Is your home exterior in need of a refresh? Painting your exterior cladding is a simple way to transform your home and enhance your curb appeal. Whether you love the color of your home and want to revive your facade with a fresh coat of the same shade, or are looking for something completely new, we’ve rounded up our most helpful tips for painting your home’s exterior.
1. Plan for the Right Time of Year
Before you start painting, you’ll want to look up local weather patterns and plan for the proper time of year. For the best results, choose a dry time of year with little rain and lower humidity. Paint needs time to dry in between and after the final coat and it won’t adhere to surfaces that aren’t dry.
2. Protect Your Surroundings
Painting is messy, there’s no way around it. Prep your landscape and the area around your exterior so it doesn’t get splashed with paint. Cover the ground, bushes and any other vegetation below the area you’re painting, and move or cover up any outdoor furniture, hoses or grills.
3. Start With A Proper Foundation
Paint won’t stick well to dirty, peeling or rough surfaces. Clean your siding and trim thoroughly, allow to dry, then sand or scrape any peeling paint. Creating a smooth foundation for the paint ensures the rest of the process goes as seamlessly as possible.
4. Use a Primer
Once you have a smooth, clean foundation, apply a coat of paint primer. A primer creates an important, receptive base that your paint can grip on to. Even if your changing of colors isn’t drastic, this step will make the transition much more successful. The only time you wouldn’t need a primer is if you’re refreshing the exact same paint color. There are also new paint products that combine primer and paint into one. They’re more expensive, but a great option if you want to cut down on time.
5. Paint From Top to Bottom
Work your way from the top of your house to the bottom in a smooth, controlled manner. This way you’re working with gravity rather than against it. Depending on your skill level, you can use a paint brush or paint sprayer to paint your house. Drips are inevitable and painting from top to bottom allows you to work out imperfections in the direction you’re working.
6. Blend Cans of Paint
Mix multiple cans of the same paint color into a larger container, such as a bucket to ensure the color is applied uniformly to your home. This is a method called ‘boxing the paint’ and is used by professionals. This is an important step as it helps prevent shade variations that are typically only noticeable once the paint has dried on the surface. Boxing is key to ensuring a smooth, even finish.
If you want to see your house in a whole new color here are some design resources to help get you on your way!