How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Mount Pleasant needs to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a quick, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your house is starting to look shabby or if you are just ready for something different, consider painting the outside of your house yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a home is a huge project, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

You can even partner with a professional painter by doing all of the prep work on your own, but then letting their crew come in and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will help to make the actual painting go much faster as soon as you get started. Collecting your equipment beforehand guarantees that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and look for needed 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 home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of the house for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your house (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 cleans the outside of your house. Some sections of paint should 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, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy 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 smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or leave behind a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter can look at the forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very little humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

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

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

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

Painting is 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, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can completely change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Mount Pleasant

After the prepping is finished, you can turn the work off to a professional painter in Mount Pleasant (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal effort from you.

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

• A professional painter knows the best way to complete the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint anything above ground level.

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