How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Auburn needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable way to improve its appearance. So if your house is starting to look worn down or if you are simply ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or hire a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a house is a huge job, but it isn’t an impossible job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can also meet in the middle with a professional painter by doing all of the prep work yourself, but then having their crew come in and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever direction is best for you, you will still want to know exactly how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you are preparing to do the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will help to make the painting go a lot faster once you begin. Organizing your tools ahead of time ensures that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your house is deciding the color or color combination. You’ll also want to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is a lot less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the exterior of the house for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the best way to eliminate peeling paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some areas of paint may peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, get more of it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any prior paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t blend into it or result in a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, with 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 house look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection to the overall structure of your house.

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

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If your paint is peeling on your home, you need to have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Worn paint takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t 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 the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Auburn

After prepping is finished, you can turn the project over to a professional painter in Auburn (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with less effort from you.

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

• A professional painter knows the best way to do the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last a lot longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to take care of every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.