Here are 9 great tips for painting your own home’s exterior, all the while keeping your sanity intact and delivering good work in the process.
Some home remodeling projects – like painting your home’s exterior – are just too huge to take lightly, and house painting is one of them. So adopt a steadfast mentality, relax and have fun!
Each Side of the House Is a Project Unto Itself
Do not think, “I’m going to paint the entire house now.”
Instead think, “I am going to paint this one side of the house now.”
Consider one side of the house a project and ignore the other sides for now.
Do the Hard, Boring Parts First
Hard and boring parts are places like under the gutters and facia boards. Fun places to paint are the most visible areas.
Psychologically you will run into trouble if you paint all the fun stuff first. You begin to think that the work is basically finished. Then, when you move to those hard, boring areas, they feel like twice as much work.
So, get those hard-to-reach type places out of the way first.
Flat Finishes Can Make Your Work Easier
Satin finish exterior paint is easier to clean, due to its light sheen.
But one great thing about flat exterior paint is that you can pick up again on painting any time after you have taken a break, no overlapping seams visible.
On the Extension Ladder, Paint Whatever is in Reach
If you are on a long ladder, it can be quite time-consuming to go up and down and move it every few minutes.
For that reason, paint as far as you can comfortably and safely within reach while you are on top of the ladder, rather than following some pattern dictated by the house’s architecture.
Again, this is where flat finish paint comes in handy. When you have to return to those painted areas later, it’s easy to blend your new work in.
Paint Sprayer vs. Brush?
With cheaper paint sprayers on the market now, homeowners automatically assume that spraying their house will be faster and better than brushing and/or rolling.
Not so.
Paint spraying necessitates an incredible amount of prep work; every square inch not to be painted must be masked.
Not only that, but you also need to tarp five or more feet beyond the house (likely farther). In a strict accounting of time, sometimes brushing and rolling comes out ahead of spraying.
Pick Your Battles Well
Make the highly visible areas perfect. These are places like around the front and back doors, the entire facade, etc.
Other places, like under the gutters etc., may not require the same level of tender loving care.
Do Not Make Paint Do the Work of Patching/Sealing
Before actually dipping a brush into the paint and smearing it on your house, you first need to prepare the house by patching and sealing it.
Yes, paint can work minor miracles, such as drowning pin-size holes or filling in hairline cracks. But that is about all.
You run into problems when you try to goop in too much paint and expect it to do the work of caulk or wood filler.
Pick the Right Season for Painting Your House
Should you decide to start painting the outside of your home in the wrong season, you will continually be fighting the elements.
Use Every Possible Step, Even the Smallest
Use a stepladder, household steps etc. whenever possible.
Please use whatever precaution is needed while you are painting your home’s exterior to keep yourself safe. Don’t rush it! Safety comes first.
Good luck! Please contact us with any enquiries.
The Pastel Team
*Some information was sourced from Google*
