Exterior painting is the biggest home paint job you can undertake, and not just because of the amount of area you have to cover! Your house’s exterior paint job is not only the first thing family and friends see when they come to visit, but your home’s first line of defense against weather, corrosion, and insect attacks. This makes choosing the right paint for your particular surface as important as applying it correctly. Because of the size of the task and the significance of the job, many homeowners choose to hire a professional house painter for their exteriors, which provides assurance of a job well done.
The first step in any exterior paint work is the preparation of the target surface. This means preliminary cleaning, generally with a high-pressure power washer, and the subsequent removal of any chipping or flaking from previous coats. Mold, mildew, and any serious wear should be fully addressed before re-painting to prevent future damage to the walls. Seams around windows, doors, and other frames should be properly caulked and debris buildup scraped away. One of the most important steps in preparing exterior walls for paint is sanding – which, while time consuming, provides a smooth, even surface for application by removing the old paint and grime that washing and scraping have thus far missed.
After all surfaces have been prepared, you will need to mask or cover any windows, brick, siding, shingles, or other areas that you’d like to keep free of wayward paint. This can often be the most precarious and tedious portion of a paint job, especially if you have multiple stories to cover. Once the rest of your house has been properly protected, you can begin the actual painting.
The most common choices of tool for exterior paint jobs are the roller and the sprayer, which both have their pros and cons. Paint rolling, while more time consuming, often provides the most consistent and even application. Paint sprayers on the other hand, while more efficient in the hands of an expert, require stronger attention to masking and cover work, as their application is less precise. Regardless of the method you choose, your house will probably also require some final brush work along edges and seams. Detailing can also be done on gutters and frames, making the whole façade look fresh and new.
While simply doing a thorough and complete job is a key part of making your house look good, being sure to have the appropriate paints and stains for your particular surfaces is of the utmost importance. Wood, stucco, vinyl, steel, Masonite, and brick finishes will all call for different preparations and procedures, and it is best to check with a professional in order to make sure you are heading down the right path. There is nothing worse than a paint job that doesn’t last. Hiring a home painting contractor for your exterior work will save you time, stress, ladder work, and the hazard of picking the wrong paint, and it will ensure that the job is performed quickly, with the right materials, and to the highest standard of quality.