When it comes to big and time consuming DIY projects painting the house has been one of the longest I have done. This old house had a lot of peeling paint and layers of it at that. Peeling paint does not protect your home from pests and damage. It also can be an environmental hazard. Chipping paint falls to the ground and leaches lead and other contaminants into your soil so clearing it out is your best defense and gives your home a serious curb appeal update. But it is time-consuming and costly. These tips will help you paint your house with less stress.
Seeing I am doing the work myself and I know I can not get it all done at once I have been doing it in stages working one side to the next. I started with the side you can see from the street giving trim and the dark brown cracked paint door a fresh white facelift instead of replacing the door. Then we worked around to the side and back where the brick veneer had blown off during the storms through the years to repair and preserve the original wood siding that we intend to keep.
Start painting your house by prepping your surface.
The key to a good finish on your home is to remove all of the old chipping, peeling paint from your home. If your home contains lead paint it is best to skip the scraper and opt for a heat gun to remove the paint.
Use a heat gun to melt the old pain causing it to bubble up then bring a scraper behind it to remove the paint before it can cool and harden. This will remove the paint without putting chips of lead into the air for you to breath. Use a drop cloth under your work area to catch the sticky paint as it falls to the ground.
Grab some wood filler or spackle depending on the surface you are painting and fill in nail holes or other minor damage that has happened to the paint over the years. Wait for it to dry and sand down to a flush finish. Remove any rotted wood and replace with epoxy wood filler.
Tips to paint your house
When you paint your home you should look for a quality exterior paint and primer combo. Choose one in an easy to wash finish especially if you are going with a lighter color. Just like the inside of the house, we opt for a gloss finish EVERYWHERE so I can just wipe everything down and move on the next task on my list. On the outside of the house, a spray with the hose cleans gloss paint up with a breeze. A paint and primer mix will not stop you from needing multiple coats but it will give you the best finish and hide the most stains and flaws.
You will need both a brush and a roller for painting your house. I love the smoothe coverage you can only get from a roller and a brush can get into the hard to reach nooks and crannies.
Painters tape is vital for use around windows and other areas you do not plan to paint. Just like inside do not forget to use painters tape. If you skip this step paint cleans off of glass windows pretty easy with a bit of WD40 and a paint scraper. For large exterior walls, you can make it easier to paint by opting for a spray gun.
When you start painting work from top to bottom. This will allow you to hide drops that fall on vertical surfaces while you are painting. If you wanna spruce the house up without painting the whole house give trim and your door a fresh coat of paint and time.
Paint and Primer in One is your best friend when it comes to getting good quality coverage without having to recoat many times.
If you are doing a large section at once try a Paint Ready Sprayer to make short work of the task.
Grab a Paint Brushes and rollers Professional Painting Kit even if you plan to user a sprayer to allow you to get areas that need more precision than you can get with a sprayer.
Everyone needs a paint scraper. I recommend an 8-In-1 Multi-Tool that will get you more bang for your buck. These come in handy for so many things from scraping paint to opening paint cans and even washing your rollers.
For smoothe, lines use Painters Tape. Save money by buying in bulk.
If you have paint to removed a Heat Gun will speed up the process.
Painting a house means you will need to get up and out of your range. A Work Ladder that can fold in multiple ways will come in handy for more than without having to buy a tall ladder and a step ladder.
Grab a Paint and Mud Mixer for your drill to make short work of mixing paint before use.
If you will be painting a wooden house like we are Two-Part Wood Repair Epoxy Paste will come in handy for repairing the areas where the wood has gone bad over the years.
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