The first thing people notice about your home is the exterior. They notice the landscaping, the front walkway and…the painting. In fact, when describing their homes to guests, many people delineate it by referring to the exterior color. Therefore, it is important that the exterior of your home represent your style and care in a way that you would like.
Whether your home is made of wood or brick, you can easily transform its entire look with a few simple coats of paint. If your home is made of vinyl siding, it is recommended that you avoid painting, as vinyl has a tendency to not accept paint as easily. Here are some tips for painting your home’s exterior.
1. Select a paint color. Before going any further with the preparations to paint your home, it is important that you have decided on a color in which you would like your home to be painted. Exterior paints come in just about every color. Many stores will even custom-mix paint for you, if you can bring in a sample color or give the mixer a good idea of what you are looking for.
Keep in mind that when you are selecting the colors for you home, you can choose different colors for your doors, window trim and actual home surface. Take a look around at other homes so that you have a good idea of the opportunities available.
2. Prepare the area. The second thing you will need to do when preparing to paint your home is to establish a clean work area. Start by protecting all surfaces that should not receive paint. These surfaces include the sidewalk, parts of the home that should not be painted, grass, trees and bushes.
Once the area is suitably protected, prepare the surface of the area being painted. This means that you will likely need to sand, scrape and refine the surface of the wall or surface so that is it smooth and available to receive paint. Surfaces that are not prepared run the risks of chipping or flaking when the coat of paint is applied.
3. Primer. It is important to install a layer of primer to your surface before applying your coats of paint. The primer will prepare the surface so that it is more able to receive paint and hold onto it. It is important that this coat of primer is smooth and thoroughly covers the entire surface.
4. Finally, once the primer has dried, you can install the actual coats of paint. Using either a paintbrush or roller, apply a thin and even layer throughout the surface of the area you wish to paint. Let the first coat dry thoroughly for 24 hours. Apply the second coat on top of the first coat. The second coat of paint also needs to be even because it is the layer people will see.
5. Finally, after painting you home, clean the area completely. Any paint that found it’s way onto windows can easily be removed using a razor.