How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Cary needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of paint is a quick, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your house is starting to look worn down or if you are simply ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a local painter to do it for you.

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

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

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary 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 project go much faster as soon as you begin. Collecting your materials ahead of time guarantees that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combination. You will also want to pick the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of your house for its brand new paint! Put 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 recommended way to eliminate old paint, and it cleans the exterior of your house. Some sections of paint may peel off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned 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 an important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smooth surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or create a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with little 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 years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your house.

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

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

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

Painting is 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 really want it to stand out, a different color can update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Cary

After prepping is complete, you have the option to turn the job over to a professional painter in Cary (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with less effort from you.

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

• A professional painter knows the best way to complete the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will probably last longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint anything higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to take care of each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.