Few aspects of your home have such a strong visual impact right away as the exterior paint job. A well-done painting demonstrates your pride in your home and contributes to its personality.
How to Paint Your Home's Exterior
This guide shows you how to paint your home's exterior step by step - Prep work to painting
Cut or Tie Back Bushes and Branches
The evaluation of the home's surroundings occurs before exterior house painting begins. Make sure you have easy access to every area of the home's exterior surfaces before you start.
First, circle the house and note any potential obstructions like bushes and tree limbs. When required, trim back bushes or tree limbs to make room for an extension ladder. You can also use a gardener's twine to tie them back.
It’s a prudent idea to turn off any air conditioning units. If necessary, cover with plastic and tape.
Painting Trim and Siding & Cleaning Vinyl/Aluminum siding
The siding or trim of the house may accumulate dirt, mold, mildew, and other pollutants over time. Therefore, removing these elements from the existing paint is the first step in painting the house exterior.
Cleaning the house's exterior surface requires the use of a pressure washer. Alternatively, you can rent one if you do not own one.
Keep in mind: Be cautious when handling lead paint. EPA guidelines apply if you are about to paint a house or surface built before 1978. Following these recommendations will ensure your protection and your neighbors' safety when painting the exterior of your home.
Exterior vinyl and aluminum surfaces can be cleaned with a pressure washer using a TSP solution or a TSP substitute cleaner. Run the washer gently to avoid scratching any surfaces. Observe the manufacturer's mixing recommendations. This will provide for a nice clean siding.
Be careful not to force water into gaps between the siding planks when using a pressure washer. When using paint cleaner and chemicals, wear gloves and safety glasses.
Let the detergent handle the bulk of the cleaning. Before rinsing it off, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Use a scrub brush and a little elbow grease on grimy areas and the spots near windows and doors.
After cleaning, let the house completely dry before continuing. The weather forecast and your climate will determine the exact timing. Rub your hand over the surface in different areas of the house to ensure it is dry.
Prepare the Exterior Surface
While it may be tempting to start painting immediately, careful preparation is necessary for a polished result.
Powerwashing (you can rent or buy from a local Home Depot, Lowes, ACE or many other stores) the exterior of your home is a must to remove the loose & flaking paint, dirt, dust and debris. Scraping the loose and flaking paint is also important, as you want to create the best surface to maximize the adhesion of your paint
Caulk and Repair
Grab a quality tube of caulk before picking up a paint roller. Sealing cracks and joints where one type of exterior material meets another is critical. The fascia boards, molding, and window and door frames fall under this category.
Patch any chips or pits in an old stucco surface with fresh stucco and let it cure. If your fascia boards or wood siding exhibit rotting, replace them.
To prepare a surface that will take paint well, lightly sand wood doors and trim.
Prime Work Takes Time
Use a high-quality primer on all bare surfaces. Primer seals everything in place and provides a solid surface for the new paint to stick.
Remove any chalky areas on any surfaces being painted, as unprepped surfaces will not allow the paint to adhere and will eventually fail and peel.
Regarding new construction, vinyl (it is best to try to avoid painting vinyl and just cleaning it, as once you start painting vinyl siding, it must be painted again when any peeling occurs for aesthetic purposes) and most wood sidings work nicely with latex primer. Stucco that hasn't dried needs to get primed with a hot stucco primer.
Paint can be applied immediately after the primer dries..
The stucco should, however, be allowed to cure according to the recommended period for best results. Your primer or sealer's label will tell you how long you should wait before painting.
Pick Durable Exterior Paint
An excellent exterior paint is made entirely of acrylic latex. The three main parts of the formula are as follows:
Pigments are responsible for color.
Binders are what keep the color pigment adhered to the wall.
Solvents that enable the paint to disperse. Nowadays, water is the primary ingredient in most exterior paints.
The solvent evaporates as the paint dries, leaving only the pigments and binders. These are called volume solids.
The volume solids of higher-quality paints are typically higher. They could also have better binders to keep the pigments in place for long and enhance durability.
Check the manufacturer's website or ask your local distributor for a Technical Data Sheet to find out how much volume solids a particular brand of paint contains. Premium and super-premium typically have more volume solids than less expensive brands.
Choose Colors to Enhance Curb Appeal
There are so many options when choosing a color that the process can be challenging. Spend some time driving around your neighborhood to see what appeals to you if you have no idea where to begin. Keep in mind that vivid colors fade faster than subtle tones.
Make sure to assess the architectural features of your house; favor a color that goes well with the type of roofing you have and any brick or stone tones. Paint sample swaths on a portion of the exterior of your home if you're having trouble choosing between two hues. Examine the outcome at various times of the day to determine which you prefer.
Check with your neighborhood association and local building department to see if there are any paint color restrictions in your area before settling on a specific shade.
Spraying and Rolling
Painting exterior walls using a combination of spraying and back-rolling is the best method. This technique calls for two people to do the job.
If you want to quickly and uniformly apply paint to a surface, use a sprayer. The other person follows behind and applies paint with a roller to the freshly sprayed surface. On textured surfaces like stucco, it produces an even finish.
You obtain both the evenness of the roller and the sprayer's speed. Before you start spraying, protect your windows with plastic to cover them. You can also use a sprayer with a shield.
Apply a second coat if money permits after the suggested drying period. Compared to muted colors, bright colors don't cover as well. You might need a second coat of vibrant shades to achieve the full color.
Touch-up
The finishing touch is painting the doors, fascia, molding, shutters, and other ornamental details. The best tools are a good hand and a decent brush" Especially along the length of the fascia, you can expedite the painting process by using 6-inch "hot dog" paint rollers. But, to achieve a professional finish, there are no shortcuts; you must invest the necessary time.
Final Thoughts
A top-notch paint job made with premium materials can last 7-10 years, depending on your climate. Providing you apply them carefully and, more importantly, prepare all surfaces.
Get a free estimate or contact us if you need a contractor to paint the exterior of your home. Our experts will make sure the work is of the highest caliber.
