Painting the outside of your house will make the siding and trim last longer and raise the value of your home. With a fresh coat of paint, your house will not only be better protected, but it will also look great, which will make it easier to sell when the time comes. Find out how to paint quickly and thoroughly with the best methods.
Even though painting the exterior of a home isn’t easy, most people willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty can do it. Before you start painting the outside of your house, make sure you have enough safe ladders or scaffolding to work from. Whether you buy your own ladders or rent them, ensure that the ones you use are OSHA-approved when painting in high places.
5 Tips for Perfect Exterior Painting
You can save a lot of money by painting the outside of your house with the following tips.
Digging the Dirt
When painting the exterior, one of the biggest mistakes people make is to paint all the way to the ground. Your walls go below the ground line, so you must dig with a flat-head shovel to get the paint down deep.
Tip #1: Excavate around the exterior of your home down at least 4-6″ below the natural grade line.
Removing and Covering
Before you paint outside your house, you should cover anything you don’t want the paint to get on. Most of your home’s exterior will probably be painted with a heavy roller or spray rig. Covering these areas with drop cloths or painter’s plastic can keep your home clean and make your paint job look professional.
Tip #2: Cover outlets, fixtures, windows, and doors with painter’s tape and plastic.
Cleaning
It’s essential to clean the dust, dirt, and other things off the outside of your home. The new paint will only last for a while if there is too much dirt, spider webs, or dust outside your house. Use a pressure washer to remove debris in hard-to-reach places. A brush with stiff bristles works just as well and doesn’t leave a wet mess.
Tip #3: Be sure to remove debris from the home’s exterior before painting.
Repairing
Water, bug, or sun damage won’t last long, even if that big blob of paint covers it up. Before you paint the outside of your house, fix or replace any damaged wood siding, stucco, or other exterior wall materials. If you do this, you can be sure that you won’t have to do as much maintenance in the future.
Tip #4: Be sure to repair any damages to the exterior walls before painting.
Three Coat Rule
Even though adding one or two coats of paint might seem cheaper, it saves you time. Without at least three coats of paint, you can be sure that your new paint will not last as long and that the outside of your home is more likely to get damaged.
Tip #5: Always paint three coats of exterior grade paint to ensure a long paint lifespan.
To paint the outside of a house well, you need more than patience and persistence. You’ll need a sharp eye, a steady hand, and some practice to paint straight lines. You’ll also need the strength and confidence to move and set up tall ladders and to work from them once they’re in place.
