How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Federal Way has to be refreshed, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a quick, inexpensive way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you’re simply ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or pay a professional painter to do it for you.

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

You can also compromise with a painter by completing all the prep work by yourself, but then having their crew 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 some of 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’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 tools ahead of time guarantees that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combination. You will also need to pick the right paint finishes for all parts 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. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of the house for its brand new paint! Put time into pressure 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 eliminate old paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as soon 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 old paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface 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 paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially important with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a house. 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 result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

Paint will help 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 cannot adhere to paint the way it does to bare wood.

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

Aging paint really takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the best 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 it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Federal Way

After the prepping is finished, you have the option to turn the work over to a professional painter in Federal Way (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also guarantees 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 will know the optimal way to complete the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will be a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will probably last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint anything higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and interests, 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 project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the paint.