How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Redmond has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a fast, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you are simply ready for something different, consider painting the outside of your home yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even partner with a professional 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 professionally selected paint.

Whichever option is right for you, you will still want to know exactly 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 of the home to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting go much faster once you get started. Organizing your equipment ahead of time ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is deciding the color or color combo. You will also want to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s 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 want to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of your home for its brand new paint! Invest 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 best way to eliminate peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your home. Some of the sections of paint should peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating 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 careful not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned 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 important with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother exterior with less imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a home. 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 low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only will a brand new paint job make your house look years newer, it also adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

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

Peeling paint is an obvious clue that it needs to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you really need to go ahead and have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

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

Painting is also a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, 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 Redmond

After the prepping is complete, you might want to turn the project over to a professional painter in Redmond (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with little effort on your part.

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 move a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t typically make a big mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will last longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas above ground level.

Based on your DIY abilities and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to handle every part of the project, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.