How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Pompano Beach needs to be refreshed, a new coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home is looking shabby 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 home is a big project, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You just have to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints you need to use.

You can also compromise with a professional painter by doing all the prep work by yourself, but then having their crew come to your home and do the actual painting with their best tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice is best for you, you’ll still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting project go a lot faster once you get started. Organizing your materials beforehand ensures that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home’s exterior 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 a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is a lot less messy and much easier to clean. The flat surfaces require 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 begin prepping the surface of your 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 high pressure water is the best way to remove old paint, and it also cleans the outside of your house. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off the house with a plastic or metal 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 each surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or create a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a brand new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your house.

Paint will help prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t stick to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious indication that it is time to be replaced. If your paint is peeling, you need to have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Worn paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. 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 exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different color can update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Pompano Beach

After the prepping is complete, you can hand the project off to a professional painter in Pompano Beach (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with little 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 do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will be done a lot faster.
• Pros don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint anything higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are fully prepared to handle each part of the project, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the paint.