Painting the exterior of a home requires a number of decisions, most importantly whether you plan on painting yourself or hiring a professional house painter. Even so, certain steps help to ensure that the job is done right – the first time around.
What is required before painting the exterior of a home?
A lot is involved in painting your home’s exterior, from determining the colors you want and the type of surfaces that need painting, such as brick, wood, laminate siding, or stucco, all of which may come with different challenges as well as costs of labor and paint. Different techniques utilized in exterior painting projects will also have a huge impact on how your home looks when it’s finished.
For starters, preparing the surface for paint is key. Whether professional or DIY, filling even a simple crack in stucco requires attention to detail. It’s not enough to simply fill the crack. The repaired area also needs to match the existing stucco surface. Wood siding often requires sanding and a coat of primer prior to the finishing coat of paint, as do brick and cinderblock surfaces. Such preparation is important to not only ensure that your exterior paint adheres well to any surface, but will resist peeling, mask stains, and ensure lasting results.
Allow yourself extra time for painting
Do-it-yourselfers should always allow extra time for painting the exterior of the home, whether using a paint sprayer, rollers, or even paintbrushes. Painting under eaves or fascia board trim can take quite a bit longer than expected and requires multiple trips up and down the ladder, moving that ladder, and, for a clean look, use of a paintbrush.
Painting areas where walls meet window sashes or door thresholds also takes extra time and care and may require the use of a brush rather than a roller depending on skill level. Taping off window frames with painter’s tape, especially those that are flush to the wall, take some time, but will save time in cleanup and reduces the need for retouching.
A cautionary word regarding paint sprayers versus roller or brush must also be considered. Paint sprayers may get the job done faster, but first-timers may be challenged by their ability to control not only area of spread and also consistency. Taping off and covering/protecting windows and doors as well as spreading tarps around areas may be more time-consuming than simply using a roller in the first place.
Weather considerations
Always take the weather into consideration before planning an exterior paint job, especially if you plan to DIY. Air temperatures through the painting process should be at least 50° and over on painting day. Temperatures shouldn’t drop below freezing at night, as paint needs time to cure properly and cool nights create moisture or dew on freshly painted surfaces.
Extreme heat can also have a detrimental effect on your paint job. Different paint brands provide recommendations in regard to temperature range on the paint can, as well as ideal drying time when painting the exterior of a home. If you are in the Indianapolis area, give this Indianapolis painting company a call for all of your painting needs.