One of the things that could easily elevate your exterior’s overall aesthetics would be to paint it.
After all, it is the first thing that people will see of our exterior, so isn’t it a good thing to set a great impression right off the bat?
However, it is no secret that a painting project has its own set of complications, and if you go into one without the proper tips at hand, you may be setting yourself up for failure.
So, if you’re doing the responsible thing and researching how to prepare for your upcoming exterior painting project, here’s something for you.
Before you start painting the exterior of your house, you should first get an accurate measurement of the area.
Knowing how big your exterior space is will make it easier to guess how much paint you’ll need to finish your painting project.
This will save you a lot of time because you won’t have to run back and forth to the paint store because you ran out of paint in the middle of your project.
This will also save you the trouble and regret of buying way too much paint and being stuck with a bunch of cans you weren’t able to use!
Also, knowing how much area you’ll be painting lets you know how much time you’ll need for the whole painting process and whether or not you’ll need help to finish the whole project faster.
All of this might sound like too much work for you, but remember that it’s better to be in charge of all the little details when getting ready to paint the outside of your house so that you don’t end up with a mess or other problems later.
Since you’ll be painting the exterior of your house, which can fall victim to a lot of outside interferences and may have dirt, mud, grease, and other debris in it, you’ll need to clean it thoroughly first.
You can do this by scrubbing the area with a brush and some soap, but a power wash will get rid of all the deep embedded dirt and grime better and faster.
Most paint problems that happen later are due by a lack of proper surface preparation, such as cleaning the surface well enough, and painting on a dirty surface will just make your result look bad.
In preparing to paint your exterior, you should make sure to cover all the nearby ground and other things, like your plants, your driveway, and any other exterior furnishings you may possess.
In doing this, it is best that you should buy a canvass-type drop cloth to cover the ground near where you’re painting.
This kind of material won’t let paint seep through it, so it will keep your ground or anything you cover it with from getting unnecessary stains that will be hard to remove.
Also, you should temporarily move any plants nearby so they won’t get paint splatters or stains all over them.
If they are firmly rooted, you can either cover them with the same kind of drop cloth or cut them down.
Before you paint your exterior, one important thing to remember is to look for cracks and other damage and fix them as needed.
No primer or paint, no matter what the label says, will ever be able to completely hide and cover-up cracks.
So, if ever your exterior has any kind of damage, you’ll have to fix it accordingly before painting.
If you simply paint over cracks and other damages that may be present, the paint finish will be uneven and would just overall not look good, so fix them first.
Lastly, one essential thing you should do before painting your exterior would be to apply a coat of primer onto it.
Primer will get your coat of paint to have better coverage, brighter and more vivid color, and a significantly longer and stronger life.
You should never skip the primer application if you want your exterior painting project to last longer before repainting it.
Related: Guide To Painting an Accent Wall On Your Home Interior in Greenwood, IN