How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Peoria needs to be refreshed, a new coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your home is starting to look shabby or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or hire a local painter to do it for you.

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

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

Whichever direction is right for you, you’ll 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, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to do the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will help to make the actual painting go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your tools beforehand guarantees that once you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet brush 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 want to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot 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 want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of the house for its brand new paint! Put time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure water is the best way to eliminate peeling paint, and it cleans the exterior of your house. Some areas of paint may peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand every surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new paint, and a smooth surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you want 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 home look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection to the overall structure of your house.

Paint will help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the same way it does to wood.

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

Deteriorating paint really 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. If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can update its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Peoria

After prepping is finished, you can hand the project over to a professional painter in Peoria (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your 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 do the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will go a lot faster.
• Pros don’t typically make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will probably last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment required to paint areas above ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are prepared to take care of every part of the project, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the new paint.