How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Smithtown has to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is an easy, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your home is starting to look shabby or if you’re just ready for a change, consider repainting the outside of your home yourself or hire a local painter to do the job for you.

Painting a house is a huge job, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints you need to use.

You can even partner with a painter by completing all of the prep work on your own, but then letting their team come over and do the painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever direction is right for you, you’ll still want to know exactly 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, gather the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are preparing to do the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the painting go a lot faster once you begin. Collecting your equipment ahead of time ensures that when 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 edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combo. You will also want to pick the right paint finishes for each part of the home. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and much easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the surface of your home for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the recommended way to remove peeling paint, and it also cleans the outside of your home. Some sections of paint should peel off as soon as you spray them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being diligent not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is an important step because it covers up any prior paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth surface with less imperfections. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or produce a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter is able to look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a home. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and 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 several years newer, it also adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

Paint will help prevent insects from eating or boring into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. High quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

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

Aging 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 a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s 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 update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Smithtown

After prepping is finished, you can turn the work over to a professional painter in Smithtown (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed expectations with minimal effort from you.

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

• A professional painter will know the optimal way to do the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t typically 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 paint will probably last longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment required 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 companies are fully prepared to take care of every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the new paint.