How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Aurora needs to be refreshed, a new coat of paint is a quick, inexpensive way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is looking shabby or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider painting the outside of your house yourself or pay a local painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even compromise with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work by yourself, but then letting their team come to your home and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever direction is best for you, you’ll still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you’re planning to do the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will make the actual painting project go much faster once you begin. Gathering your tools beforehand guarantees that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home is deciding the color or color combo. You’ll also need 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 is a lot less messy and much easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its brand 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 water is the best way to eliminate old paint, and it cleans the outside of your house. Some of the areas of paint may peel right off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every 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 smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t mix with 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 find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

Paint helps prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the way it does to bare wood.

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

Worn paint really 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 to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s color makes it stand out, or if the opposite is true and you really want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Aurora

After prepping is complete, you can turn the project off to a professional painter in Aurora (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your 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 best way to do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will be done a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will likely last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas above ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are prepared to take care of every part of the job, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.