Renovations for old and relatively new homes can be complicated, as there are many aspects that need to be taken care of for the owners and the hired workers to get renovations done with better efficiency. Preparation is an essential aspect of the renovation process. Prepping ahead will enable the renovators or workers to have a faster and better time working on what they are supposed to do since everything is already prepared for them.
This article will discuss the preparations needed before painting the house’s exterior, which is a daunting task, especially when you have a large house. Here are the tips to prepare your house exterior for home painting in Alamo and other areas.
Get All the Materials Ready
If the workers you hired to paint the exterior of your house don’t have tools and materials with them, or if you are going to paint the exterior on your own (with a bit of help from family members or friends), then you will need to get all the materials ready before painting. Here is a list of tools and materials that you will need for house exterior painting:
Tools
- Paintbrush
- Paint Sprayer
- Painter’s Tape
- Pressure Washer
- Ladder
- Paint Scraper
- Caulk Gun
- Drop Cloths
- Sander
- Medium-Grit Sanding Block
Materials
- Exterior Eggshell or Flat Paint
- Exterior Semi-Gloss Paint
- Stain-Blocking Primer
- Exterior Caulk
- Epoxy Filler
Make Sure to Do the Exterior Painting During Good Weather
Paint can sometimes take a long time to dry, so you would need a lot of sunlight and less rain for the paint to dry faster on different types of walls. Since you or the workers would have to paint the house’s exterior walls, which are exposed to the elements outdoors, you would need to plan the activity and make sure that the days you plan to paint would be done during good weather.
An effective exterior paint job would require at least three to six days of good weather, which can be challenging to get in Alamo during the months between October and May, considered the rainy season for the area. If you want the best exterior paint job for your home in Alamo, you may need to plan the activity during the area’s dry season, which lasts from June to September.
Consider When Your Home Was Built
You should also consider when your home was built so that the proper materials will be used for exterior painting, and better care will also be applied if your home is older. Homes in Alamo built before 1979 may have used lead-based paint, which is now rare in new homes. If you have to remove lead-based paint from the exterior walls of your home, you will need to hire professionals that will take care of the paint since it can harm the health of those that don’t know how to deal with toxic lead.
Clean the Area Surrounding the Walls of the House
The next thing to do is to clean the area surrounding the house’s exterior walls. Cleaning the area around the exterior walls involves moving furniture away so that paint won’t splatter onto them. Some of the most common furniture you may have outside your home include tables, chairs, grills, and electric fans. You can then start sweeping the dirt on the floor so that it won’t accidentally stick to the new paint you will apply to the exterior walls.
Once you are done cleaning and moving furniture, you can start placing drop cloths on the ground. These drop cloths will prevent paint from sticking on the ground, whether the surface is dirt, wood, or cement. Then, if there are electrical outlets on the exterior walls, you should cover them with painter’s tape to protect them from water and paint. It would be best to cover windows and doors with plastic sheeting and painter’s tape. Another option would be to tape craft paper over the doors and windows to keep them free of paint.
Use a Pressure Washer to Clean Exterior Walls
You will also have to clean the exterior walls to make sure that dirt, grime, and other elements won’t be painted on and affect the texture and durability of the paint over time. To have a faster and easier time cleaning the exterior walls, you will need to use a pressure washer with a wall cleaning solution that is usually made by mixing liquid dish soap, white vinegar, and water. Be sure to wash every area of the walls so the new paint can be evenly painted on them without any issues.
Scrape Away Peeling Paint
Next, you will have to scrape away any peeling paint before applying new paint to the exterior walls. You can do this process by simply using a paint scraper to push up peeling paint. In addition, you may also use sandpaper and a medium-grit sanding block if there is any stubborn peeling paint on the walls.
If the peeling paint is still tricky to get rid of, you can use a heat gun to heat it to easily scrape it using the paint scraper. However, be careful not to melt the weather stripping of the walls while using the heat gun. But keep in mind that you may need professional help if you are dealing with lead-based paint. If there isn’t any peeling paint on the walls, you can simply clean the surface of the walls without the need to remove all of the existing paint.
Patch Up Holes and Replace Rotting Wall Pieces
Before painting, you will have to inspect every section of the exterior walls and check for any holes, gaps, and rotting pieces. These damages on the walls should be fixed first to look better since the paint can hide the patches you apply to them.
You may need to use epoxy to repair rotting wood, and you may need to use a caulk gap to fill any gaps on the walls. For holes, you will need to cut the section surrounding the hole using a jaw saw and then glue in a piece of wood with the same dimensions as the section you cut.
Apply the Primer
Applying the primer is relatively easy, although it may take hours or even days, depending on how big the exterior walls of your house are. To apply the primer, you must use a paintbrush to put it evenly on the surface of the walls. The primer is generally used to allow the paint to bond to the surface of the walls better, so you would only be able to complete this process if you want the paint to last longer. Start applying the primer from the top and then end at the bottom. Be sure to brush or sweep off any dirt or debris that may stick to the walls’ sections before you apply the primer.
If there are heads of screws or nails sticking out of the walls, you should apply metal primer so that the rust wouldn’t bleed through the paint and create marks on the walls. The drying time for primers depends on their ingredients, so you need to read the label on the primer’s container to know how long it will take to dry.
Start Painting the Walls
After you have applied the primer, then it is time to begin painting the walls using the paint of your choice. Make sure that everything that you don’t intend to paint is covered with painter’s tape or plastic sheeting. Because of how large exterior walls can be, you may need to use a paint spray to paint on more areas in less time than just using a regular paintbrush.
Much like how you apply the primer, you should paint the top of the walls first before you can get to the bottom area. If you want the shade or color of the paint to last much longer, apply at least two coats. You may also need the help of another person to use a roller to smooth out the sprayed paint.
These are the things to know about painting the exterior walls of your home. Home painting your Alamo home’s exterior could take a lot of time, but by following the steps we have provided above, the time it takes to complete the task will be shorter, and you will also have a much easier experience painting the walls.
