How To Paint The Exterior Of A House

The task of painting the exteriors of your house is much more complicated than carrying out the project indoors. This is because exterior surfaces are very much prone to dirt, dust and mildew. The task is time consuming, because you need to work on at least three different kinds of surfaces, wood, masonry and metal. The paint can flake in no time, if you do not take care of the exterior walls properly. So, after preparing the exteriors of your house, choose the most appropriate color and start painting right away. If you are looking for some tips on painting the exterior of your house, the following lines will surely come handy.

How To Paint The Exterior Of A House

Things Required

Sandpaper
Waterproof Caulk
High-pressure Water Sprayer
Primer
Exterior Paint
Paint Roller
Brush/ Spray Machine
Paint Scraper
Drop Cloth

Procedure

Before starting the project, you need to remove all the lighting fixtures, electrical covers and screens of the windows from the exteriors. Remove the house number plate as well.
Cover the plants, bushes, flowerbeds, decks and sidewalks with drop cloths.
Inspect the wood and masonry for any damage. Repair it immediately, if any.
Make use of a high-pressure water sprayer to wash the surfaces thoroughly. This will remove cracking paint, dirt, mildew and green algae from the exteriors.
Leave the surfaces to dry completely, before proceeding further.
Scrape off the blistered paint and debris, using a paint scraper.
Sand the dry surface with the help of a medium-grained sandpaper.
The nail or screw holes need to be patched before you paint the surface.
Fill the gaps and seal the cracks between the joints of the window trim, seams and corners, using a high-grade exterior waterproof caulk.
In case you find serious damage in the woodwork of the exteriors, you will need an epoxy filler to repair them.
If the old paint leaves dark stains on the wall, cover it up using a blocking primer. The mildewed areas also leave similar stains. So, you need to make use of primers and additives specially made for mold/mildew as well.
You need to sand the walls once again. Make use of a medium grain sandpaper to roughen the surface, so that paint easily sticks on to it.
Prime the raw surface. You should know that different surfaces require different primers. Visit a home repair store to get primers for different surfaces such as metal, wood and stucco.
After the primer is dried completely, apply two to three coats of the exterior paint. Leave a gap of 24 hours between each coat.

Tips

Wear eye protection gear while removing the flaking paint, so that your eyes receive protection from the dust.
Make use of the most appropriate painting tools. Paint the woodwork using brush or spray machine and make use of a paint roller for other surfaces.
Avoid painting on in the hottest hours of a day. You may start the project early in the morning or in late afternoon.

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