How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Savannah needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is starting to look shabby or if you are just ready for something different, consider repainting the exterior of your home yourself or enlist a professional painter to do the job for you.

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

You can even partner with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work on your own, but then having their crew come to your home and do the actual painting with their best tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever direction is best for you, you will 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. Choose which parts of the home to paint, gather the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you’re preparing to complete the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting project go much faster as soon as you begin. Collecting your equipment beforehand guarantees that once you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home’s exterior is deciding the color or color combo. You’ll also need to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and much easier to clean up. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. 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! Invest time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to remove any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure water is the recommended way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand bumpy 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 tended to 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 paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint in good weather. A professional painter is able to look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re professionals! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with little humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only does a brand new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection to the overall exterior of your home.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t adhere to paint the way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If your 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 concerned about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the easiest 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 exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if the opposite is true and you really want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Savannah

After the prepping is complete, you might want to turn the job off to a professional painter in Savannah  (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed your expectations with minimal effort on your part.

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

• A professional painter will know the best way to complete the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a big mess. Their results will be much neater, without extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will last a lot longer than if you did the job by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment needed to paint surfaces higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are fully prepared to handle every part of the