The exterior painting of any home is very important, as this is the portion visible to everyone. If properly done, it enhances the looks and beauty of the home, increasing its value and allure. On the flip side, if done wrongly, the aim of painting would be defeated as it would be unattractive.
Here are some considerations to be made before painting the exterior of your home.
Exterior Painting Considerations
Paint
The quality of paint used should not be taken for granted when painting the exterior of your home. Do not use paint of low quality as it may fade faster. This would lead to repainting the home often, the cost of this would be very high.
Another consideration to be made is the color of the paint. This is very important and requires skill. The selected color theme should blend with the overall look of the environment. You do not want a color that makes your home isolated, so care must be taken in this regard. Use a test spot on the building to experiment with some colors, this would give an insight into how the end result would look like.
Light
The color, hue and radiance of the exterior may vary with different levels of sunlight. It is best to have a color test spot where you test different colors of paint. This would give you an idea of how different colors would radiate at different times of the day.
Choice of Colors
Do you really want to choose the best colors for the exterior of your home? If so, here are some tips in this regard.
- Unless you have an elaborate plan of how you want multiple colors to look like, it is recommended you keep it simple, stick with just one color. This is cheaper as compared to using multiple colors.
- Consider the colors of the neighboring houses, and make yours blend with the theme. If your house is in the woods, remember that colors look darker in shades, you may want to use lighter colors.
The Exterior Painting Process
The end product of the painting process is a function of the degree of attention to detail given to every step of the job. This is what makes the difference between a perfectly finished job and that of a low and inferior quality.
Surface Preparation: The surface to be painted should be prepared before the application of paint. This is fundamental to having a perfect finish.
There are several ways of preparing the surface, the most common is washing. This is done to remove all loose dirt on the surface and in crevices. This would provide a fine surface for the paint to adhere to.
Power washing is a very convenient way to go about this. It removes tough stains, grease and moss. The only challenge is that there is specific equipment that are used for power washing. This should be used by someone who is trained to use it.
Drop Cloth: Drop cloths are very necessary in residential exterior painting especially when you are repainting. They are to be placed around the areas to be painted as they absorb paint drops, preventing spills. This makes the cleanup process easier.
Caulking: This is the next step. It involves the use of a sealer in sealing cracks and expansions around doors and window frames. These cracks are responsible for the failure of paints around these areas. Caulking also prevents moisture from getting into these cracks. When caulking, only paintable caulk is to be used. Silicone caulking cannot be painted as such, and should not be used. If silicone caulk is already used in the home, it should be replaced with a paintable alternative.
Putty: This is a filler material used on older homes. It is used to fill cracks between joints, also acting as a seal from moisture between glass and wood. If properly applied, it preserves the authenticity of the home, however, newer and modern homes may not need this resource.
Scraping: This is used to remove any loose paint from previous coatings. This is critical to the durability of the paint job. When you paint without scraping, there is the tendency that the old loose paint would flake as a result of the weight of the new paint.
Sanding: This is optional, however, it is used to round the edges of the scraped areas. With a disk or belt sander, this can be achieved. Sanding improves the looks and has nothing to do with durability of the finished job. Edges would be smoother and look more rounded. However, this is a costly and time consuming process.
Priming: The purpose of priming is to seal porous surfaces, providing a smooth surface for the application of paint. High quality primers would act as surfaces to which the paint would adhere. If properly done, it enhances the end quality of the paint job.
Finished Coating: This is the application of the final paint finish. The use of the appropriate tools for this is necessary as there is no need to compromise standards at this point. Use rollers for wider areas where there is sufficient rolling space while you use 2-inches hand brushes for corners and intricate designs.
When you are finished painting, clean up the environment removing materials like the drop cloth and empty paint containers. Ensure a tidy environment after working, this makes the work place safe for all.
Even when the interior of a home is still unfinished, if the exterior is properly painted, it gives it that allure, difficult to resist. If the home is for sale, you will begin getting response from the market in a short while.
Looking for a professional exterior painters near you with labor and material guarantees? Worry Free painting offers exterior house painting services in Essex, Union, Morris, Passaic and Bergen county, and other surrounding NJ communities.
For free estimate call us today! 201-666-3712