Your home’s interior isn’t the only part of your house that deserves loving paint touches. The exterior of a home can take a huge beating from the elements, which can have it look dirty and dull over time. Curb appeal is an important aspect of your home that can be pleasant to see as an owner or potential buyer. Regardless if you want to stay or move, painting the exterior of your home can be an inexpensive renovation that adds a lot to your home. Our painters in Medford NJ provided their steps on how to properly paint your home’s exterior.
Pressure Wash Your Exterior
As previously mentioned, the exterior of the home can be covered in grime over years of harsh weather. The best way to clean the exterior of a home is to use a pressure washer. A pressure washer has enough strength to remove some of the toughest stains but won’t damage your home. When using a pressure washer, you start cleaning from the top and work your way down. Overlap each area a couple of times and slowly work your way down.
Repair Damaged Area
Similar to how you use spackle for interior walls, epoxy or spackle should be used on damaged areas of the outer walls. Inspect the entire perimeter of your home and identify any cracks/holes. You want to fill these cracks so you are able to properly start painting and ensure proper adhesion.
Remove Loose Paint & Caulk Trim
Pressure washing your exterior won’t clean your exterior entirely. Loose paint might still be present around your home. While you look around for places to fill holes, you want to inspect any chipping paint as well. Chipped paint should be removed by a scraper or grit paper. Next, you should take a look at the trims of your windows and doorways. Caulk the trim to ensure that it is properly sealed off. This can help with air escaping the home and avoid painting the wrong part of your home. It is a great practice to caulk where two different kinds of material meet as well.
Start Painting Your Exterior
Once everything is complete, lay down drop cloths around your home to avoid any kind of paint spillage off your siding. Cover any kind of fixtures, windows, and doors with plastic to make sure no paint gets on the wrong surfaces. After that, load up your paint sprayer and be prepared to apply two coats of exterior paint to the walls. Primer is only necessary when you change colors drastically. For example, if you are going from a very light to a very dark color, you would want to use a primer. Once the house is completely painted, remove the plastic coverings and start painting your trims. Doors, window sills, and lighting fixtures should be the last thing you take care of.
If you have any questions or concerns about painting the exterior of your home, reach out to Rainer Painting at 856-786-8121!