Taking care of the exterior of your home is just as important as maintaining its interiors. You can boost your curb appeal and increase your property value with a good sprucing up. The most straightforward way to do this is to give your home’s exterior a fresh paint job. Here’s what you need to know about painting your home’s surfaces:
Preparing your surface
Before you can start painting, you’ll need to make sure the surface of your home is primed and ready to receive a new coat of paint. Here’s what you need to do to make sure you’ll get a flawless glaze:
- Washing: Hose down your house with a pressure washer or hire professional sandblasting services to thoroughly get rid of any dust, debris, or grime on the surface.
- Scraping: Scuff off any old flaking layers of paint using a paint scraper.
- Sanding: Sand down any chipped or rough surfaces with a sanding block.
- Caulking: Seal gaps on doors, hinges, windows, and any crevices on the house using a caulk gun and exterior caulk.
- Filling: Fill up holes or cracks with epoxy filler then sand any excess filler down using a sanding block.
- Priming: Prime wood knots or stains with a stain-blocking primer.
Don’t forget to cover any lighting fixtures, outdoor furniture, doors, vents, and windows with plastic to avoid getting paint on it.
The best time to paint your house
Make sure these conditions are met before you decide to start your painting project:
- The surface of your home is dry
- It’s not raining, and it doesn’t look like it will rain any time during the day
- Humidity is well below 50%
- The morning dew on your home has completely dried
- The weather is temperate – not too hot and not too cold
- The sun isn’t shining directly onto the surface of your house
- The temperature is below 34°F to 37°F
Hire a professional or DIY
Hiring a professional is an excellent option if you’ve got the money to spare or if you’re in a bit of a time crunch. Professional painters know how to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Since they already have the necessary equipment and tools for the project, the only thing you’ll need to do is select the color of paint you want for your home.
If you’ve got a tight budget and can’t afford to hire professionals to do the work for you, then the best thing to do would be to paint your home yourself. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s an incredibly fulfilling project to undertake. Remember to be safe and take the necessary precautions before you begin your project.
Besides the priming materials that were mentioned above (e.g., stain-blocking primer, exterior caulk, sanding block, caulk gun, etc.), here are the rest of the materials you’ll need to acquire if you opt to do it yourself:
- Paint (The best kind of paint for this project would be an exterior paint made out of 100% acrylic latex)
- Paintbrush (For smaller edges and trimming)
- Roller brush
- Painter’s masking tape
- Paint sprayer
- Ladder
Keep all of these in mind, and you’re good to go. Painting the exterior of your house is the best way to give it a much-needed facelift without breaking the bank.
