How Do You Prep A House for Exterior Painting?

Painting the exterior of a house is challenging as it requires much equipment and preparation. The exterior walls of homes face plenty of dirt, dust, and harsh weather conditions like sun, rain, and winds. Therefore, the exterior paint gets worn sooner as compared to the interior paint.

As the exterior walls face harsh weather conditions, they need much preparation before repainting. Washing, scraping, sanding, and priming are the primary functions of preparing the walls before painting them. Let us explore the ways to prepare a house for exterior painting.

Pressure washing 

The first in Exterior painting is to wash the walls with a high-pressure stream of water. Do it with a garden hose, but it is better to wash the walls with a high-pressure washer. It is best to rent a pressure washer to save you time than using a garden hose. Washing the wall helps to remove all the dust and dirt from their surface. If you have mold or stains on your walls, you need to use a cleaning additive while washing the walls.

Scrape the walls

As the exterior walls face many harsh weather conditions, they usually develop scrapes of worn paint. You can use a scraper tool to scrape off the flakes of worn paint from the surface of the walls. You can use the manual scraper or a scraping machine to scrape the walls faster. Scraping removes all the worn flakes of paint and prepares the surfaces for a uniform paint finish.

Make the necessary repairs.

The external walls are vulnerable to cracks and damages due to heat, water, and other conditions. Fill the holes, caulk the surfaces, and remove the loose paint using a scraper tool. Fill all the holes and crack with white cement or Plaster of Paris. If you choose to caulk the cracks, be careful not to do it in the gaps between the structures. Such gaps are there for ventilation, and you should not close them.

Sanding

Sanding is another necessary process in the prep work for walls. It helps to create a mechanical bond between the paint coats. If you choose to paint the walls without sanding, the paint may look good, but soon, it will show all sorts of imperfections under its coat.

Most people working with oil paint don’t prefer sanding as oil paint wets the existing coat and sticks well. However, soon the imperfections start showing under the paint. Therefore, it is best to sand the walls before beginning to paint them.

It can be challenging to sand the exterior walls with sandpaper unless you have many people for sanding. It is best to rent a sanding machine, as it will save you labor and time.

Priming

Primer helps the new paint stick on previously painted surfaces. You should apply primer to any areas where the old paint has already peeled off, but to create a consistent paint job that looks good you should prime the entire house. Primer is especially important if you are using latex paint to paint the surface. 

Choose a light-colored primer or support a paint color that you intend to use. If you are significantly changing the color of the house, priming the walls becomes even more important. 

Trim the nearby shrubs and trees

If you have plants, shrubs, or trees near your building, you need to trim their branches to help the painters work. This will ensure that the painters will have enough space to work around your home without interfering with the shrubs and trees. Doing so will also prevent their branches from hitting the wet paint on your walls.

Choose the right color

Choosing the right color is important for exterior walls as it affects the energy efficiency of your home. If you live in a location that experiences summer for most months, you should paint your walls with a light color. On the other hand, if your location is cold for most time of the year, you should choose the dark color of the paint as it absorbs heat to keep the house warm.

Aqua Paintings Sydney offers high-quality painting services in Sydney, Australia. The company has been offering residential and commercial painting services in Sydney for over 18 years. With so much experience, it is a company you can trust for painting your home or office. You can contact them for interior, as well as exterior painting Sydney services.   

Final Words

These were some tips to prep a house for exterior painting. Washing and scraping removes all the unwanted debris from the walls and prepares them for painting. Caulking and repairing help to repair and fill the holes and cracks. Sanding and priming prepare the walls for a smooth and uniform finish to make the paint stick perfectly.

Samantha

Samantha hails from Virginia and is a proud wife to a retired Deputy Sheriff and mother to two amazing little boys named Jack & William. A veteran product reviewer; Samantha has been reviewing products for 8 years and offers high quality product reviews with original photography.