Exterior home painting involves applying a protective and decorative layer of paint to the outer surface of your home including walls, trim, and doors.
It is important to follow some important steps before you begin your DIY exterior home painting project. When bothered about one of the most common questions- essential steps before painting by house outside, consider the below 10 must-do steps.
The essence of good exterior painting is that most hard work is done before your brush hits the building. Applying paint to the poorly prepped exterior surface will deliver no great results. So, it is advisable to understand some important steps before the start of an exterior home painting project.
- Evaluating conditions of your home’s exterior: The most significant step in the checklist for homeowners before painting their house involves a thorough inspection of the home’s exteriors to get insights into damage. Look for cracks, peeling paint, mildew, mold, or signs of wood rot. Also, consider the lead paint testing. This test involves checking the presence of lead in old paint layers, especially in homes built before 1979. Lead exposure can cause serious health risks. The lead testing ensures the safe removal and preparation methods to adhere to the health and safety regulations.
- Consider the Safety of Outdoor Pets: When seeking the essential steps before painting my house outside, do not forget to consider your outdoor pets. Consider how your exterior home painting project will affect them. During the project, you will be moving around the perimeter and dragging behind supplies. Also, while scraping and sanding, watch where the debris will fall. Normally, pets chew on strange materials that suddenly fall near them. Consider the safety of the outdoor pets before hitting the paintbrush on your building’s exterior.
- Ladders and Scaffold: The exterior painting project planning guide for homeowners involves setting up ladders and scaffolds outside to boost your reach. Also, before arranging for ladders and scaffolds know the stability of the ground. A ladder that stands steady on a concrete driveway may sink into soft dirt as soon as one puts weight on it or the ladder may not move when you are 10 feet or more in the air. Choose the right ladder height or scaffold type for your home’s dimensions ensuring easy access to all the areas. Use ladder stabilizers to avoid damage to siding or gutters. Secure the scaffold with locking wheels or base steel plates for added stability. Inspect the ladder and scaffold before use and follow the safety guidelines to reduce the risks.
- Protect Landscaping: Another important exterior house painting checklist before hiring a painter is to keep shrubs and plants in mind. Protect the plants by using plastic sheeting or protective covering. As you place ladders keep an eye for delicate plants or flowers. If the plants are fragile, it is advisable to relocate them into temporary pots. Also, protect the water features like waterfalls or koi ponds.
- Protect Fixtures that you do not want to paint: There are a handful of items that are scattered over your home’s exterior including outlet boxes, utility heads, and hose bibs and racks. Based on the nature of the items, either tape them or remove them completely during your exterior home painting project.
- Sanding and Scraping: The exterior house painting timeline and planning guide highlight the major work in the project is surface preparation. The toughest and most challenging part is sanding and scraping. If one is working on an unpainted surface, they can give it a quick prep and move on. But the previously painted surface will need to have loose and flaking paint scrapped off and the edged sanded flush. This tiring and tedious process is very important for painting over the flaking paint will result in new paint that flakes off and skipping the sanding process will leave large unattractive impressions on your home. Power sanders can be used to smooth the surfaces and remove old paints, rust, or any imperfections efficiently. They ensure a clean surface for better paint adhesion but make sure to use proper respiration and dust control.
- Surface Repairs and Cleaning: After the sanding and scraping process, you will notice the individual areas that have become damaged. The damage might be from weather wear and tear, or possibly from animal or insect activity. This is a perfect time for such repairs. Once the repairs are done, you can clean the surface.
- Weather Condition: Consider the weather conditions before you begin your exterior paint project. Aim for a period of mild, dry weather with temperatures between 50⁰ F and 85⁰ F. Avoid painting during extreme heat, high humidity, or rainy conditions as these can negatively impact the drying process and paint’s holding capacity.
- Clean up Spills: Make sure to have something close at hand to clean up spills. If you are using the latex paint, you will need water and clean rags and if using oil or enamel-based paints, you will need mineral spirits or the thinner.
- Test Swatch: Before diving into full exterior paint preparation mode, put a test swatch of paint on the surface. Make sure that it matches the exterior color one has picked up. Also, observe how the colors look at different times of the day and in various lighting conditions. This step will confirm your choice before committing to painting the entire house.
What to do before painting my house outside in the summer, if this question is bothering you, the above 10 must-to-do steps before starting your exterior home painting is the apt answer. These steps will save time, reduce unexpected issues, and achieve a professional finish that boosts the home’s beauty and durability. Work with a professional service provider to ensure the best and the desired results.
FAQs
- What preparation needs to be done for exterior home painting?
The preparation for the exterior home painting includes surface cleaning, repairing damages, sanding, priming, and protecting the surrounding areas ensuring a smooth and lasting finish. - How long it take to complete the exterior home painting project?
Depending on the size and condition of the house and weather conditions, the time taken to complete an exterior home painting project ranges from a few days to a couple of weeks. - DIY exterior home painting project or hiring a professional service provider- Which is the ideal choice?
While DIY exterior home painting can save money, hiring a professional service provider is advisable for better quality, safety and efficiency.
