Painting a House – Tips from a Professional

Tips for Painting a House

Painting process for the exterior of your home

Now that it’s time to paint, make sure you are using the right product. Paint companies make specialized exterior coatings which are designed to stand up to the elements. Make sure the coating you are using is designed for the application. Also determine the quality of the product as this will affect the longevity of the paint job as well as the factors such as color retention and dirt resistance. 100% Acrylic is the way to go.

The sheen of most exterior paints is flat but velvet or eggshell paints can be used. It is important for the exterior paints to breathe so that water doesn’t become trapped behind them and cause peeling or worse. For wrought iron and doors a semi-gloss is recommended. The added gloss gives these surfaces protection from high traffic wear and tear as well as rust.

For your exterior project the bulk of the work will be done with a commercial grade paint sprayer. Paint sprayers are gas or electric driven pumps which propel paint on to surfaces in a fan shape. It is by far the most efficient way to paint stucco. When spraying, the paint should be applied in all 4 directions left-right-up-down to insure a uniform look from all directions.

Contractors can also perform a ‘back roll’, which is a follow up coat of paint using a roller, after the spray coat. This will more than double the thickness of paint which should add life to the paint job and help with the uniformity. Something to note; ‘back rolling’ can nearly double the price of a paint job so be sure to factor that into your budgeting process.

When it comes to accenting the exterior of your home there are many different ways to go about it. The most common accent to your home is the fascia which is the wood border surrounding the roof. Other popular accents are pop-outs and soffits, which can be accented the same color as the fascia or go in a completely different direction. The sky and maybe your HOA are the limits.