How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Bellevue needs to be refreshed, a new coat of exterior paint is a quick, inexpensive option to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is starting to look worn down or if you’re just ready for something different, consider painting the exterior of your home yourself or pay a local painter to do it for you.

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

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

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

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to do the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will help to make the painting go a lot faster as soon as you begin. Gathering your tools beforehand guarantees that when you begin painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose paint and brushes. The best part of painting your home is choosing the color or color combination. You will also want to choose the right paint finishes for each part 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. 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 time-saving options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the surface of the 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 high pressure water is the most effective way to remove peeling paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your home. Some of the sections of paint should peel off as you spray them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and had 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 careful not to dig deep into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smooth.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it conceals any previous paint (especially important with dark 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 won’t blend into it or result in a rough patch.
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 painting a home. 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, with very 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 structure of your home.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops 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 paint is peeling on your home, you need to go ahead and have it repainted to protect the wood beneath.

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

Painting is a good idea if your home doesn’t to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out, or if the opposite is true and you want it to stand out, a different color can totally update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Bellevue

After the prepping is finished, you have the option to turn the project off to a professional painter in Bellevue (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the beginning!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with less effort from you.

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

• A professional painter knows the optimal way to do the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot quicker.
• Pros don’t make a mess. Their results will be much neater, without excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will probably last a lot longer than if you did the job yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to take care of each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to applying the paint.