Exterior painting tips

Exterior painting takes a lot of time to finish, especially when you have a larger house or more complicated structure. Painting your homes exterior can be a very big job but exterior painting can really make your house look fresh and new. It’s no secret that exterior painting will cost a lot of money in terms of supplies and labor when you hire someone else to do it.

The first step in any painting job is preparation. The surface to be painted needs to be thoroughly cleaned before any paint is applied. The best way to clean your home surface is power washing. Power washing is an effective and efficient way to clean the surfaces on the exterior of your home. A mixture of bleach and TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) along with water is the best solution to remove mold, mildew and chalking that may exist on the siding. If the paint on the siding is loose and peeling, a lot of that will be removed as well by power washing. If you find any holes or cracks now is the time to fill them with spackle or caulk. Be very detail oriented here and be sure not to miss anything. If you find any rotten or loose boards now is the time to fix them. After you have finished washing your homes exterior you then need to give it ample time to dry. Plan to paint the next day.

Now that all the preparations is done, it is time to paint your home. Pick a day that is calm, not too windy, not too hot and of course with no chance of rain. Take your time and do a god job. Remember, oil-based paints may have local government restrictions check to see whether there are restrictions on using oil-based paints in your area. And always avoid breathing oil-based paint fumes for long periods of time. Don’t forget to mask off areas that are not going to be painted, such as siding, or porch surfaces under railings. For windows, mask offs the glass in each pane when painting the dividers. If you don't take the time to mask off areas not being painted you will spend hours cleaning up the mess. If the surface is wet let it dry for 2-3 days.

As you can see preparing a house for paint is not a quick and easy process. It is actually time consuming and absolutely necessary for a quality paint job. But this can be a fun project for the entire family, so get out there and get it done.