How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Hawthorne has to be refreshed, a fresh coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is starting to look shabby or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a professional painter to do it for you.

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

You can also partner with a painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then letting their crew come in and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever choice is right for you, you’ll still want to know exactly how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you are preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the painting go much faster once you get started. Gathering your materials beforehand ensures that when you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire 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’ll also want 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 up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll want to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the exterior of your house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the best way to eliminate old paint, and it cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint should peel right off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is an important step because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smoother 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 produce a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting on your own, 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 does a brand new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also provides a layer of protection for the overall structure of your house.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the way it does to bare wood.

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

Deteriorating paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is 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 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 Hawthorne

After the prepping is over, you can turn the work off to a professional painter in Hawthorne (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter will know the best way to complete the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will be done a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY abilities and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are prepared to take care of each part of the job, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.