How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

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

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

You can even meet in the middle with a professional painter by completing all the prep work by yourself, but then having their team come to your home and do the painting with their best tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice is right for you, you’ll still want 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. Choose which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you are preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will make the painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your materials beforehand ensures that when you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combination. You will also want to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is a lot less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the surface of the home for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the recommended way to remove peeling paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the areas of paint will peel right off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every 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 smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or create a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and determine the most opportune day for painting a home. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only does a new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also creates a layer of protection for the overall exterior of your home.

Paint helps prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. High quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the way it does to wood.

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

Worn paint really takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the easiest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your home 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 it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Gastonia

After prepping is complete, you can hand the project over to a professional painter in Gastonia (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal 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, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a big 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 probably last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of every part of the job, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the paint.