How to Prepare a House for Painting

When most people approach the problem of painting a house, they tend to focus on the front end on the question of choosing the right color. But when that’s all said and done and the real work begins, the question needs to be settled: How do you prepare the exterior of a house for painting?

Preparation is Essential to Exterior House Painting

If you’re a DIYer, don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just start slapping paint on walls right after you get all your materials gathered together. There are essential steps that you will need to perform which even take a crew of pro painters a day or two to complete. Before you can make your house look awesome with a fresh coat of paint, you need to make a bit of a mess.

Pressure Wash

Get a good pressure washer and spend some time thoroughly cleaning off the sides of your house. You need a spray which will be more intense than a garden hose. Loose paint will come off, as will dirt and grime – all of which will prevent your new coat of paint from sticking as well as it should.

Scrape

Take a scraper (yes, that’s a tool) and remove any flaking areas that didn’t come off with the pressure washer. Be thorough and don’t be afraid to dig a bit. The whole point of this step is to remove additional stuff that will keep new paint from sticking and protecting your siding, but also to identify and problematic areas of your siding that may need replacement rather than just a new coat of paint. If you identify any rot, don’t just paint over it – remove the problematic sections before you continue.

Caulk

Many exterior systems today involve caulking at one point or another, and depending on how much weather that side of the house experiences, it has a limited life span. Over time it will retract away from surfaces and be both unsightly and a potential entrance spot for water. Remove old caulk and add new. You will need to give this time to dry.

Damaged siding which is not yet rotting may benefit from any variety of paints which are designed to protect and shore up vulnerable parts of your walls. This is the time to apply such coatings. Again, they will need time to dry.

Cover and Move Furniture

If something’s not supposed to be painted, it will need to be either covered or moved. Don’t underestimate how far paint can travel accidentally – even when you’re just using a roller. It’s better to be safe here.

When You Work with a Pro, You Don’t Do Much Prep

Prep work (and cleanup) takes up a surprising amount of time when painting the exterior of any home. If this is all sounding like a bit much, we get it. That’s why we’re here: to provide professional painting services. When you’re getting bids on your project, don’t forget to give Mt. Hood Pro Painting a call.