How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Tamarac needs to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is a fast, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you’re just ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a big project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to know how to prep the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints to use.

You can also compromise with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work by yourself, but then having their crew come over and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice is right for you, you’ll still need to know exactly how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, gather the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the painting project go much faster as soon as you get started. Collecting your equipment ahead of time ensures that when you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combo. You’ll also need to pick 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 need 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 surface of the house for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the most effective way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the areas of paint should peel off as you spray over 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, scrape it off the house with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. 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 experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with low humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only will a new paint job make your home look several years newer, it also adds a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your house.

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

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

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

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s color makes it stand out, or if it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different color can change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Tamarac

After prepping is over, you have the option to turn the job off to a professional painter in Tamarac (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with less effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter will know the best way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will move a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will probably last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint anything above ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are fully prepared to take care of each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.