subject: Why Experts Spend Time on Exterior Painting Preparation [print this page] When you need to make your home more welcoming an exterior painting job may be on the agenda. Painting your home is fun and a great mean to express yourself while creating a unique exterior. Before you begin, it is significant that you perform proper preparations; this will give you the best house painting results. If you're thinking about ways to make your house, extra inviting in the neighborhood an exterior painting job could be the answer. This is a very simple way to express your style and give your home a unique look by means of your own personal paint scheme. In order to get perfect results it is important that you remember to do proper preparation before you start.
Your first step in preparing for exterior painting is to wash the exterior well. Dirt and stain that builds up over time can stop the paint from sticking well to the surface. In a unusually short time, you'll be dealing with peeling paint.
A pressure washer with at least 2500 PSI (pounds per square inch) is the best tool for cleansing dirt and stain, especially the things the hose cannot eliminate. It is a good plan to go over the exterior with a bleach chemical solution to kill mildew or mold before it grows. If you paint over the surface without killing mold or mildew, you provide a dark place for mildew to thrive and eventually damage the exterior of your home.
After washing, you'll want to inspect the exterior, especially under the attic for wasp nests. You are going to be working on a ladder to finish your exterior painting and these buggers can cause a potential hazard. The wasps can sting quite viciously and while on a ladder this can be a life threatening experience..
Now that you have cleared the wasps and dirt, you will need to scrape all loose paint. Watch cautiously for areas that are shedding or bubbled and eliminate them before you begin painting. You may have to sand in order to provide a level surface for fresh paint.
It is possible that you'll have some new wood to cover; certain places might need repairing with raw wood. In this case,you'll need to remember to ready the new pieces before you begin your exterior house-painting job. Skipping this step would result in patches where the paint is lighter or wood bleeds through, which will in turn take more coats to provide uniform color.
At this point in the process, you're all set to fill all cracks that have appeared in the exterior. The finest substance for this is a high-grade caulk with a great deal of flexibility, just in case your house continues to settle. Filling these holes and cracks should give a more durable-finished look to your exterior. Most of the time you will need to allow the caulk time to dry before begining your house painting project.
Some older homes have glaze window panes and before you can continue with your home painting these areas would have to be dealt with. Glaze panes have an impact on how your home looks and help with insulation. It is not a difficult process however once the repairs are complete you will need to set aside the area alone for a solid week to ensure appropriate putty settings. The great news is you can still paint the rest of the house; as long as you skip these places, then return to the windows 7 days later.
Like real house painters, just before you get ready for the exterior painting you need to do just 1 more thing. Walk around the house and be sure you cover the entire exterior equipment. These include the different lights on the walls, windows, and door handles. Getting paint on these will result in additional cleanup that can be prevented by simply covering them.
Tarps and drop cloths are incredibly important as well. You'll want to cover your patio, deck, walkways and possibly even parts of your drive way. Anytime you are doing an exterior painting project, paint will splatter or overspray, which can leave a fine mess if you are not using proper coverings. Moreover, paint drops could be quite difficult to eliminate.
At this point, you're prepared to begin your exterior house-painting job. These are preparations you will typically see completed by a painting contractor because they would result in a better-looking finished product and longer lasting paint job. In addition, you've significantly reduced your clean up time afterward.
Why Experts Spend Time on Exterior Painting Preparation
