How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in The Woodlands needs to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable way to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking shabby or if you are just ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a big project, but it isn’t an impossible job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

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

Whichever direction is best for you, you will still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and other safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Organizing your materials ahead of time ensures that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combination. 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 is 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 synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the surface of the house for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the recommended way to eliminate old paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint should peel right off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, scrape it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface 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 the primer! Primer is an important part of preparation because it conceals any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smooth surface with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t mix with it or produce a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can 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 on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

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

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If your paint is peeling on your home, you need to go ahead and have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Worn paint takes a toll on your home’s exterior. 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 seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in The Woodlands

After prepping is finished, you have the option to hand the project over to a professional painter in The Woodlands (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your 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 best way to do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will be done a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will probably last a lot longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment required to paint surfaces above ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to take care of every part of the project, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.