How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Fullerton needs to be refreshed, a new coat of paint is a quick, inexpensive option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is looking shabby or if you are simply ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a big project, but it isn’t an impossible job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prep the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints you need to use.

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

Whichever option is right for you, you will still want to know exactly how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you’re planning to do the painting 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. Gathering your tools beforehand guarantees that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home is deciding the color or color combination. You will also want to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s less messy and much easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint will peel right off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed 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 diligent not to dig into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or result in a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is 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 can a new paint job make your house look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection for the overall exterior of your house.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt won’t stick to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious indication that it needs to be replaced. If your paint is peeling on your home, you need to have it repainted to protect the wood surface.

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

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s color makes it stand out too much, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Fullerton

After the prepping is complete, you can hand the work over to a professional painter in Fullerton (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 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 much better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new paint will last longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas above ground level.

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