How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your house in Forest Hills has to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is a fast, inexpensive way to improve its appearance. So if your home exterior is looking worn down or if you’re simply ready for something different, consider repainting the outside of your home yourself or enlist a professional painter to do it for you.

Painting a house is a huge project, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to understand how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can meet in the middle with a professional painter by doing all the prep work by yourself, but then letting their crew come to your home and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever option is best for you, you will still need to know exactly how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to remember.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other safety equipment. If you’re preparing to complete the painting yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting go a lot faster once you begin. Organizing your materials ahead of time guarantees that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for all of the supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose good paint and brushes. The best part of painting your house is deciding the color or color combo. You’ll also need to pick the right paint finishes for each part of the home. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is a lot less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are time-saving options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the surface of the home for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to wash off any cracked or peeling paint. The extreme pressure water is the recommended way to eliminate old paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your home. Some areas of paint should peel off as soon as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was deteriorating and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig into the wood. Then sand surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface down to the bare wood. Any areas where the paint is still adhered just need to be cleaned and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is an important step because it conceals any previous paint (especially important with dark colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the first layer of paint doesn’t mix with it or leave behind a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the weather forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a home. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, and with little humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only can a brand new paint job make your house look several years newer, it also creates a layer of protection for the overall structure of your home.

Paint can help prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also prevents wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot adhere to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious indication that it is time to be replaced. If paint is peeling on your home, you really need to have it repainted to protect the wood surface.

Worn paint really takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re worried about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you really want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its look.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Forest Hills

After prepping is complete, you might want to turn the job off to a professional painter in Forest Hills (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with little effort from you.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter knows the optimal way to complete the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will go a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will likely last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment necessary to paint areas higher than ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are fully prepared to handle each part of the project, from eliminating old paint and cleaning the exterior to actually applying the paint.