How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Grand Prairie needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of paint is an easy, affordable option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is starting to look shabby or if you’re simply ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or enlist a professional 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 have to do your research to know 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 professional painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then letting their team come over and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever option is right for you, you will still need to know exactly 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’re planning to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a clear plan will help to make the painting go a lot faster once you get started. Collecting your equipment beforehand ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combo. You’ll also need to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s 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 is time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the areas of paint may peel off as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating 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 important to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is an important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or create a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter can look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting on your own, 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 will 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 can help prevent insects 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 cannot stick to paint the way it does to wood.

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

Worn paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the simplest 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 want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Grand Prairie

After the prepping is over, you have the option to turn the job off to a professional painter in Grand Prairie (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with less effort from you.

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

• A professional painter knows the most efficient way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Companies don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be much neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new paint will likely last longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint areas higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to handle each part of the job, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the paint.