Making sure you properly prepare your exterior surfaces before painting will benefit you far beyond the purely aesthetic. Making sure to follow certain guidelines before painting your home’s exterior can add both value to your property and years to the life of your new paint job. Since most paint failures result from inadequate surface preparation, don’t skip this important step just because it takes extra time and effort! Preparation procedures vary depending on the type of project and the surface(s) to be painted. Below, we’ll detail the best practices for preparing the exterior of an older Wisconsin, wood-sided home prior to painting.
1.) First — Clean it up!
Before you can even consider what your home’s exterior needs, it needs to be washed. Additionally, paint won’t adhere well to dirty or grimy exterior walls, so starting with a clean surface is the first step in preparing to paint. If you have the time and energy, cleaning by hand-applying a solution of water and a phosphate free cleanser containing mildew killer can be an option. However, if endless trips up and down a ladder don’t sound like your ideal weekend project, consider hiring a professional to pressure wash the exterior. It’s not recommended to try pressure washing on your own, especially if you don’t have experience. An amateur can damage the siding by pushing water underneath boards. Either way, whether you do it on your own or bring on expert help, make sure this important step is done well!
2.) Scrape and Sand (failing or peeling paint)
Most of the time, the reason a homeowner decides to paint their property’s exterior is because they’re starting to see peeling paint. Pressure washing will have removed most of the loosest paint, but any amount of peeling paint left on the exterior before the new paint is applied will result in paint failure. To make sure you can access all the tight corners and areas of peeling paint, you can pick up a painter’s multitool, sometimes known as a “5-in-1.” Also, a long-handled pull scraper will speed up the process of removing peeling paint. A word of caution, however, be careful as you work with them, since they are liable to gouge into your siding if you become reckless or aggressive with your work. After you have fully scraped an area and before moving on to the next, finish that section by sanding out the rough spots with 80-grit sandpaper (typically) for wood siding.
3.) Fill, Repair, Replace Boards
Now that you’ve cleaned up your exterior, you’ll be able to really take a good look at what imperfections remain. Seams, holes, dings, and chips all need to be filled with a patching putty, caulk, or compound. Loose boards should be properly reattached if their structural integrity hasn’t been compromised. Any rotted boards should be replaced or professionally “prepped out”. This term refers to when painters use fillers and sealants to seal the board and protect it from new water damage.
4.) Priming
Some believe it’s necessary to evenly prime your entire home before applying paint. That’s not necessarily true. Unless you’re starting with unfinished natural wood all over, you’ll only need to prime areas with bare wood or boards which have undergone a lot of wear and tear. Be sure to also pay close attention to areas where snow might collect. Finally, don’t move on to painting until you’ve primed the bottom few boards of the house along with the boards up by the roofline. This ensures the appearance of a consistent paint color from top to bottom.
Now that you’ve done all the prep work, you have your final step — applying the paint! I’m sure having read through this it may seem like the prep work is going to take longer than the painting itself. And the truth is that you may be right. The fact is, painting the exterior of your home is a project which can and will consume quite a bit of time, energy, and money. It’s certainly one you won’t want to have to undertake more often than absolutely necessary. Making sure you have properly prepared your home’s exterior before painting is the best way to ensure a lasting and beautiful paint job. If you’re thinking that this might be more work than you can (or want to) handle on your own, the painters at Elite Painting, LLC would be glad to put their experience and professionalism to work for you! Call us at 262-370-8480 or send us a message for your free estimate today.
