How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Hialeah has to be updated, a new coat of paint is an easy, inexpensive option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you are simply ready for a change, consider repainting the outside of your home yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a home is a big project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prep the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints you need to use.

You can even team up with a professional painter by doing all the prep work by yourself, but then having their crew come over and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever option 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. Choose which parts to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re planning to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will make the painting go a lot faster as soon as you get started. Organizing your materials beforehand guarantees that once you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able 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 is deciding the color or color combo. You will also want to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. 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 require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to begin prepping the exterior of your home for its brand new paint! Invest time into power washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the recommended way to remove old paint, and it cleans the outside of your home. Some sections of paint may peel right off as soon as you spray them. That’s a 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 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 areas where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it conceals any prior paint (especially important with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or result in a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, with little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

Paint helps prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from the elements. High quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt doesn’t adhere to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If your paint is peeling, you really need to have it repainted in order 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 home is one of the easiest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your home doesn’t 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 change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Hialeah

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

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

• A professional painter knows the optimal way to complete the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will move a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new paint will probably last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to take care of each part of the project, from removing old paint and cleaning the exterior to applying the new paint.