How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Johns Creek has to be updated, a fresh coat of paint is a quick, inexpensive way to improve its curb appeal. So if your house is looking worn down or if you are simply ready for something different, consider painting the outside of your home yourself or enlist a professional painter to do it for you.

Painting a home is a huge job, but it isn’t an impossible job for some homeowners. You just need to do your research to know how to prep the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what type of brushes and paints to use.

You can even team up with a professional painter by doing all of the prep work on your own, but then having their team come over and do the actual painting with their tools, safety equipment and professionally selected paint.

Whichever direction is right for you, you’ll still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Choose which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and all other necessary safety equipment. If you are preparing to complete the painting yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will help to make the actual painting project go much faster once you begin. Collecting your tools beforehand ensures that when you start painting, you shouldn’t have to stop and search for needed supplies, meaning you’ll have to maintain a wet brush edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The fun part of painting your home’s exterior is choosing the color or color combination. You will also need to choose the right paint finishes for all parts of the home. Latex is a lot better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It’s a lot less messy and much easier to clean. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll need to us synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it’s time to start prepping the surface of your home for its brand new paint! Invest time into pressure washing your home (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the most effective way to eliminate peeling paint, and it simultaneously cleans the outside of your home. Some areas of paint will peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sign that the paint was deteriorating and had to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, scrape it off the house with a plastic or metal straight edge, being careful not to dig deep into the wood surface. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t necessary to sand each surface all the way down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new paint goes on the home smooth.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is an important part of preparation because it covers up any previous paint (especially important with dark paint colors), results in an even color for your new paint, and a smoother surface with minimal imperfections throughout. Let the primer dry based on the directions so that the first layer of paint won’t blend into it or produce a rough patch on the surface.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and tell you the most opportune day for painting a home. That’s why they’re experts! If you want to do the painting yourself, wait for a day that is between 75 and 85 degrees, with low humidity. This will result in the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only will a new paint job make your home look years newer, it also provides a layer of protection for the overall exterior of your home.

Paint will help prevent insects from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also reduces wear and tear from inclement weather. High quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the same way it does to bare wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious sign that it needs to be replaced. If your paint is peeling on your home, you need to have it repainted in order to protect the wood surface.

Worn paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your home is one of the best things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your home doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood. If your home’s color makes it stand out too much, or if it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different paint color can update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Johns Creek

After the prepping is finished, you have the option to hand the work over to a professional painter in Johns Creek (if you hadn’t already chosen that from the start!). Hiring a painter is cost effective. It also ensures that the results will exceed your expectations with less effort on your part.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter will know the most efficient way to complete the job, which means the paint will look a lot better and the project will be a lot faster.
• Pros don’t typically make a mess. Their results will be much neater, with no excess paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Because of their skill and experience, your new paint will last a lot longer than if you painted yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment required to paint surfaces above ground level.

Depending on your DIY abilities and desires, you can trust your painter to complete all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most companies are prepared to take care of each part of the