House Painting Exterior Preparation

Before you attempt to paint the house as a DIY project there are a few necessary house painting exterior preparation steps if you want the paint to stick to the house and last for at least five years before doing it again. Poor house painting exterior  preparation will result in a poor paint job and a waste of money, material, and time. It is important to do it correctly if you want a professional looking finish that will last at least as long as the paint manufacturer’s warranty period. Exterior house painting is hard work and requires preparation for a successful outcome.

The first step is to clean the surface, washing the house either by hand, with soap and water or a pressure washer. I recommend a pressure washer if you want a thorough cleaning. And yes, you can use a pressure washer on a wood exterior providing you let it dry thoroughly before painting, five to seven days, and you take care to not damage the wood surface.

All loose paint should be removed and the surface lightly sanded using a 100 grit sand paper. When sanding, be sure to feather the edges between the bare wood and painted surfaces. If you do not feather the edges you will be able to see a step in the paint and no amount of paint will cover it up. Always apply primer to the bare spots so the finish paint will adhere to the surface.

The bottoms of trim boards tend to show small cracked and pealed paint after a few years because they absorbed moisture through the end of the board. They need to be sanded and painted with a primer before repainting. I suggest using a shellac primer for these troublesome areas as it acts as crack filler and is more durable than other primers. If the end of a trim board is in contact with the deck or concrete surface it will act as a wick and absorb moisture. The ends of the trim boards should be cut off to remedy the problem. The bottom edge should be at least a half inch above any contact surface.

If your window and door casings are a different color than the rest of the house or vinyl clad, they should be taped around the edges using one inch blue masking tape, providing that you are going to paint the house with a brush. If you are going to spray paint the house then the entire window should be covered with newspaper or an equivalent material. Blue masking tape is an excellent painters tape as it does not adhere to the surface as strongly as regular masking tape and is easy to remove. If you get paint on the window casings simply wipe it off with a damp cloth.

If you require ladders or staging, insure they are in good conditions and placed properly to avoid creating a safety hazard. Always be aware that aluminum extension ladders will conduct electricity so avoid any contact with overhead power lines. If using step ladders do not climb above the top two steps to avoid toppling. Use paint tarps to protect walkways, driveways, or shrubs from spilled paint. Plastic sheathing serves as a good paint tarp however; it can be quite slippery when wet.

If you are using a water base paint keep a bucket of fresh water nearby to clean the brush from time to time as they will become clogged with dry paint. If you are using an oil base paint a container of cleaning solvent or paint thinner should be readily available to clean the brushes periodically.

I recommend that the house be brush painted as opposed to spray painted. Spray painting takes much more preparation to avoid not getting paint where you don’t want it. I have found that brush painting may take a little longer but is less work overall and does a better job with less paint. A lot of paint is lost to the atmosphere when using a sprayer and they are a devil to clean when the job is interrupted or completed.

For a successful paint job house paint exterior preparation is just as important as selecting the paint or doing the painting. It makes the entire experience less frustrating and provides a better finished product.