Do you ever wonder what makes some houses look fresh for decades and what makes others look bleak and sad after just a couple of years from renovation? It could be the poor quality of materials, the unprofessional power-washing technique, an insect invasion, or the bad weather’s fault. Most of the time it is the very poor house painting preparation work done before applying a coat of paint.
Give your house some serious curb appeal by following a few simple rules. These tips and tricks will give your house a fresh look that will last longer and cost less than you could ever imagine.
Start by thoroughly planning everything
Painting your home is like using a magic wand that instantly makes your house look spectacular, increases its value, and makes you feel happier to live there.
It’s hard to know where to begin before you made a mental strategy and sketched a plan. Depending on your level of experience and the size of your project, you may find yourself a little overwhelmed and lost. Don’t panic, we know where you can start.
Find out everything you can about your house’s history, style, surfaces, and decoration elements. Use that information to decide on the color scheme you want to apply and the changes you may need to make. Make a list of materials, cleaners, and instruments you will need to buy before you start your project.
This is the time you can inspect your house to check if you will be needing some light carpentry and repairs. Look for some local painting contractors that are lead certified in case you need to remove the old paint that is harmful to your health.
Keep your pets safe
If you have pets in your family, make sure they stay far away from your work area. It is sometimes common for our little pawed friends to wander around and chew on strange materials, brushes, or other dangerous items used for a residential painting project.
Secure Ladders and Scaffold setup is a must
Your safety should be a priority in any house painting project, whether it be a DYI or one that you hired a painting company to perform for you. If you know that your house will probably require multi-storey work, you will need ladders to increase your reach. Make sure your ladder is stable, your scaffold setup is safe, and nothing sinks into the ground.
Be aware of your surroundings
What we mean is, make sure your bushes, shrubs, plants, flowers, and trees are safely covered by some tarp or plastic covers that you can buy at any speciality store. Even when you’re pressure washing your house, the chemicals you use can be deadly to your vegetation. Make sure to take the covers off your plants every time you’re done for the day. You don’t want to destroy the plants you so carefully covered in the first place.
Sanding and scraping your way to a perfect exterior
We came to the lengthiest, most demanding stage of your project. Before your first paintbrush strokes, you need to make sure you prep your surfaces accordingly. Sometimes doing this on your own means you need to have a lot of knowledge and experience in working with different surfaces, fillers, and instruments. We suggest you contact your local painters for a professionally done prep job.
Sanding and scraping is probably the roughest part of exterior house painting. It involves getting rid of the loose and flaky paint particles, which can take multiple hours of hard work. Power sanders will speed up the work, but using it requires proper protection and a little bit of skill.
Make your house painting preparation flawless
As you sand and scrape you’ll notice areas that need some more love, like the weather-worn surfaces, or the insect-damaged spots. This is the perfect time to do some repairs, replace some siding, and remove the rotten wood. After your surfaces are sanded and scraped, it’s time to get them cleaned. Air spray or wipe down the sanding dust first. Power-wash the siding, and when you do it make sure to not spray upward. Your siding was designed to direct drops downwards and going against the rainfall direction is not advisable.
After your facade is clean and dry, test your color palette once again before you apply it to your house. At this point, the hardest part of your home exterior painting project is done, and all that’s left is to apply at least two coats of paint on a clear surface.
Well-done house painting preparation work will ensure a long-lasting life and an outstanding curb appeal of your house for years to come. Not only will you feel satisfied with the way your home looks, but your entire neighbourhood will have an excellent reason to think about renovating their homes and boost the value of the houses in your area.
