How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Seattle has to be refreshed, a fresh coat of paint is a quick, affordable option to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is starting to look worn down or if you’re just ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your house yourself or pay a local painter to do it for you.

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

You can partner with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work yourself, but then letting their crew come in and do the painting with their best tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts to paint, gather the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you are preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the painting project go much faster once you get started. Collecting 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 be able to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combo. You’ll also need to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and much easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the most effective way to remove old paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some of the areas of paint may peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, get more of it off the house with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new paint, and a smooth exterior with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t blend into it or create a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and determine the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a brand new paint job make your home look several years newer, it also adds a layer of protection to the overall structure of your house.

Paint helps prevent insects from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also stops 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 is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you need to have it repainted in order to protect the wood beneath.

Deteriorating paint 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 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 change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Seattle

After prepping is done, you can hand the work off to a professional painter in Seattle (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed 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, which means the paint will look much better and the project will move a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new paint will likely last a lot longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment required to paint surfaces above 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 handle every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the new paint.