How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Thousand Oaks needs to be updated, a fresh coat of exterior paint is a quick, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is looking shabby or if you’re just ready for a change, consider repainting the exterior of your home 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 some homeowners. You just have to do your research to know how to prep the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

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

Whichever direction is best for you, you’ll still need 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. Decide which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to complete the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will make the actual painting project go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your materials beforehand ensures that once you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and search 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 paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need to pick the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. 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. 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 begin prepping the exterior of your home for its brand new paint! Put time into power washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the areas of paint should peel right off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, scrape it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip priming! Primer is an important part of preparation because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to 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 forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a home. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting yourself, 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 does a new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall structure of your home.

Paint helps prevent insects from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious signal that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you really need to have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Deteriorating paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Thousand Oaks

After prepping is finished, you can turn the job over to a professional painter in Thousand Oaks (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed 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 much better and the project will be a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be much neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint areas above ground level.

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