How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Whittier has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a quick, inexpensive way to improve its appearance. So if your house is starting to look shabby or if you are simply ready for a change, consider repainting the outside of your house yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even team up with a painter by completing all of the prep work yourself, but then having their team come in and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever option is best for you, you’ll still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will help to make the painting project go a lot faster once you get started. Collecting your materials ahead of time guarantees that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home is choosing the color or color combination. You’ll also want to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of the house for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the best way to eliminate old paint, and it cleans the outside of your house. Some areas of paint should peel right 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 the house with a metal or plastic 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 each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it covers up any prior paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother exterior with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t mix with it or result in a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want 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 will a new paint job make your house look years newer, it also adds 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 reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the same way it does to wood.

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

Worn paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned 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 to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out, or if the opposite is true and you really want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Whittier

After prepping is finished, you can hand the job over to a professional painter in Whittier (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with less 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, which means the paint will look much better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a 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 longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint areas higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are prepared to take care of each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the new paint.