For the Do-it-Yourself House Painter
It is always wise when you are tackling a big job like painting the exterior of your house to consider what has to be done. Many think about the paint job itself without considering what has to be done first.
An awful lot of prep work must be done before you even consider painting the house, first you have to look at what the condition the old paint is and determine how much needs to be scraped off or even burned off. I have seen the blowtorch method work but always in the hands of a pro who knows, it is one thing to look at a house and another to tackle a job without knowing what you are getting into.
If you are going to tackle the big job, be sure that you clean the entire house first. Some will use a power washer and get the areas that it will reach, but others just get a good nozzle for the garden hose and blast away. It is always good to keep in mind that you should use some kind of soap; even mild dish soap will do, as long as it cuts through the dirt and the grime that has built up over the years.
Water only leaves a film, and when you go to paint the house, the paint acts like a solution, and it dissolves the dirt and grime into the paint, so that it will be spread as you paint. This is a nightmare you do not need. When you do wash the house, let it dry for a day or so before you do the next step.
The next step is to look around the house and see the areas where the old paint has been blasted away and there are rough patches left. Then you need to do a lot of looking, top to bottom to see what areas need to be scraped. Getting a good scraper for wood is easy enough to do, and any hardware or home store rep will know what is needed if you do not know.
Once you have scraped, then you need a medium course sandpaper to smooth out the edges where the paint has come off. It is well worth the time to use good pre-mixed filler where you have sanded so that no more paint comes off while painting. Once you have done, all of this you are ready to paint.
The actual painting is the easy part, and here you need a good exterior paint that will last because you do not want to be re-doing a job like this all the time. I always stress proper prep work before you do anything. Improper work will not only cost you a lot more money, but it will cost you big in the unwanted stress department too.
So remember, look before you leap, and consult a pro, that way your job will be smooth with no surprises.
An awful lot of prep work must be done before you even consider painting the house, first you have to look at what the condition the old paint is and determine how much needs to be scraped off or even burned off. I have seen the blowtorch method work but always in the hands of a pro who knows, it is one thing to look at a house and another to tackle a job without knowing what you are getting into.
If you are going to tackle the big job, be sure that you clean the entire house first. Some will use a power washer and get the areas that it will reach, but others just get a good nozzle for the garden hose and blast away. It is always good to keep in mind that you should use some kind of soap; even mild dish soap will do, as long as it cuts through the dirt and the grime that has built up over the years.
Water only leaves a film, and when you go to paint the house, the paint acts like a solution, and it dissolves the dirt and grime into the paint, so that it will be spread as you paint. This is a nightmare you do not need. When you do wash the house, let it dry for a day or so before you do the next step.
The next step is to look around the house and see the areas where the old paint has been blasted away and there are rough patches left. Then you need to do a lot of looking, top to bottom to see what areas need to be scraped. Getting a good scraper for wood is easy enough to do, and any hardware or home store rep will know what is needed if you do not know.
Once you have scraped, then you need a medium course sandpaper to smooth out the edges where the paint has come off. It is well worth the time to use good pre-mixed filler where you have sanded so that no more paint comes off while painting. Once you have done, all of this you are ready to paint.
The actual painting is the easy part, and here you need a good exterior paint that will last because you do not want to be re-doing a job like this all the time. I always stress proper prep work before you do anything. Improper work will not only cost you a lot more money, but it will cost you big in the unwanted stress department too.
So remember, look before you leap, and consult a pro, that way your job will be smooth with no surprises.
