How to Paint the Exterior of Your Home
Painting the exterior of your home can be a rewarding experience when done correctly. We have put together a list of steps that every painter should include in their process. Painting is no easy task, it takes patience and attention to detail. You want to be tedious in your approach as you follow these steps:
- Power Washing
- Scraping Old Paint
- Caulking
- Masking
- Painting
- And Cleanup
Power Washing
Remove as much debris as possible so that you have a clean surface to apply the paint. Power washing will remove most of the debris on the exterior of your home. Before power washing your home, review the instructions that came with your machine and use the correct spray settings. All of your windows, doors, and accessories should be secured before starting. If you have grime and tough stains on the outside of your home, use detergent that’s intended for pressure washers. Apply the detergent and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.
When you are ready to power wash, set the machine to the appropriate settings depending on the surface material you are working with and what your manual says. Start rinsing in small sections starting from the top to the bottom. Then hose down the floor areas to dilute the detergent. When you are finished, relieve the water pressure from the machine as directed on your manual and drain any liquid from the pump.
Scraping Old Paint
Now that the exterior surface is clean it is time to scrape off excess paint. Look for any paint that is chipping or peeling. You will need the following items:
- Large paint scraper
- Small scraper
- Putty knife
- Ladder
- Dust mask
Grab your large scraper and start scraping any paint that is not adhering to the surface anymore. Use the small scraper to get into the tight spots. Use the putty knife along the edges of paint. Scrape in the same direction as the siding. Scrape small sections at a time. Use a ladder for hard to reach areas and make sure the ladder is leveled on the ground and be weary of windy weather that may cause injury from falling. It is highly recommended you wear a dust mask. You do not want to inhale any of the paint.
Caulking
Caulking your home will be easier than it was to scrape off paint. You do this to prevent any damage to your home in the future. Items needed for this task include the following:
- Caulk gun
- 13 or more tubes of acrylic latex caulk
- Container to carry some water
- Two or more rags
- Putty knife
- Razor knife
- Multi-purpose painters tool
- Ladder
Cut the tip of your caulk tube, place it in your caulk gun. Apply caulk around windows, door frames, joints, in the siding that was originally caulked. Cover any gaps, small wholes, and small cracks you might see. When you apply the caulk run your finger in the direction you applied the caulk to smooth it over. Wipe your hands as needed with a wet rag and then dry them off with a different rag. Allow the caulking to dry overnight before you start painting.
Mask the Exterior
If you are spray painting your home you will need to cover all of windows and doors with plastic. To do this you will need 1.5in painters tape,plastic, and screwdriver. Apply a piece of tape to the perimeter of your window, only attaching the outer part of the tape and the inner part should be loose and not adhering to the border. Grab your plastic and align it with the width of your window. Cut off the piece with a knife and grab the upper right corner and place it inside the tape that was not adhering to the trim. You will do this to all the corners and all the sides. Repeat these steps to apply tape to all windows. It will take some practice and tedious attention to mask properly.
You will follow the same technique for the doors. Leave one door uncovered in case you have to go inside and grab something but, remember to cover it when you are ready to paint that area. After apply masking tape to cover any light fixtures and small fixtures you see that you don’t want to be damaged. Lay drop cloths down on flower beds, bushes, and sidewalks.
Painting Primer
Which ever kind of primer you chose whether it’s latex or oil you will use it in the same way. When applying primer you will need the following items:
- Roller
- Mini roller
- 3 inch brush
- Roller grid
- 1 gallon bucket
- Masking tape
- Paper
- Hand masker
- Rag
- Multi-purpose painters tool
- Roller pole extension
- Peel stop binding sealer
- Latex primer
- Drop cloth
Lay all the drop cloths down and put any paper and masking tape with your hand masker to areas that might get ruined. If you notice any area that may need a little more scrapping do it with your multi-purpose painters tool. If you have any surface that looks like the paint is cracked but it wouldn’t come off when you tried scraping it, grab your 1 gallon bucket, roller grid, and pour some peel stop binding sealer in, grab your roller with roller extension and apply to all the cracked surface.
Allow the paint to dry, then follow up with a new roller to apply your latex primer over the scraped areas and sealed surface. Use a mini roller and 3 inch brush for hard to reach areas and smaller surfaces. Do not forget to clean your roller and brush off when you complete priming.
Painting with Roller
Painting with a roller is a good method to use if you have a flat enough surface. Apply an even coat of paint over the entire surface of your roller. As you are painting the wall avoid pressing your roller, this will leave uneven spot as you roll. Apply another even layer of paint on the roller, making sure to avoid pressing the roller. Take your time painting to avoid splattering. If you have places you can’t paint with a roller use a paint brush to paint them.
Spray Painting
Spray painting will require an airless sprayer machine. Check your local hardware store to see if they rent airless sprayer machines. Read the instructions manual before you start to learn how to use it. Choose your start and stop points before you start spraying. Once you start spraying don’t stop on the middle of a wall as it will leave a darker spot in the middle. The first coat goes on thin but by the second coat everything should be covered. If you see some sections that may need a third coat go ahead and spray a third coat on. Follow the cleaning instructions that came with your rental before returning the airless sprayer machine to the retailer.
Trim, Doors, and Gutters
Now it is time to paint trim and any components you want the same color as trim. Grab your brush and make smooth strokes in one direction. Your brush should have enough paint to apply to the surface but you do not want paint to drip off the brush. If you don’t put enough paint on the brush it will leave streaks and uneven areas. You want to paint around the door trim, window trim, and gutters. If you see any touch ups that need to be done in the next few days just grab a small amount of paint and brush and touch them up.
Clean Up
After you are done painting, wash your paint roller and paint brush with warm water. For oil-based paint, use paint thinner to clean your roller and brush until all the paint comes off. Pick up any paper you put down and painters tape. Pick up any plastic you took off the windows and drop cloths you laid down. Put back any accessories that you took off of the outside of your house.