Exterior House Painting Tips and Advice: From The Pros
by Jason Doane
Painting the exterior of your house can be an expensive, time-consuming, and
frustrating experience. Following these exterior house painting tips and advice
can make the process much smoother.
- Do the job yourself.
You can save a lot of money if you do the work yourself. Some factors to
consider before you do the job yourself are: your abilities, your set of
tools and safety gear, your available time, and your proclivity to work
hard and get it done.
- Buy quality paint.
Quality paint is probably the most important of all exterior house painting
tips and advice. High-quality paint is more expensive, but it's worth it.
If you use quality paint, you will save a lot of time in the long run. High-quality
paint will last longer and is more durable, so you won't have to repaint
in a few years. It will also cover better, saving you time while doing the
work.
- Prepare and repair the surfaces to be painted.
The most commonly over looked of all exterior house painting tips and
advice is to prepare and repair the surface. Making sure the surface to
be painted is clean and in good condition will save you time and money by
ensuring you only have to paint the surface once.
Exterior house painting tips and advice
- Paint on a slightly warm, dry day with no rain in the forecast.
Painting on a relatively warm day will allow the paint to dry more quickly.
Obviously, you don't want to paint in the rain as that will ruin the paint job
costing you more time and money than necessary.
- Paint surfaces from the top down.
Another of the most important of all exterior house painting tips and advice
is to begin from the top down with the gutters, fascia, and eaves, and work
your way down the main surfaces. Drips and streaks are much easier to correct
when the paint is still wet so check for them often and correct them as needed.
- Clean up properly and safely
The final of our exterior house painting tips and advice is to clean up properly
when you are done painting. Use soap and water for latex paints or paint thinner
for alkyd paints to thoroughly clean your brushes and gear immediately after
painting. Don't pour paint thinner or excess paint down the drain or onto the
ground. This is a common source of ground water pollution. Instead, keep them
in a sealed paint can and dispose of them at a local toxic waste collection
site.
Following our exterior house painting tips and advice will make your painting
project easier and less time-consuming. Remember, don't try to do the job yourself
if you don't have the time, motivation, or equipment. You"ll save money in the
long run if you just hire a professional.
San Francisco, CA
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