Tackling an Exterior House Painting Project

Being a homeowner means taking care of the basic necessities of the home, showing it some love and R&R from time to time so it doesn’t fall into disrepair. One of the major steps to keeping your home looking fresh and tidy is giving your exterior painting work an overhaul every 6-8 years. While this might seem like an extensive task, making a solid plan and preparing for the project ahead of time can almost guarantee an easier workload. Here are some ideas for how best to tackle your painting project before you even put a paintbrush to the wall.

Before even considering paint colors, it’s important to do your own personal inspection of your home. Take an inventory of your home’s exterior, checking for any broken or rotting siding, window or door trim that’s breaking off, or any other damage that may have occurred since the last time you painted your home. These issues should be addressed, even before you get set on sanding and washing the walls down.

Once the initial walkabout has taken place, it’s time to decide what colors and techniques you’d like to use during the exterior painting project. If you’re antsy for a change of scenery, consider opting for a different, modern color that makes your home stand out from others in the neighborhood. However, don’t go too bold with a color that you may end up hating down the road. Once a color is picked, you can determine how you’d prefer to apply it, by spray or by hand-brushing. While spray painting is certainly a time-saver, hand painting often looks better on older, wooden homes because the application is thicker and it will fill in any crevices by deeply penetrating the wood’s surface.

After these decisions are made and the materials are purchased, you’re ready to start your exterior painting project. Now that you’ve prepared in advance, the journey to the end result shouldn’t be quite so difficult.