure you clean up!
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