Your home’s exterior shields you from exposure to nature’s harsh effects. But what protects the walls themselves from rain, wind, and snow? Your paint. Without that barrier against the elements, your walls would eventually crumble. If paint is going to do its job, it must to be able to adhere to the walls it protects.
Before you lay a dropcloth and raise the ladder, take a look at the surface you’re about to cover: Is it properly prepared? The key is to ensure the surface is clean, smooth, and sealed. Here’s part one of House Painting of Colorado’s guide to preparing your home for exterior painting.
Plan Before You Paint
Planning is the most important step in the entire process. Begin by assessing your house and making necessary repairs, you’ll be glad that you did! Here are the techniques you’ll want to prepare for to make sure your paint job will last for years to come.
Clean Grit and Grime
It may be advisable to rent a pressure washer. Hook up the hose, and scour every inch of the surface with a blast of pressurized water that’ll remove the grime in a flash. With a lance of water shooting out at 1000 lbs. per square inch of pressure, it’s rather like cleaning your car with a fire hose. It’s incredibly fast and thorough, and it’ll even tear off loose peeling paint. But that same power can also rip off awnings and shingles, so take care.
Remember, a lot of debris will be thrown into the air during this process, so you make sure you wear proper eye protection. Of course you should secure all your windows before beginning.
Remove Loose Old Paint
A great way to remove old paint is with a power paint stripper. If you’ve got more time than money, you could settle for a garden hose and a scrub brush. Allow for 10 hours of drying before applying any paint or primer.
We’ll see you tomorrow for Part 2, when we’ll tell you how to finish preparing your exterior from walls to windows before bringing on the brushes.
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