It’s understandable that it can be super exciting when it comes to doing improvements to your home, especially on the outside since that’s what everyone sees. However, it’s also important to note that doing something like this on your own can be a lot of hard work and it can be very frustrating if you don’t do it properly. In order for you to enjoy the labors of your hard work, we’re here to help you achieve that by giving you some pointers on how to paint your home successfully. At Seabrook Painting Charleston we want you to know that the most important thing you can do is prepare your home before painting it.
Before you rush down to your local paint store or hardware store and buy a bunch of paint brushes, rollers, and paint there are some important things you’ll need to do before you do this so that you can maximize your success and to minimize any frustration.
There’s a lot more to painting the exterior of your home than just picking out your color scheme and getting all the supplies. In fact, most of the hard work is doing the prep work that needs to be done to get your home ready for the paint. The prep work is going to be what helps give your home a great new look.
Wash Your Home Before You Paint
One of the most important things you need to do prior to painting the exterior of your home is to wash the home from top to bottom and all over. You’ll need to have a power washer to do the job and if you don’t have one of your own, you can rent one for a relatively inexpensive price. It’s really not a very good idea to try and wash the house by hand because it will take up too much time and effort and can be quite frustrating. With a power washer all you’ll need is just plain water and the pressure combined with the water should be enough for most of your home to remove the dirt. The only reason why you might need to add a cleaner would be if you ran into some mold or some other kind of stain that’s tough to remove with water alone.
Do Some Scraping and Then Let House Dry
After your house has completely dried you are going to want to make an inspection of your home and see if there are any sections of old paint that are peeling after you power washed it. If you find spots then you just need to take a standard paint scraper and remove the peeling paint with it. You may have to put a little effort into this but it is something that needs to be done before you can put any fresh paint on your home. Make sure that you let your home dry for at least 24 hours before you do any kind of scraping.
Make Sure to Apply Caulk Where Needed
After you’ve done your scraping you should next examine your home to see if there are any seams with cracks between any clapboards or along any vertical junctions. You will want to take some caulk and fill these gaps in before you do any painting. Take the caulk and fill in the cracks to overflowing and then wipe the excess off with a damp rag or towel. Just make sure that you don’t caulk any areas between structures that might be used for any ventilation.
Check for Needed Repairs – Then You Can Think About Your Paint Colors
After you’ve done all of the above it’s important to take one more walk around your home and examine it closely to see if there are any kind of repairs that you might need to take care of. If they are something you can fix, then you can do so, however, if it’s something that looks too hard for your own skills then you might want to hire a carpenter or a handyman to do the work for you. Once the repairs are done, now you can pick out your color scheme and go out and gather up all the materials you’ll need.
Put Primer on Your Home Before Painting
Before you start painting your home make sure that you put a coat of primer on first. The best kind of primer for outside painting would be an exterior grade oil-based one. These are important because a primer will create a moisture and air tight barrier between your house and the paint itself. If you come across any rough areas on your home you might want to either use a palm sander or just hand sand down the rough spots before applying the primer.
Final Step – Trim all Plants and Trees Near House
The final step before painting is to make sure that you protect the landscaping that’s close to your home. You should consider trimming any trees or bushes that might be rubbing up against the home. This will give you more room to paint and the branches won’t brush up against the wet paint.
No matter what kind of improvement you do to your home is important and that’s why we want you to be as successful as possible. If you follow these prep steps for exterior painting you will not only saved yourself a lot of money and frustration but you will end up with a beautiful looking home you can enjoy for years to come.
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