How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

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

Painting a house is a big job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You need to do your research to know 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 even meet in the middle with a painter by doing all of the prep work yourself, but then having their crew come to your home and do the painting with their best tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and all other safety equipment. If you’re planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will help to make the painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Organizing your materials ahead of time ensures that once you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combo. You’ll also need 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 is a lot 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’s time to begin prepping the surface of the home for its brand new paint! Put time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the most effective way to eliminate old paint, and it also cleans the outside of your home. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off the house with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip priming! Primer is a very important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or result in a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! 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 will a brand new paint job make your house look years newer, it also creates a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

Paint can help 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 doesn’t stick to paint the way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you really need to go ahead and have it repainted in order to protect the wood beneath.

Deteriorating paint really takes a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re concerned 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. If your home’s color makes it stand out, or if the opposite is true and you really want it to stand out, a different color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Chattanooga

After prepping is done, you have the option to hand the project off to a professional painter in Chattanooga (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with little effort from you.

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

• A professional painter will know the best way to do the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be much neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled around home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new paint will probably last a lot longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment needed to paint surfaces above ground level.

Based on your DIY capabilities and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are prepared to handle every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.