When you are ready to paint the exterior of your home you have to do prep work. Painting your home is a process that you need to do to make sure your home looks great. L. W. Winslow Painting, Inc. will go over what the steps are to prep your home so it can be painted.

Wash Outside of House

Your house can get very dirty with dust, dirt, and other contaminants over time. If you try to paint your house without washing it then the paint will stick to the dirt and not to the surface of your home. It will also leave your paint looking more rough once it dries. To make sure that your house looks the best it can you need to wash it. There are two ways that you can do this. Either use a pressure washer or hand scrub. Both ways work and can be beneficial. You may even need to do both types of cleaning to ensure your home is clean.

Let Exterior of House Dry

Letting your house dry is a very important step. That is also a very easy step because you don’t have to do anything. If you don’t let it dry then the paint will not go on as well. You will want to wait several days to make sure that the surface of your home is completely dry.

Scrape Off Peeling Paint

If your home has any paint that is peeling off you want to scrape the paint chips off. Your home can start to peel if it has not been painted for a long time. There are different types of scrapers out there that you can use to help scrape off the peeling paint. When you are scraping off the paint you want to make sure that it is smooth which means you may get down to the bare surfaces on your home. This will help make a new coat of paint go on better.

Repair Exterior Siding & Wood Trim

While paint can help protect your home. It cannot help it if it is already damaged. If you have any rotted or damaged sections of siding or trim on your home then you want to get it fixed before you start painting. If you do not fix it then it will continue to rot and become unsafe.

Sand Walls

You want to make sure that you sand all the services so it is smooth. This means sanding the wood that is rough or even sanding the paint that is still on your home. You want to make sure that the surfaces are smooth so that when you paint, the paint goes on smoothly. The easiest thing you can do is get an electric sander for this job and get medium or fine grit sandpaper. Once you have sanded you need to get rid of all of the dust so either use rags, an air compressor to blow it off, or rinse it with water. Remember if you are rinsing with water you need to let it dry.

Prime Before Painting

If you have peeled paint or had to sand it then you will need to prime your house. Even if it is just a spot priming on the areas where you peel the paint and sand. The paint will stick better to the primer than it does on the bare wood.

Painters Caulk Before Painting

You want to caulk the cracks in your house. This doesn’t affect the paint job but you do want to fill in all of the gaps that are in the siding or trim to help prevent water from getting inside. Make sure if there is old or cracked caulk that you pull it away and get rid of it, then replace it with new caulk.

Interior & Exterior Painting & More in Amagansett, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Hampton Bays, Montauk, North Haven, North Sea, Noyack, Shelter Island, Sag Harbor, Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, Springs, Water Mill, Westhampton & Westhampton Beach, New York

Taking these steps for painting your house is very important. Yes, it is a process but it is very important that you do each step so your home looks great. If you are looking for someone to flawlessly paint your home then give L.W. Winslow Painting, Inc a call today.