|
|
|
Home Painting Tips
How to Paint a Home Like the Pros
By: Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Painting a home is a big project however
it’s not that complicated to do. If you follow the
home painting tips described below you can achieve a
professionally painted house or home finish and save
yourself a boatload of money in the process.
Exterior Home Painting
The first step in any exterior home painting project
is to repair any damage to the house siding and trim
work. If clapboards are damaged its best just to
simply replace them. If there are only minor dings
to the house siding clapboards then you can get away
using just a wood filler or epoxy to fill the dings. |
Also, if the house trim is damaged in anyway either
through insect or water damage, replace it
altogether. There is no point in painting over
insect eaten or punky wood trim.
Another key home painting tip is to remove all
shutters from the home, if any, and paint them on
the ground or in a garage. You’ll save yourself a
ton of time doing so, achieve a better paint job,
and reduce your risk of falling off a ladder.
Once the repairs have been made to the house siding
and trim, the next step in the home painting process
is to thoroughly clean the house siding and trim. It
is best to use a pressure washer for this task. When
using a pressure washer make sure to use it at its
lowest pressure setting so that you do not damage
the siding. Also, start from the bottom of the house
and work your way upwards. In addition, make sure to
use a commercially available house siding product
with the pressure washer. This will help to remove
mold and mildew on the siding.
|
|
After washing the house siding and allowing a day or
two for it to fully dry out, you’re nearly ready to
start the exterior home painting. However, first you
need to prepare the home’s surrounding area for
painting. Cover all plants and shrubs next to the
house with drop cloths. In addition, cover patios,
walkways and driveways with drop cloths. Also remove
any garden hoses and other obstacles that you could
trip over.
With your house and surrounding area prepared for
painting, you can now actually begin the task. Make
sure, however, to check the weather forecast to
ensure you have a few day window of dry weather to
paint. The last thing you want to do is starting
painting your home and have it rain while the paint
is still curing.
|
Whether you are painting wood, aluminum or vinyl
house siding you should first apply a primer to the
house siding. The primer will ensure a solid paint
bond to the house siding.
When exterior home painting, you’ll most likely use
several gallons of paint. Even though you bought the
same brand and color of paint one wise home painting
tip is to mix 2 or 3 gallons of paint in a 5 gallon
bucket to ensure a common color/tint. Also don’t
paint out of paint cans. Use specially designed
painting buckets to hold the paint that you’re
applying to the house.
Whether you’re painting wood, aluminum or vinyl
house siding, a spray gun helps speed up the home
painting process and achieve better results. You can
rent paint sprayers at most home improvement
centers. Paint brushes on wood clapboards also work
fine, however it will go slower and you’ll certainly
end up with a sore wrist.
Another key home painting tip is to start at the top
of the house and work your way down. By doing so you
can prevent inadvertently dripping paint on
previously painted clapboards.
After painting the house siding, go back and paint
the trim work to complete the project.
Interior Home Painting
Many of the same exterior home painting tips already
mentioned above are germane for interior home
painting. Remove all wall hangings and items from
the room and patch the walls using spackle. Lightly
sand the spackled areas after the spackle has dried.
Next, apply masking tape around door and window trim
edges and any other surfaces you don’t want painted.
If the walls have never been painted, or you’re
planning to cover over dark wall paint with a
lighter paint, prime the walls first.
Then use a 2 inch tapered paint brush to cut along
the wall edges, at first near the top of the
ceiling, and then in the corners and around the
doors and windows.
Use a roller to paint the main wall surfaces. Make
sure to use the right thickness nap for the roller
itself. Usually the paint container will include
instructions on what nap thickness to use. If not,
ask the clerk at the paint store. When applying the
paint with a roller, make large W and M type
motions, making sure not to stop in the middle of
the wall.
After the first coat of paint has dried, apply a
second coat to achieve a professional home painting
finish.
|
Find a Qualified Painting Contractor in Your Area |
|
Get Free Quotes. Easy, Quick and No
Obligations!
For the home improvement or home remodeling project that is
too big for you, check out our partner
NeedContractor. They are a national
resource for finding pre-screened, insured, and licensed home improvement and remodeling contractors in your local area.
|
|
|
Get Matched in 48 hours with Painting
Contractors! |
How to Finance your
New Home Project - FirstAgain can
help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Apply online today !
Related Home Painting Tips and Information
Home Painting Supplies from Amazon.com
|
|
|
