How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Winston-Salem has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is an easy, 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 repainting the outside of your house yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a big 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 what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can team up with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work on your own, but then letting their crew come over and do the actual painting with their best tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever option is best for you, you’ll still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you are preparing to do the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your equipment ahead of time ensures that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combination. You’ll also want to pick 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 much easier to clean. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of the house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the best way to remove old paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your house. Some areas of paint will peel right 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, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way 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 the home smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or produce a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting yourself, 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 to the overall structure of your house.

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

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you need to have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Deteriorating paint takes a toll on your home’s exterior. 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 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 want it to stand out, a different color can change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Winston-Salem

After the prepping is complete, you have the option to hand the project off to a professional painter in Winston-Salem (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 less effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter knows the optimal way to do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be much neater, without excess 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 by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint anything above ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of each part of the project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.