Preparing and Painting the Exterior of Your House

Painting a house is a lot like dunking a cookie in your coffee. It looks like it’s easy, but if your not careful, it can get you into hot water. Definite do’s and don’t’s must prevail for a house painting job to come out right.

The first thing to ask is what kind of surface am I painting. Not all paints are created equal when it comes to this area. A good latex paint will serve well for a wood or masonite-type siding. Sometimes for stucco and other unusual surfaces you may need to get an oil based paint or some other paint that is designed especially for that surface.

Next, look at the surface. Is it just faded or the wrong color or is it bubbled and cracked and peeling? If this is just a simple color change or brightening up an old paint job, you probably have gotten lucky. Most of the time just scrub the surface a little and take off painting.

If you have to deal with a bad surface, then other steps must be taken first. You need to remove as much of the cracked and peeling paint as possible. You can scrape if the area isn’t too large. I recommend a power washer. In case you don’t know what this is, it is like a portable car wash spraying system. Be careful with these. They can penetrate skin. Also, if you’re not paying attention, they will remove wood and leave the paint. With a little care, the power washer can do you a good job.

After removing the old paint, you will need a good primer. Ask your paint supplier to recommend the primer that is most compatible with the paint you will apply over it. I have used oil and latex primers and personally have seen no real diffence in their effectiveness. Whether you brush or roll this on is your call. I prefer to roll everything I can. And use a brush in the other places.

Make sure that the primer is completely dry before applying the top coat. If it is hot and you are applying a latex paint in the sunlight, I would recommend that you spray water on the surface before you paint. Latex seems to like cooler surfaces to bond to. Again, check with the manufacturer’s suggestions on the can or bucket or check with your supplier to be sure.

Generally, two coats are better than one. Let each coat dry completely before proceeding. With some care and following the directions, any amateur with enough ambition should be able to complete the job satisfactorily. If you are the type inclined to start many projects and finish none or you don’t really have enough time to do this job right, hire a professional.