How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Garland has to be updated, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a fast, affordable option to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is looking worn down or if you are just ready for a change, consider repainting the outside of your house yourself or hire a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a big project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to understand how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

You can even partner with a painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then having their team come in and do the actual painting with their best tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever option is right for you, you’ll still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will make the actual painting go much faster as soon as you get started. Organizing your materials ahead of time ensures that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home is deciding the color or color combination. You will also need to pick the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and much easier to clean. 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 if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface 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 water is the best way to remove old paint, and it cleans the outside of your house. Some of the areas of paint will peel off as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood. 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 sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it conceals any previous paint (especially important with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or create a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with low humidity. This will lead to 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 provides a layer of protection for the overall exterior of your house.

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

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

Worn paint really takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re concerned 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 to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). 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 color can completely change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Garland

After prepping is finished, you might want to hand the project over to a professional painter in Garland (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with less effort from you.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter knows the optimal way to complete the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will last longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to handle each part of the project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the paint.