How To Paint Exterior Of House

Paint The Roof Walls And Trim

Once youve gathered your tools and prepped your walls, you can start working on the roof.

Once youve painted the roof and any other high-up areas, you can begin working on the walls. After youve finished painting the walls, you can move on to the trim and any other exterior features.

This step of your painting project will require two or more coats of paint, so make sure you factor this into your timeline. Youll want to allow each coat to dry completely before applying another coat, so youll want to plan your DIY project accordingly.

Prime Surfaces That Need It

Occasionally, newly rendered or pebbledashed surfaces can develop a powdery or friable surface. If, after cleaning, the surface seems dusty or sandy it can be a good idea to apply an exterior masonry wall primer or stabilising solution. In many cases, however, experts recommend simply using a thinned down mixture of the masonry paint you will be using in order to seal the surface before subsequent coats.

Refer to your particular paint manufacturers instructions some combine a primer.

• Discover more on how to render walls in our essential guide

Getting Your Tools In Order

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1. First on the list is paint. However, since the fresh coat will go on the exterior of the building, it is best to consider the conditions it will have to endure: rain, snow in some parts of the country, and UV rays from the sun. Consequently, since latex paint is more durable, you need to narrow your search along those lines.

2. You need implements for your painting session. Several brushes for different colors, a paint roller to ease your work on certain sections, and paint sprayers to achieve an even spread will work. Although you will need to buy the first two, you can rent a paint sprayer to lower the construction or home improvement project cost.

3. If the exterior walls are high, you will need a ladder to get to them. Similarly, if your home has a second floor, climbing equipment will ensure you reach every nook and cranny of the home’s exterior.

4. You must remove the existing coat before applying a fresh paint job on an old house. In addition, you need to repair any defects on the home’s exterior and seal any holes. So, get a scrub brush or a scraper for peeling paint.

5. Sanding implements will help you even out the exterior surface after flaking paint off. Also, it would help if you had caulk and putty to seal door and window trims and get the areas ready for new paint.

6. Get a wood primer to ensure an even coating and a metal primer to prevent nail rust from showing through your new paint job.

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Paint Your First Coat

• If youre working with masonry, brickwork or any other porous surfaces, apply a thin down coat of paint first.
• Always start painting from the top down so you can catch any drips and runs.
• Cut in around the edges with a small paint brush, then fill in with the paint roller. Learn more about how to paint clean lines when decorating.
• Work your way over the exterior of your home in sections

Power Washing Painted Brick Exterior

Some pressure washers come with an assortment of color-coded spray tips. Each one has a different spray, from the high-pressure pinpoint spray to a wider, low-pressure spray. Siding can be cleaned with a low-pressure spray tip. Pressure-washing is also useful for removing algae stains from fencing.

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Prep An Old House For Painting

Prep work makes for 80% of the painting. Quality prep work makes the paint go on flawlessly, and the wall looks perfect.

• Mix gallon water with a cup of chlorine bleach and 1 cup of phosphate-free cleaner. Use this mixture to wash, scrub and rinse down the walls.
• If the paint has peeled, bubbled, or blistered, scrape the peeled sections.
• Paints in houses older built before 1978 may contain lead. You may want to proceed with care and take necessary precautions.
• Use 50- or 80- grit sandpaper to smooth the boundary between the bare wood and the paint.
• Fill in the minor cracks, gaps, dents, and holes with fillers. Replace the rotting pieces.
• Use acrylic primers for the exterior. However, for cedar and redwood, use oil-based coatings to lock in the extractives.
• Use a metal primer over the exposed nail heads to prevent rusting.
• Once the primer is dry, caulk the small joints in the trim and siding.

How To Paint Your Home Exterior

While we highly recommend hiring a professional painting contractor to paint a homes exterior, you may be committed to a DIY approach. If so, use these exterior painting tips and tricks to help make the project easier.

Homeowners depend on paint to both beautify and protect. If you have decided to put the power of paint to work for your homes exterior firsthand, use these top exterior painting preparation steps to succeed.

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Apply The Second Coat Of Paint

Allow your first coat of paint to dry completely. According to Behr, youll need to wait at least two hours in between coats. Dont be tempted to reuse paint-covered brushes or rollers. Start fresh to ensure your second coat goes on as smoothly as the first.

For this step, youll need: New rollers, a cleaned paint sprayer, and brushes.

