Pro Advice on Painting the Outside of House

PRO ADVICE ON PAINTING THE OUTSIDE OF HOUSE

Your home is your big investment.

A fresh coat of paint every few years will keep it looking good and protect your siding, windows.

It’s not that hard to do it yourself if you know all the essential steps.

Painting the exterior of your home can make a big impact on its value.

It can give more the life of the exterior and protect your home from weather damage as well as increase curb appeal.

Repainting wood trim around windows is no small task, but fortunately it’s one that you can easily do yourself.

When painting the exterior of a house, learn these valuable tips that can save you time by preparing properly for the project.

Get expert advice on the proper way to repaint a front door.

It's All in the Prep

The secret to a successful paint job is in the prep.
If you take your time to do all the essential steps, the results will be a spectacular paint job that will last for years.
Here's what you'll need for a quality paint job: 

1. exterior flat or eggshell paint 
2. exterior semigloss paint
3. pressure washer
4. paint sprayer
5. paintbrush
6. painter’s tape
7. drop cloths
8. ladder
9. paint scraper
10. stain-blocking primer
11. epoxy filler
12. medium-grit sanding block
13. putty knife
14. exterior caulk
15. caulk gun
16. plastic sheeting.

A) Power-Wash

• To ensure best coverage, use a pressure washer to remove dirt and dust buildup from the house.
• Work your way from the top to bottom of the house in a smooth, controlled manner, overlapping each stroke by 8 inches.
• The high-pressure spray of detergent-and-water cleaning solution from a pressure washer blasts dirt, grime and mildew off exterior wall surfaces.
• The high pressure from the machine allows the water stream to clean dirt off two-story buildings.
• In addition to cleaning, a pressure washer at its maximum pressure can peel loose paint off exterior walls in preparation for repainting.
• Read the instruction manual before using the machine and never point the spray at a person or pet.
• The high pressure can cause injury.

B) Repair Damaged Surfaces

• Walk around the perimeter of the house and look for damaged surfaces on wood, masonry, metal, siding or stucco.
• Use a putty knife to apply epoxy filler to cracks or holes.
• Once dry, lightly sand the repaired areas using a medium-grit sanding block.
• Repairing of plaster walls is needed from time to time as the building ages.
• The most common problem with plaster walls is crumbling, water damage, cracking or pulling away from the lath behind it.
• Repairing process of plaster walls is presented in the following sections.

C) Remove Loose Paint

• Walk around the perimeter of the house taking note of any loose or chipped paint.
• Place drop cloths along the ground, then use a paint scraper or sanding block to remove chipped and loose paint.
• To fix exterior peeling paint, you need to scrap off all loose paint.For this, you should use :  

1. scraper to remove the paint
2. wire brush to sweep away remaining debris
3. fine-grit sandpaper to smooth away the surface.

D) Fill In Cracks

• Use exterior caulk to fill any gaps between the house and trim, and around doors and windows.
• Whether found in drywall, plaster or concrete, a crack in a wall is an eyesore.
• Generally caused by the natural settling of a house over time, you can repair a cracked wall in a weekend.
• Simple tools and materials from your local home improvement store will have you on your way to a smooth wall.
• Take note, if dry wall cracking or surface distortion is severe or there are other indications of significant settling or potential structural problems.
• We have your home inspected by a qualified building professional before repairing the dry wall.
• If the house has mixed materials such as siding and brick. 
• Add caulk along the surfaces where the different materials meet.

E) Prime Stains

• If you find any wood stains or visible wood knots, apply a coat of stain-blocking primer to the area.
• It is on the trim, staircase, doors, cabinets and more.
• There is nothing wrong with brown trim, it can look beautiful, but we  prefer white so we are working our way through all the rooms in type house with a paint brush loaded with white paint.
• We always got to try out new paint product that will not only hide all the brown, but block the old brown stain from seeping through the all the white paint we plan to cover the brown with.
• It promises to do this in only a few steps.