How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Lakeland has to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is an easy, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you’re just ready for something different, consider painting the outside of your house yourself or pay a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a house is a huge job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for some homeowners. You need 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 to use.

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

Whichever choice is best for you, you’ll still need 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 of the home to paint, gather the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the painting project go much faster once you begin. Collecting your equipment beforehand ensures that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need to pick 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 much easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require 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 time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of the house for its brand new paint! Invest time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the most effective way to remove peeling paint, and it cleans the outside of your house. Some of the sections of paint may peel off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had 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. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any prior paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or result in a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter is able to 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 does a brand new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also creates 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 prevents wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

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

Aging 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 (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 paint color can totally update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Lakeland

After the prepping is done, you might want to hand the work over to a professional painter in Lakeland (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal 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 a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new paint will last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are prepared to take care of every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the new paint.