Exterior House Painting Tips and Advice for Beautiful Lasting Results
Discover ways to simplify the work and get results that transform old paint into your own masterpiece.
These exterior house painting tips and advice can help to make your project flow smoothly and produce an outcome you can now only imagine.
Perhaps the most important exterior house painting tips and advice you can receive is this… Don't do anything to the exterior of your home until you are confident you know what the total project entails. Make sure you are aware of the possibilities and considerations necessary in the following areas:
- Your home's current structure,
- The type of paint you'll need,
- Necessary pre-treatment,
- Protection of your home's landscaping,
- Color schemes and themes, and
- How to decide whether to do-it-yourself or hire a painting contractor.
Even if you already know you are going to hire a painting contractor, it's still a good idea to educate yourself in the above topics. This bit of exterior house painting tips and advice serves two functions: 1) The knowledge you'll gain by investigating each area will help you as you talk with and question potential contractors. 2) Once you've chosen the contractor you are going to use, you'll be able to communicate your desires and needs much more effectively.
If you decide to do-it-yourself, by learning about each area above before you begin the actual physical work on the project, you'll be able to evaluate the entire project from a time, expense and material list that will be complete and allow you to plan your project in a step-by-step manner without any glitches.
Exterior House Painting
Here's a brief description of each of the segments listed above. Remember, do your homework in each area and you'll be amazed at the results and how well your painting project will flow.
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Your home's current structure: Here you'll need to evaluate whether there are any structural damage or wear that needs to be repaired before you attempt to paint. Things like rotten wood, damaged stucco, or deteriorating shutters, etc. are things you may need to reapir before you start painting. Do you have things like chalking, peeling, rutting? Are there gaps where surfaces meet? Is mold or mildew present? Make you sure you repair everything before so that your new coat of paint will last as long as possible.
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The type of paint you'll need: There have been many improvements in the quality and the types of paints available for exterior use. For example, some have been designed for specific climates, some prevent mold and mildew growth. In addition, there have been improvements in specific paints available to match the material you'll be covering. Remember almost any type of material can be painted: wood, stucco, aluminum siding, vinyl siding, metal, brick.
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Protection of your home's landscaping: Painting can be a very messy project. Lay drop cloths over any flowers, shrubs, bushes or trees that are in the direct area that will be painted. Making sure your contractor understands the importance of protecting your landscape and other outdoor features of your home, including your driveway, porch or deck will ensure that they are prtoected during painting.
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Color schemes and themes: This is the really fun section of planning exterior house painting. Here you can really get creative. Take a trip to the paint store and investigate your options. Remember almost any surface can be painted, so you're not limited to just one color or idea.
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How to hire a painting contractor: Once you've completed the other sections, you'll begin to have a good idea of the time and effort that will be required to complete your project. The more information you have about the specifics of your exterior painting project the more accurate the estimate potential contractors will give you. Get multiple estimates so you can make sure you pick the contractor that best meets your needs. Checking references and past exterior house painting work is essential when choosing a contractor.
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