How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Hillsboro has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a fast, inexpensive way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is starting to look shabby or if you are simply ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a local painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a huge job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You just have to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints you need to use.

You can team up with a professional painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then having their team come over and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever option is best for you, you will still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting project go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your materials beforehand ensures that when you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning that 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 house is deciding the color or color combination. You’ll 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’s a lot less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the exterior of your house for its brand new paint! Invest time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the recommended way to eliminate peeling paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the sections of paint may peel right off as soon as you spray over 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 metal or plastic straight edge, being careful 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 just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t blend into 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 determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very little humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a brand new paint job make your house look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your house.

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

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

Aging paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. 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, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Hillsboro

After prepping is done, you have the option to hand the work off to a professional painter in Hillsboro (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures 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 knows the most efficient way to do the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will go a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will likely last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to take care of each part of the job, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the paint.