How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Charleston has to be refreshed, a new coat of paint is a fast, affordable option to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking shabby or if you’re just ready for something different, consider repainting the outside of your house yourself or enlist a local painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a big project, but it isn’t an impossible job for most homeowners. You just have to do your research to know how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

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

Whichever choice is best for you, you’ll still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, gather the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting go much faster once you get started. Gathering your materials beforehand ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your house is choosing the color or color combo. You will also want to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the exterior of your house for its beautiful new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your house. Some of the sections of paint will peel off as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood surface. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is an important step because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with low 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 adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your house.

Paint helps prevent insects from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from inclement weather. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious signal that it needs to be replaced. If your paint is peeling, you need to go ahead and have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

Deteriorating paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the best things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your house 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 it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Charleston

After prepping is finished, you can turn the project off to a professional painter in Charleston (if you hadn’t already decided that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with less 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 a lot better and the project will be done a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a big mess. Their results will be neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and knowledge, your new paint will last longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint surfaces above ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to handle each part of the project, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the new paint.