Exterior house painting is a far more complex process than painting interior walls. Because your home’s exterior is exposed to the elements, you need to ensure that you are taking the right steps to avoid peeling, chipping, and water infiltration that will damage exterior materials.
In this article, we will share 11 best practices for efficient exterior house painting used by experienced painting companies in Victoria.
1. Make sure you buy enough paint
Buying enough paint avoids unnecessary trips to the paint store mid-project. However, there’s a far more significant reason it pays to buy all your paint at the same time: slight changes in paint tone occur when paint is made.
By taking proper measurements based on the square footage of your home, your paint store can calculate how much paint is needed and provide all the paint you need in one trip. When made together in gallons, you also help avoid noticeable differences in tone.
2. Know what to consider when buying paint
When buying exterior paint, you not only need to consider the amount of paint you need, but also the various surfaces you’ll be covering. Things like doors, window frames, trim, etc. might be made of different materials, and you’ll want the right type of paint to improve how it adheres to the surface, as well as its durability.
Other details to share with your paint store might include sun exposure and the condition of the surfaces you’re painting. This ensures they can provide paint that will get the best coverage to reduce the amount of coats required.
3. Choose colours carefully
Even if you’re matching the current colours of your home, you want to choose your colours carefully. For example, if you are painting a new wood window frame you had to replace due to damage, you won’t be able to get an exact match for that one little section because the original paint colour will have faded. We always advise people to keep a record of paint colours and brands to make it easier to deal with these types of scenarios. To avoid obvious colour mismatches, it is usually best to paint the entire surface. Next, you want to consider the light exposure, as this makes a huge difference on how the colour appears. Direct sunlight washes out colour, while shade deepens it. You should test paint colours on various surfaces to make sure you are happy with how the paint appears before making your purchase.
4. Buy the highest quality paint you can afford
We all have budget constraints that impact our home improvement projects. When it comes to exterior paint, you need to invest in the highest quality paint you can afford, as it tends to save you time and money in the long run.
Proper application of high-quality paint will expand the life of the paint so you aren’t having to repaint and touch up every year. Also, higher-quality paint often requires fewer coats.
5. Preparation is everything
There are several steps involved in preparation. Although skipping a few steps might seem more efficient, proper preparation will save you money and time in the long run.
Here’s what we recommend:
- Use a pressure washer with TSP detergent to thoroughly clean all the surfaces you intend to paint.
- Rinse the detergent off thoroughly with clean water, and let the house dry completely.
- The pressure washer will also remove loose, chipped paint.
- Scrape off any remaining paint using a power scraper to save time and ensure everything is removed.
- Do a final sanding of all surfaces to ensure the primer adheres properly.
- Repair rotted wood using an exterior-grade wood filler. Let it dry, and sand it smooth.
6. Don’t skip the primer
Another step that might be tempting to skip is applying a primer. However, without primer, you’ll have issues with proper adhesion even if you’ve taken the time to follow all of the above steps.
This includes avoiding using a primer-based paint. Although this is a time-saver for interior walls, it tends to perform less efficiently for exteriors.
7. Consider renting a paint sprayer
A paint sprayer is the best way to get an even coat that’s free of streaks. It also takes far less time than trying to apply paint using a brush or roller. If you go the roller route, you’ll have to follow up with a brush to work the paint into crevices, cracks, and things like shingles and siding, which basically doubles the amount of time it takes to finish the job.
8. Start with the trim
It’s often more efficient to start by painting the trim by hand with a brush and then taping off the trim once it’s dry. You can then do the siding or brick using your paint sprayer or a large roller to finish the job off.
If you do it the other way around, you can get drips all over your nicely finished walls, which takes more work for touch-ups.
9. Have a cloth handy to wipe away mistakes
Exterior paint is designed to last, which makes it very hard to remove mistakes once it dries. Keep a cloth handy as you work so you can quickly wipe away drips before they adhere to the surface.
10. Paint doors in the early morning
Painting doors in the early morning will allow enough time for the paint to dry so you can close them at night. If the paint isn’t dry, you can damage the paint or even seal the door to the frame, which then has to be cut away, resanded, and repainted.
11. Paint the door panels first
When painting exterior doors, you should paint raised panels first and work the paint into the corners. You can then smooth the paint in long strokes for a professional looking finish.
Painting Companies Victoria: Contact the Painting Experts
When it comes to exterior painting, you want a quality job with proper prep work to ensure your exterior remains beautiful and protected for years.
If you don’t have the time, energy or resources to do it all yourself, hiring a professional painting company is absolutely worth the investment.
Parkside Painting is one of the top painting companies in Victoria. Our honest, professional painters strive to deliver a great customer experience with exceptional communication, affordable prices, and 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
For a free quote, call us at 250-891-2999 or contact us online.