While painting is one of the simpler DIY tasks that can be done around the house, that doesn’t mean it’s as easy as slapping on a coat of paint and calling it a job well-done.

In fact, painting the exterior of your home takes a bit of careful planning and proper preparation in order for the job to be done right.

Below, we’ll go over a few exterior painting tips to help make your next painting project easier.

For more information on exterior painting, check out Michigan Pure Painting Ann Arbor.

Choose a High-Quality Exterior Paint

Although interior and exterior painting is done much in the same way, there are different types of paint that need to be used for each. Exterior paints contain extra binders, which makes them better able to resist the elements compared to interior paints, which lack these additives.

It’s also important to consider the materials that your home’s exterior is made of. If you’re painting flat surfaces such as wood or plastic siding, standard outdoor paint is perfectly acceptable to use.

However, if you’re painting a textured surface, such as brick or stucco, it’s best to use an “elastomeric” paint, which stretches more when applied, allowing it to bridge small gaps and cover the surface more evenly.

Buying a high-quality exterior paint may cost more up-front; however, the investment will pay off in the long run, when your paint job lasts you twice as long as it would if you’d used a cheaper type of paint.

Choose an Exterior Paint Color

The colors you choose for the exterior of your home will create the first impression people get when they first see the structure. So, whether you choose a complimentary color or not, the house will take on its own identity once it’s painted.

Read more about choosing exterior paint colors here.

However, many homeowners miss out on this important opportunity to accentuate their home’s positive attributes by choosing an unflattering color.

So, to help you choose the best color for your home, we recommend that you take a look at its surrounding landscape and consider if there are any color schemes that you can play off of. Another good idea is to choose colors that will accentuate the most attractive aspects of your home.

For example, you might want to choose a color that draws attention to your home’s windows, shutters, or doorways, by painting the rest of the exterior a color that contrasts them.

Don’t Forget the Prep

Homeowners often decide to paint their homes themselves since painting is a much easier skill than other jobs such as doing plumbing or electrical work. Still, the most common mistake made by amateur painters is failing to properly prepare the home’s surfaces before painting it.

To prepare the surface, it’s important to scrape all areas that are peeling to remove any flakes of loose paint. Even if the paint has only bubbled up a little bit, the area needs to be scraped and sanded until the paint edges are as smooth as possible.

After that, experts recommend using a high-pressure washer to remove any remaining dirt and debris from the surface. Then, before painting, it’s also a good idea to repair or replace any areas of your home that are showing signs of rot or damage. And, don’t forget to prime any bare wood before painting it.

Prepping your home can be a lot of work. So, if you’re unwilling to properly prepare the surface of your home, you might want to consider hiring a professional painting contractor to do it for you.

Read more exterior paint prepping tips here: https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-how/painting/exterior-painting-preparation

Hire a Professional Painting Contractor

Even if you’re planning on painting the exterior of your home by yourself, it’s still a good idea to get an estimate from a professional painting contractor.

This will give you a better idea of the costs involved, and you might even learn a thing or two from speaking with a contractor about the condition of your home, or the types of paint you should be using. Let the contractor explain what they can do for you first, before you decide whether to hire them or to take on the job by yourself.

If your house is relatively small, only one-story, and has minimal peeling, tackling the job yourself might not be a big deal. However, if your house has several stories, or requires a significant amount of prep work, then it might be wise to speak with a professional contractor about painting your home for you.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2019 at 5:51 pm and is filed under Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.