How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

home exterior painting

If your home in Fremont has to be updated, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a fast, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your home is looking shabby or if you’re just ready for something different, consider painting the exterior of your home yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even partner with a painter by completing all of the prep work on your own, but then letting their team come in and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

  1. Choose which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you’re planning to do the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will make the painting go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Collecting your materials ahead of time ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
  2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is deciding the color or color combination. You’ll also need to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and much easier to clean. The flat surfaces require 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 time-saving options if possible.
  3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of your home for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into power washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the most effective way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your home. Some sections of paint will peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
  4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off 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 all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smoothly.
  5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or create a rough patch.
  6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very little humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a new paint job make your home look several years newer, it also adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

Paint will help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

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

Aging paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the easiest things you can do.

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

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Fremont

After the prepping is done, you might want to turn the project over to a professional painter in Fremont (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 minimal effort from you.

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

  • A professional painter will know the optimal way to do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will move a lot faster.
  • Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
  • Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
  • A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas above ground level.

Depending on your DIY capabilities and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to take care of every part of the job, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the paint.

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