Whats The Best Time Of Year To Paint A House Exterior

You may think that summer is the best time to paint your homes exterior, but hot and humid conditions actually arent ideal for outdoor painting. Those conditions can negatively affect the end result of your paint job.

The best seasons to paint the exterior of your house are actually late spring and early fall, as long as the weather forecast is clear for several days. Your paint will need time to dry, so ideal conditions are:

• 50-85 degrees F

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Tips For Painting Exterior Wood Trim

Exterior trim includes the molding around windows, doors, and corners. Often it is not the same color as the siding. Here are some tips and tricks to follow when painting exterior trim.

• Choose a semi-gloss for your exterior trim. With a subtle shine, it adds a certain degree of visual contrast.
• Ensure that you have a ladder set up for safety reasons.
• Prep the trim by scraping the paint using a scraper.
• Fill the holes using a filler and lightly sand the surfaces.
• Paint doesnt adhere to glossy surfaces, so make sure you have a fast-drying primer.
• An angled brush works the best and gets you to reach the hard-to-reach corners of the trim.

Spray Large Areas Or Detailed Areas

Paint spraying is both a time saver and a time-waster. On the one hand, spraying allows you to quickly and efficiently cover large areas or areas with lots of details.

On the other hand, paint spraying requires much preparation. Every part of the non-paintable surface within 20 feet should be covered. If you have delicate foliage or grass, those areas should be covered, too. If this is late in the summer and you have given up on the lawn for the season, you can probably spray without laying down a cover.

If your house is rich in architectural details, the time invested in paint spraying will pay for itself many times over. Details usually mean brushwork, and brushwork is always slow. But if you are able to mask away non-painted areas without undue time or effort, this is highly recommended.

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Pick Colors With Curb Appeal

When it comes to color selection, there are so many choices that the decision can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure where to start, spend some time driving around your neighborhood to see what appeals to you. Keep in mind that vibrant colors will fade sooner than more muted ones.

Be sure to consider the stylistic elements of your home â choose a color that complements your roofing material and any brick or stone accents. If you’re having trouble deciding between two shades, paint sample swaths on a section of your home’s exterior. Look at the result during different times of day to see which one you like best.

Before getting your heart set on a certain color, check with your neighborhood association and local building department to make sure there are no restrictions on paint colors in your area.

You Can Consider A Diy House Painting Project If

You have the time, ability, resources, and help to get the job done quickly and safely. If youre looking to save money , you should consider tackling the house painting project yourself. Keep in mind that DIY paint projects are best for homes with little to no prep or repair work.

But make sure you assess the full scope of the project before you take the leap.

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Tips For Painting Exterior Wood Siding

• Start by painting about one-and-a-half inches around the edges of your house, windows, and doors
• Paint from the top of the wall down
• Use smooth, even strokes so the paint isnt thicker in one area than another
• Work in smaller sections, about as far as your arm can reach
• Use the back brushing technique, which means brushing back into the area you just painted so it comes out looking more uniform.
• If you are using a ladder, you can tie a rope to a 5-gallon bucket that holds your supplies. Climb the ladder with the rope and then pull your materials up
• If using a roller, a paint grid in your bucket can help load the right amount of paint onto your roller, making for a more even paint job

Choose Your Weapon Wisely

After days even weeks! of prep work, you are finally ready to get down to business. You’ve chosen the perfect color, spent way too much money on gallons and gallons of quality paint, and now the only question that remains is: how do you get this stuff on the walls? Do you brush, roll or spray?

For the pros, the answer is “all of the above.” Each paint application method has its pros and cons:

• Brushes give you the most control, but are s…l…o…w. Use a brush to handle detail work along the edges of windows and other unpainted surfaces.
• Rollers cover a lot more area than a brush, but are best on perfectly flat, broad spaces like wide clapboard siding, stucco or cinder block.
• Paint sprayers give you the best coverage and the most flexibility, but they a) cost more than brushes or rollers b) blow through a lot of paint very quickly and c) require a certain level of skill and finesse that amateur painters rarely display .

If you feel confident with a paint sprayer, use the sprayer first to blast a large area, then follow with a brush called “back brushing” to ensure smooth and even coverage .

