Make Yourself An Instant Residential Painter
Painting the exterior of your home on your own instead of hiring the services of a residential painter can save you so much money. And while exterior painting is not easy, any homeowner can go through this project successfully for as long as they are willing to put in hard work. But before you start house painting, make sure that you have safe scaffolding and ladders to work with. And if you do not have any, you can always buy or rent them from your local hardware store.
Tips From A Professional Residential Painter
Dig the dirt — One of the most common mistakes that homeowners make when painting the exterior of their house is that they paint right to the ground. The walls of your home go below the line of the ground so you will need to do some digging with a flat head shovel to paint down deep. Dig around the exterior of your home about 4 to 6 inches below the natural grade line.
Remove and cover — Before you pain around your home’s exterior, you need to protect those that you do not want to get paint on. And since you will most likely be using a spray rig or heavy roller to paint majority of the exterior of your home, cover these areas with painter’s plastic or drop clothes will keep them mess-free and give you a professional-looking paint job. With this in mind, cover your doors, windows, fixtures and outlets with painters’ plastic and tape.
Clean — Get rid of all the dirt, dust and debris from the exterior of your home. When there is too much caked on dust, dirt, and spider webs, the new exterior paint in not likely to stick long to the walls. Consider using a pressure washer to remove debris from places that are too high to reach. You can also use a stiff bristled brush and spare yourself from dealing with a wet mess. So, before you start painting, remove any debris from the exterior of your home where you intent to paint.
Repair — Any damages that have been brought about by sunlight, water or insect will not last long, even when it is caked all over with a thick coat of paint. Make sure that you replace or repair any damages to stucco, wood siding, or any other exterior wall elements before you put on the exterior paint. This should also spare you from doing so much maintenance work in the near future.
Three Coat Rule — It might be economical to only put a coat or two of the exterior paint, but this will only waste your time, money and effort. Without at least three coats of paint, you are assured that the lifespan of your new paint job will be significantly shortened. Also, damages are likely to occur to your home exterior. Therefore, to ensure a long paint lifespan, always paint with at least three coats of exterior grade paint.
Contact Your Local Residential Painter For Inquiries
Still, being a novice, do not put too much painting load on your hands. If you think that the task is too big for you, contact professional painters or painting companies to do the job for you.