How to Paint an Exterior

If you are preparing to paint an exterior surface, whether it is your home, place of business or rental property, and you would like to achieve professional results, it is essential that you take the time to organize your project and break down the process into several separate steps.

You may be under the impression that a ladder, paint brush and can of exterior paint is all you will need to refresh the appearance of your property, but the process is just a bit more complicated than that.

The very first step that you will need to take in the process is preparing your yard, patio, landscaping and sidewalks for the project.  It is vital that any flower beds, air conditioning units or shrubs planted near the building be draped in tarps to protect them from chemical cleaning agents, paint chips and spills.  Keeping the grounds clear of debris, toys and lawn furniture decreases the number of potential incidents or accidents that might occur due to tripping or spilling or failing to properly secure your ladder.

Once the site has been tidied and secured, it is time to prepare the surface of the building. This begins with the removal of any shutters, house numbers, mail boxes or decorations affixed to the structure.  These accoutrements will also need to be cleaned, repaired and perhaps painted before they are reaffixed to the property.  You can choose to address that task either before or after you have completed the next step in the preparation process, which is preparing the actual surface of the structure for painting. 

Surface preparation can be one of the most labor intensive steps; without it, you risk the possibility of poor finished results, which include subpar pigment adhesion, premature bubbling and cracking.  The tools that you will need to prepare the surface of your property include:

• Paint scrapers
• Sandpaper
• Heat gun – optional
• Power washer – optional
• Stiff bristled brushes – heavy nylon or metal depending upon the surface material
• Putty knives

Some do-it-yourselfers like to employ heat guns to help remove thick layers of paint.  Others use power washers during the paint removal process.  However, aggressive power washing can significantly add to the time it takes to complete your project due to the drying time involved.

All in all, nothing can replace the need for hand scraping, and, while power washing can make a quick job of attacking loosened, cracked and damaged paint, it cannot always safely remove sun baked resistant paint layers.  Power washing equipment is capable of causing serious damage to the surfaces of your property, so use it wisely and properly. 

Once the surface of your home or commercial property has been scraped and freed of any chipped or peeling paint, it is time to clean it. If you choose not to power wash, you can use a trisodium phosphate cleaner. It is imperative to wash the exterior surface and remove any dirt, oils or residues that may prevent the new primer and paint from clinging to the building.  Drying time, after the washing has been completed, will be dependent upon the type of paint that is going to be applied and the type of surface that is going to be painted:

• Drying time for latex applications is typically a single day
• Drying time for oil based applications is minimally a single week
• Drying time following the use of a power washer will be dependent upon the amount of moisture that was absorbed by the raw surface

Once the scraping and cleaning has been completed, it is time to seal any gaps and apply caulking wherever it is needed.  Then make a thorough inspection of the surface and be sure to pound down any nails that may be sticking up.  When all of these steps are completed, you are now prepared to paint.

Preparing to paint an exterior surface is a detailed and time consuming process, especially if you are aiming for professional results.  If you need assistance with a painting project, or if you would like to hire a professional team of tradesmen to handle your painting needs, get in touch with a local painting contractor.  There is definitely more to painting than simply picking up a brush.

Combs Painting provides superior exterior painting services in Vancouver, Camas, Longview and Washougal, Washington, as well as Portland, Oregon.