Painting techniques to make ceilings look higher

Important Things to Do Before Exterior Home Painting

Whether you are fixing up a new-to-you house or just want to improve the aesthetics of your long-owned family home, then exterior painting is the way to go. Not only does exterior painting freshen up a home's appearance, but it also helps to protect underlying wood and other building materials from weather damage. This is vital for the longevity of your home and the protection of your investment.

Regardless of whether you plan to use a professional exterior painting service or plan to tackle this big painting job yourself, there are many things you must do to prepare before ever cracking open a can of paint, such as:

Clear a Working Space All Around the House

To successfully paint the entire exterior of a home, all of the bushes and plants touching it need to be cut back or removed. In addition, the person painting needs to be able to paint without tripping or constantly moving things around. For these reasons, it is vital to clear a working space all the way around your home. The space needs to be at least a foot or two to allow for both humans and ladders the necessary access to paint every aspect of the house.

Exterior painting is an ideal project to give you the push you need to clean up all those random things leaning against the side of the house and tame the landscaping.

Pressure Wash Your Home But Skip the Cleaning Products

If you are working with professional painters, then make sure they pressure wash your home before they apply any paint. If they don't offer this service or if you are painting your own house, then it is vital you take the time to pressure wash it.

Pressure washing a home removes dirt, grease, and grime that will negatively affect paint adhesion. If you skip this vital step, the paint job will look fantastic at first but later down the line it will peel and crack.

While you might be tempted to use a cleaning solution in the pressure washer, you should avoid doing so. If you do and every drop of the soap is not washed off it can cause problems with the paint adhering.

It is also important to let your home dry well in the sunshine before attempting to paint it. So, pressure wash a few days before painting to ensure it is completely dry.