Painting the exterior of your home is a considerable undertaking very few are prepared to handle. The home exterior is usually exposed to elements and is generally more durable than the inside of your home. If you want to paint the exterior of your home, you should know that it requires special care and attention
In fact, most would describe it as a major undertaking that requires a lot of expertise, resources, time management, precision, and patience. Seasoned real estate agents will tell you that painting your home’s exterior is best left to professionals. However, if you are determined to paint your home by yourself, here is an inclusive guide that outlines the process from start to finish.
Materials you will need to paint your home
You need to gather supplies before you can paint the exterior of your home. Here is a list of items you will need:
- Exterior paint
- Paint sprayer
- Ladder
- Drop cloths
- Plastic sheeting
- Bucket of water
- Rags
- Pressure washer
- Sandpaper
- Caulk or putty
- Latex-based paint
- Semi-gloss paint
- Paintbrushes
As you might have guessed, you don’t need to purchase every item on this list. The paint sprayer, and ladders, for example, can be rented from your local hardware store.
Prepping the house
After assembling all the equipment you need, proceed to prepare your home for painting by cleaning out the exterior and covering windows, doors, lamps, and other things you don’t intend to paint.
Use a pressure washer to clean out areas covered in mildew, moss, stubborn dirt, etc. Also out hollow spots with putty and caulk. Sand down paint chunks, flaws, or any blemishes.
Prepare you Paint sprayer
If you are unfamiliar with Spray painters, you will need to hook them up to the paint you intend you use. Painters are connected to the paint in one of two ways. Depending on the model you have, you can either fill up the hopper with paint or feed a small filtered funnel into the paint bucket to siphon paint from. You will need to go over this process multiple times during the painting process.
Painting the exterior
With everything set up, there are two ways to proceed with painting the exterior of your home. If you are applying a fresh coat of paint of the same color to your home, then apply paint directly. However, if you are switching from a darker tone to lighter or vice versa, you should begin with one-two layers of primer, then eggshell exterior paint before applying a fresh coat of the desired color.
Fix up mistakes and clean up while you paint
Fix mistakes and slip-ups as soon as you notice them. The faster you wipe paint drips and blotches, the easier it will be to fix them down the line.
Remove wrapping and paint the doors and trims
Remove the plastic wrappings you used to protect the doors and lights, and with the appropriate paintbrush, add two layers of semi-gloss paint on the woodwork, windows, and doors.
Clean out the tools
You should clean out the paint sprayer, paintbrush, and plastic wrappings as soon as you’re done. Inspect the finished paintwork up close and fix any mistakes or issues you spot.
