How to Prepare Your Home for Painting

If your home in Simi Valley has to be updated, a new coat of paint is a fast, inexpensive option to improve its curb appeal. So if your home is starting to look shabby or if you’re just ready for something different, consider repainting the outside of your house yourself or pay a professional painter to do the job for you.

Painting a home is a big job, but it isn’t an unreasonable job for most homeowners. You just need to do your research to understand how to prepare the surface by scheduling residential pressure washing, as well as what brushes and paints you need to use.

You can also team up with a professional painter by completing all of the prep work by yourself, but then having their team come in and do the actual painting with their best tools, safety equipment and selected paint.

Whichever direction is right for you, you’ll still need to know how to prepare your home for painting. Here are some of the most important things to consider.

6 House Painting Preparation Tips

1. Decide which parts of the home to paint, collect the ladders and other necessary safety equipment. If you’re planning to do the painting by yourself, you’ll thank yourself later. Having a plan will make the actual painting go a lot faster once you begin. Collecting your tools ahead of time guarantees that when you begin painting, you won’t have to stop and look for needed supplies, meaning that you’ll have to maintain a wet edge the entire time you are painting.
2. Choose the right paint and brushes. The most fun part of painting your home is choosing the color or color combo. You will also need to choose the right paint finishes for each part of the house. Latex is better than oil-based paint for home exteriors. It is less messy and easier to clean up. The flat surfaces need more of a flat, or matte, finish, versus semi-gloss for the trim. You’ll need synthetic fiber brushes for latex paint. Rollers and sprayers are also efficient options if possible.
3. Pressure wash. Finally, it is time to begin prepping the surface of the house for its beautiful new paint! Put time into power washing your house (or hiring a local pressure washing service) to loosen any cracked or peeling paint. The high pressure is the best way to remove peeling paint, and it cleans the outside of your house. Some sections of paint will peel off as you spray over them. That’s a sure sign that the paint was aging and needed to be replaced!
4. Remove peeling paint. Now that the old paint has been loosened, get more of it off with a plastic or metal straight edge, being diligent not to dig into the wood. Then sand bumpy surfaces for a smooth finish. It isn’t important to sand every surface down to the bare wood. Any sections where the paint is still adhered just need to be tended to and have the edges sanded so the new coat of paint goes on the home smoothly.
5. Prime. Do not skip the primer! Primer is a very important part of preparation because it conceals any prior paint (especially with dark colors), results in even color for your new paint, and a smooth surface with minimal imperfections. Let the primer dry according to the directions so that the original layer of paint won’t blend into it or leave behind a rough patch.
6. Plan to paint on the best day. A professional painter can look at the forecast and find the most opportune day for applying exterior paint. That’s why they’re experts! If you plan to do the painting on your own, wait for a day that is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees, and with very low humidity. This will lead to the best adhesion.

Why Painting Your Home is a Good Idea

Not only does a new paint job make your home look years newer, it also adds a layer of protection for the overall structure of your house.

Paint will help prevent insects from eating or clawing into your home’s exterior. It also stops wear and tear from the elements. Good quality paint stops wood from rotting and dirt cannot stick to paint the same way it does to wood.

Peeling paint is an obvious clue that it needs to be replaced. If paint is peeling, you need to have it repainted in order to protect the wood surface.

Aging paint takes a toll on your home’s appearance. If you’re concerned about curb appeal, painting your house is one of the best things you can do.

Painting is also a good idea if your house doesn’t seem to “fit in” in the neighborhood (but you want it to). If your home’s color makes it stand out, or if it is the opposite and you want it to stand out, a different color can completely update its vibe.

Hiring a Local Professional Painter in Simi Valley

After prepping is over, you might want to turn the work over to a professional painter in Simi Valley (if you hadn’t already decided that from the start!). Hiring a painter is affordable. It also guarantees that the results will exceed expectations with minimal effort on your part.

Hiring a local painter to paint your home has several obvious benefits:

• A professional painter will know the most efficient way to do the job, meaning the paint will look much better and the project will move a lot faster.
• Companies don’t make a mess. Their results will be neater, with no extra paint splattered or spilled on your home.
• Due to their skill and knowledge, your new paint will last longer than if you painted by yourself.
• A professional painter will already have the safety equipment needed to paint areas above ground level.

Based on your DIY skills and interests, you can trust your painter to do all the pre-painting preparation, too. Most services are fully prepared to handle every part of the job, from removing old paint and pressure washing the exterior to actually applying the paint.