How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Marietta has to be updated, a new coat of exterior paint is a quick, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is starting to look worn down or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider painting the exterior of your home yourself or pay a professional painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a huge job, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

You can even partner with a painter by doing all of the prep work by yourself, but then having their team come to your home and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice is best for you, you will still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you are planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting go a lot faster once you get started. Gathering your tools ahead of time guarantees that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combination. You will also want to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the home. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the surface of your home for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the best way to eliminate peeling paint, and it cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the sections of paint may peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is an important part of preparation because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth surface with less imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or create a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only will a brand new paint job make your home look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your home.

Paint will help prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you really need to have it repainted in order to protect the wood beneath.

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

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

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Marietta

After the prepping is complete, you have the option to turn the job off to a professional painter in Marietta (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with less effort on your part.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter will know the optimal way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will be done a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new exterior paint will probably last longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY capabilities and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of each part of the