How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Huntsville needs to be updated, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a quick, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your house is looking worn down or if you’re just ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a home is a huge job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You need to do your research to understand how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints you need to use.

You can partner with a professional painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then letting their crew come to your home and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever choice is best for you, you will still need to know exactly 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 all other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to complete the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will help to make the actual painting project go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Collecting your equipment ahead of time guarantees that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home is deciding the color or color combo. You will also need to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the surface of the house for its brand new paint! Invest 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 best way to remove old paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint may peel off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, scrape it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful 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 need to be cleaned 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 prior paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into 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 weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only does a new paint job make your home look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection for the overall structure of your house.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

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

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

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

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Huntsville

After the prepping is complete, you have the option to hand the job off to a professional painter in Huntsville (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your expectations with little effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter knows the most efficient way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be done a lot faster.
• Pros don’t typically make a big mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will likely last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based 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 handle every part of the job, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.