Prepping your home for an exterior painting takes a few steps. Here are some helpful tips to eliminate extra time for your paint crew.
1. Properly Wash the Home’s Exterior
Before you begin painting your home, it’s imperative to properly inspect the cleanliness and condition of the exterior. If poorly inspected, you run the risk of running into potential setbacks, the main one being the need to repaint entire sections of the home a second (or even third) time
Each home will need to be evaluated differently, as the conditions of homes vary depending on the initial paint used, how well the homeowner maintained the home’s exterior and the geographical weather conditions in which the home will endure.
For example, a home that hasn’t been painted for 25 years but was painted with the best, longest lasting paint and is located in an area that doesn’t receive heavy snow or extensive amounts of tough sunlight may last longer than a home that has been painted every 8 years with the longest lasting paint but was poorly maintained while also regularly experiencing extensive amounts of snow, hail, and/or scorching sunlight.
Each professional painter or painting company will likely have their own way of washing homes’ exteriors, so be sure to have a solid understanding of your home’s exterior needs. Some may opt for pressure washing, while others will opt for a less strenuous cleaning technique. By contacting your Raleigh Exterior Painter, you can determine the best alternative for your home’s siding.
The weather and other environmental factors (such as your beach house enduring high salt levels in the air, or your wooden cabin in the Seattle outskirts enduring little to no sunlight, resulting in constant dampness) should be taken into consideration when strategizing on how to optimally maintain your home to avoid conditional roadblocks.
Along with environmental and maintenance factors, preparing your home for new paint will also depend on the material of its exterior. The most common materials used for an exterior of a home are:
- Wood Siding
- Vinyl Siding
- Brick Siding
- Fiber Cement Siding
- Artificial Stone Siding
2. Remove Old Paint
After the home has had time to dry, it is time to scrape away any flaking paint. It is generally considered best practice to wait at least a full 24-hour period before beginning to scrape off the old already-existing paint.
There are several different types of paint scrapers out there, and the paint scraper most appropriate for your project will be determined by the material of your home’s siding, the age of the siding, and also the location of the home.
3. Apply Caulk
To avoid project setbacks, be sure to caulk any cracked seams along vertical junctions or between clapboards. By filling voids and cracks with caulk until overflowing and wiping excess with a towel or cloth, you’re preparing your home damaging weather that may occur.
Along with the, caulking any gaps between structures intended for ventilation purposes could result in project difficulties. If you’re unsure of areas that you should or shouldn’t caulk, contact your Raleigh exterior painter today.
4. Repair if Necessary
Pinpoint areas that may be damaged, rotted, or cracked. Depending on circumstances, you may need to contact a carpenter or construction professional.
5. Apply Primer
Any bare or exposed areas of your home’s exterior need to be primed with an exterior-grade oil-based primer. This will ensure there’s an air and moisture-tight barrier between the house and your new-and-exciting paint job. In most cases, sanding any rough areas with a hand or palm sander is considered standard practice and is highly recommended.
6. Trim Landscaping
After spending several hours preparing your home to be painted, chances are you do not want any landscaping to interfere with the actual application of the paint. If this is the case, be sure to trim any trees, bushes, and plants that are in close proximity to your home.
Applying paint does require a fair amount of space, often more space than you’d initially think. Trimming appropriately will also prevent foliage and plant life from coming in contact with the wet paint once it’s applied.
Raleigh Exterior Painters
In conclusion, there are many steps associated with preparing your home for exterior paint. Your home’s siding material, location, age, and history of upkeep are all factors to keep in mind when your next exterior painting project comes about.
When you choose Osborne Painting for as your painting contractor in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, or Chapel Hill, for any of your interior or exterior painting, refinishing or restoration needs, we guarantee you’ll receive the best service possible — we like to refer to it as “The Osborne Painting Difference”.
Please contact us today for your free estimate by giving us a call at 919-878-6611
or filling out our easy-to-use contact form.