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Choose The Right Paint For Your Exterior Walls

So, what should you look for when choosing the right paint for exterior walls? Consider the following:

• The type of surface: does the exterior paint work on the surface you want to paint? Although many exterior house paints are multi surface, there are some that will stick better to certain surfaces, so find the paint that will offer the best coverage and durability for the surface of your home. Its worth pointing out that Lick exterior paint goes on almost every surface but we don’t recommend it on stock/fletton bricks, granite and any surfaces where lime is present, such as the very old lime render.
• The weather when you paint: make sure the weather is suitable for painting by choosing a nice, dry day. Give yourself as much time as possible to get the job done by following our step-by-step guide. Youll find that there is very rarely a problem with the actual paint, a shoddy exterior paint job is usually the result of bad weather on the day or lack of surface prep.
• The quality of exterior paint: this ones an easy fix. Choose Lick exterior paint for a highly durable paint thats rainproof and offers a life span of up to 10 years.

Prep Your House Exterior For Painting

Proper prep is crucial to how flawless your exterior paint job will be. Get your surfaces ready with the below steps and your essential prep tools for painting:

• Thoroughly clean and dry the surface
• If the walls have been painted previously, remove any flaking or peeling paint with a pressure washer or wire brush
• Repair any cracks with exterior fillers
• Move any climbing plants and trellises out of the way as much as possible.
• Once all the cleaning is done, leave the surface to dry completely before you start painting

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Wash Your House Quickly And Painlessly

Most houses will need to be washed down prior to painting. Wipe a white cloth across the side of your house and you will witness years or even decades worth of accumulated gray soot and dust. Even in the most desperate of painting projects, it is still recommended to wash down the house.

Washing down your house by hand is the most effective and the most work-intensive way to get your house clean. But what is the least you can get by with?

If you own a pressure washer, spray down the house two times. First, clean it with a soapy solution. Second, rinse it with clean water.

If you have no pressure washer, your second-best option is to thoroughly hose it down.

In any case, your main goals should be to knock off the big, visible junk and to wash away that thin soot and dust.

Use Every Possible Step Even The Smallest

Reaching on the tips of your toes to swat a fly is one thing. But when you are on your toes to paint an entire 22′ long section of your home, the workand potential for injuryadds up by the minute.

Later that evening you will be clutching your back in pain. Instead, use a step whenever possible to avoid painting far over your head.

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The Best Time To Paint The Exterior Depends

Youve likely heard that the best time to paint your house is when the weather warms upand thats largely true. Optimal weather for paint is generally when temperatures are consistently warm and above 50 degrees F. While springtime in certain parts of the country may be warm enough, in many other parts, its not reliably temperate, especially come nighttime when temperatures may dip into freezing territory. Also keep in mind rainy seasonwhich arrives for most areas in the spring.

If you must paint in spring, or even fall or winter, consider paint thats suitable for use in temperatures as low as 35 degrees.

Clean And Prepare Exterior Walls For Painting

Render, pebbledash and brickwork should be properly prepared before work begins. A stiff brush should be used to remove flaking paint, loose stones and dirt and debris.

Downpipes and other rainwater goods, along with windows and doors, should be covered and masked off.

If you’re painting brick, a pressure washer will make fast work of cleaning brickwork of dirt, efflorescence and mildew as well as loose old paint. Do take care when pressure washing old brickwork and dont set it to anything above 1500 to 2000 pounds per square inch. If you are concerned about using a pressure washer, you might want to use a sponge and hose pipe, although this will take longer in general. Once the brickwork is clean, allow it to dry out fully this will probably take a couple of days.

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Avoid These Common Problems

Lap marks show up as darker areas and are caused by painting over dried paintin essence, adding another coat. To avoid lap marks, work quickly and paint in sections small enough so the previously painted area stays wet until you can brush the newly applied paint into it. If you do end up with lap marks in the first coat, the second coat will probably cover them.

Brush marks left at the beginning and end of a brush stroke are a common problem thats easy to avoid. Start every brush stroke in an unfinished area, at an edge, or against door or window trim. Then brush toward the finished area and sweep the brush up and off the work in the same movement. If you stop the brush and then lift it off or set the brush down on a finished area to start the stroke, it will leave extra paint, which shows up as a brush mark or darker spot.

Drips, runs and sags are best avoided by constant vigilance. Check back on your work as you go, paying special attention to inside corners and edges where paint is likely to build up and run. If the paint hasnt begun to dry, brush out the run. Otherwise, allow the run to dry completely. Then sand it off with 100-grit paper and touch up the spot with fresh paint.

But White Will Never Be A Bad Choice

Something to consider if youre thinking about selling: A national survey conducted by Sears Weatherbeater Paints a few years ago found that almost 40 percent of those polled said they would choose white for the exterior of their home.

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