Are you thinking about painting your house on your own? Or are you going to be hiring house painters Portland-based or another location? If you have made the decision to take on the project yourself, there are some tips you should follow to make this job go as smoothly as possible to avoid poor results. These tips only apply to painting the exterior of your house.
Wash Your Home Quickly
The majority of homes will need to be washed down before you can even begin painting. If you were to take a cloth and wipe across the side of your home, you would see just how much dust and soot accumulated over the years. Even if you are desperate to get your paint job finished as soon as possible, it is highly recommended that you wash down the house first.
You can try washing your house by hand, which is the most effective method. If you own a pressure washer, you can spray your house a couple of times after cleaning it with a soapy solution. If you do not own a pressure washer, you can use a garden hose. In both cases, the goal is to get rid of visible leaves, wasp nests, spiderwebs, dust, and soot.
Use the Same or Darker Color Paint
If you make the decision to change the exterior color of your house, you will be creating a lot more work for yourself. This will increase the amount of work for you if the new coat of paint is lighter than the existing color. Even if you just have a one-coat painting, the original color will still show through in certain areas.
However, when you paint using the same color, those areas will blend in. If you are not sure of the current color of your house, pull off a piece of paint that is peeling from your house and take it to a paint store. The paint store will be able to match the existing color.
Additionally, if you are looking to change the entire color, it is recommended that you choose a darker color than the current color. This will make it easier to only apply one coat.
Prime When Needed
Your house may or may not need an entire coat of primer. If the paint is still in good condition or you are re-applying the same color, there’s no need to apply primer. However, if you have any problem areas, you will need to apply primer. Areas that are rusted, stained, or even have wood filler should all be primed.
Additional Tips
Paint rolling enables you to cover large areas quickly. If your house has large flat sections or flat siding, use a paint roller and an extension pole to quickly cover those areas. It is difficult to paint with a paint roller on shiplap siding. However, a wide shiplap can be painted using a roller.
Additionally, you want to spray large areas or detailed areas. Paint spraying will save you a ton of time, but it can also cause you to waste a lot of time if you don’t know what you are doing. Spraying allows you to cover larger areas quickly but it does require a lot of preparation. You need to make sure that you cover every part of the non-paintable surface within 20 feet.
If your home has a lot of architectural details, the time that you invest in spray painting will pay for itself.
