How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Smyrna has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is an easy, inexpensive way to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is starting to look shabby or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or pay 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 just need to do your research to know how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints you need to use.

You can compromise with a professional painter by doing all of the prep work on your own, but then having their team come over and do the painting with their best tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever option is right for you, you will 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 of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you are planning to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will make the painting project go a lot faster once you get started. Gathering your tools beforehand ensures that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the exterior of the house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the recommended way to eliminate peeling paint, and it cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the areas of paint should peel off as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t blend into it or produce a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with low 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 home look several years newer, it also provides a layer of protection for 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 the elements. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it needs to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you need to go ahead and have it repainted in order to protect the wood surface.

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

Painting is a good idea if your house doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). 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 completely change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Smyrna

After prepping is complete, you have the option to hand the project over to a professional painter in Smyrna (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with minimal effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter will know the optimal way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will last longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint anything higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY abilities and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of every part of the project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the new paint.