How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Pomona needs to be refreshed, a fresh coat of exterior paint is an easy, affordable way to improve its curb appeal. So if your home exterior is looking shabby or if you are just ready for a change, consider painting the exterior of your house yourself or hire a professional painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a big job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You have to do your research to understand how to prepare the exterior surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as which brushes and paints to use.

You can partner with a painter by completing all the prep work on your own, but then letting their crew come over and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever choice is best for you, you will still want to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts to paint, collect the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you are planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Having a clear plan will make the actual painting go a lot faster once you get started. Organizing your equipment beforehand ensures that once you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning that you’ll be able to maintain a wet edge the whole time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home is deciding the color or color combination. You’ll also want to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the house. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and easier to clean. The flat surfaces require more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll want synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also time-saving options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to start prepping the exterior of the house for its brand new paint! Invest time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure water is the most effective way to eliminate old paint, and it also cleans the exterior of your house. Some areas of paint may peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was aging and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the original paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a metal or plastic straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on smoothly.
5. Prime. Don’t skip the primer! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially with dark paint colors), results in even color for your new coat, and a smooth exterior with less imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the original layer of paint doesn’t blend into it or produce a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a house. That’s why they’re professionals! If you plan to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with low 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 home look several years newer, it also adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your house.

Paint helps prevent pests from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint prevents wood from rotting and dirt won’t stick to paint the way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it is time to be replaced. If your paint is peeling on your home, you really need to go ahead and have it repainted in order 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 house is one of the simplest things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s exterior color makes it stand out too much, or if the opposite is true and you really want it to stand out, a different paint color can totally change its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Pomona

After prepping is finished, you can hand the project over to a professional painter in Pomona (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with little effort from you.

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

• A professional painter will know the optimal way to do the job, meaning the paint will look a lot better and the project will be done a lot quicker.
• Companies don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new exterior paint will likely last a lot longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will have the safety equipment needed to paint areas higher than ground level.

Depending on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most pros are fully prepared to take care of each part of the job, from eliminating old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the new paint.