How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Round Rock needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of paint is a fast, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home is starting to look worn down or if you’re simply ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even meet in the middle with a painter by completing all of the prep work by yourself, but then letting their crew come over and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever direction is right for you, you will still need 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. Decide which parts to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are preparing to do the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will help to make the painting go much faster once you begin. Gathering your equipment ahead of time guarantees that once you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is deciding the color or color combo. You’ll also need to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the surface of your house for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint will peel off as soon 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 original paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is a very important step because it covers up any prior paint (especially important with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with less imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or produce a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, with low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only will a new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your house.

Paint helps prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from the elements. High quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt won’t adhere to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

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

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

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

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Round Rock

After prepping is over, you have the option to hand the work over to a professional painter in Round Rock (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). 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 do the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will likely last longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to handle each part of the project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the new paint.