How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Toledo needs to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a fast, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home is starting to look shabby or if you’re simply ready for a change, consider painting the outside of your house yourself or hire a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a huge project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to know how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can even meet in the middle with a painter by doing all of the prep work yourself, but then letting their team come in and do the painting with their best tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever choice is right for you, you will still need 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. Decide which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to do the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the painting go much faster as soon as you get started. Organizing your tools beforehand ensures that once you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combination. You’ll also need to choose the right paint finishes for each part 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. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the surface of your house for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the best way to eliminate peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your house. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and needed 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. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is a very important step because it covers up any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t blend into it or leave behind a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and find the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! 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 lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

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

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

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

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Toledo

After prepping is over, you might want to turn the project off to a professional painter in Toledo (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with less 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 do the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint surfaces above ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are prepared to handle each part of the project, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.