Preparing your house for painting? Exterior or interior projects don’t start with opening up a fresh can of paint. Whether you’re painting one wall in a small room or the exterior of your entire home, it can be tempting to jump right into your painting project. But painting without the proper preparation won’t last as long or look as clean. No matter your experience, whether you’re a painting pro or a novice painter, you must understand and implement the right preparation steps in order for your painting project to be a success. Here are our professional steps for preparing a house for exterior painting, and why each step of prep work is necessary to bring guaranteed quality results.
The Essential Nature of Proper Preparation
Proper painting prep:
- Allows paint to adhere more smoothly and last longer
- Helps the paint look uniform for a clean finish that can increase a home’s value
- Covers imperfections and smooths inconsistencies
- Enhances the quality of the project’s result
As you can see, prep work is absolutely necessary and beneficial. Now we have gone over why you need to prepare, let’s look at our steps for preparing a house for painting the exterior.
The Four Steps of Prep Work & Why They Matter
At Liberty Painting, we have a specific four-step process for preparing exterior walls for painting. This guarantees quality in the necessary prep work portion of the painting project. If you’re ready to prepare a room for painting rather than preparing a house for painting the exterior, you can adapt these steps using the same guiding principles.
Residential Pressure Washing
Our initial step before painting involves a comprehensive pressure washing of the entire exterior of your home. This essential phase eradicates accumulated dirt, mud, mold, mildew, stains, grease, nests, cobwebs, and more that may have built up over time. Our thorough cleaning covers the foundation of the house, and we go the extra mile by meticulously reaching all the challenging areas by ascending ladders. To ensure we avoid causing any damage or stripping away wood, we apply the pressure wash at a safe level. Depending on the size of the home, this process can typically take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. Additionally, we provide the option of this service on an annual basis or as a one-time solution to consistently maintain the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Scraping & Sanding
Our skilled painters will delicately remove peeling paint, taking care not to harm the underlying wood. Following this, we meticulously sand down any rough or scraped sections to ensure a smooth surface, enhancing the paint’s adhesion for a more robust finish.
Caulking Holes & Cracks
To prevent any moisture intrusion, we will caulk nail holes and any vulnerable areas with at least 45-year siliconized acrylic caulk.
Priming Painting Surfaces
Once the surface has been cleaned, scraped, and sanded, we proceed by applying a coat of primer to any areas with exposed wood. This sealing process guarantees long-term protection for the wood while facilitating optimal paint adhesion to the surface. When executed correctly, this procedure safeguards the boards from moisture and ensures a durable finish.
It Takes Time to Paint Right
Preparing a room for painting is different, of course, than preparing exterior walls for painting, but a lot of the principles are the same. In either case, taking the time for proper preparation is essential to the success of your painting project. Now that you understand why prep work is necessary, you’re ready to take on preparing your house for painting the exterior, interior, or any other painting project you’re considering.
Remember that prep work takes time to be done right, and don’t get discouraged with how long it takes to properly prepare before the first paintbrush touches the wall. Contact Liberty Painting for professional painting services, or find more painting info in our tips & tricks painting blog.
