How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Quincy has to be updated, a new coat of paint is a fast, affordable option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is starting to look worn down or if you’re simply ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or pay a local painter to do the job for you.

Painting a home is a big job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to know how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can also compromise with a professional painter by doing all of the prep work on your own, but then letting their team come in and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever option is best for you, you’ll still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, collect the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will help to make the actual painting project go much faster once you begin. Gathering your equipment ahead of time ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need 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 need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its brand new paint! Put time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the most effective way to eliminate peeling paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some areas of paint will peel right off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand every surface all the way 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 paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is an important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and find the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with very low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

Paint helps prevent insects from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t stick to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious signal that it needs to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you really need to have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Aging paint really takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re concerned 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 seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different paint color can completely update its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Quincy

After prepping is over, you can turn the project over to a professional painter in Quincy (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with little effort from you.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter knows the best way to do the job, which means the paint will look much better and the project will go a lot faster.
• Companies don’t typically make a big mess. Their results will be much neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new paint will likely last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment required to paint anything higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to handle every part of the job, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the paint.