How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Akron needs to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is a fast, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your house is looking shabby or if you are just ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a big job, but it isn’t an impossible job for some homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints to use.

You can team up with a painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then letting their team come over and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Organizing your materials ahead of time guarantees that when you start painting, you won’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your house 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’s a lot less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the recommended way to eliminate old paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the areas of paint should peel right off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is a very important step because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or result in a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and determine the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

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

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t adhere 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 really need to have it repainted to protect the wood surface.

Worn paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is a good idea if your house doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s color makes it stand out, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Akron

After the prepping is over, you can turn the work over to a professional painter in Akron (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter will know the most efficient way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will go a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new paint will last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment needed to paint surfaces above ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to take care of each part of the job, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the paint.