It may be tough but it is definitely not impossible to paint your house exterior on your own. If you have got a knack for good painting techniques, good control over your hand movements, and healthy joints, you can finish the job without making visible messes.
Any homeowner who has ever painted a house would tell you that painting indoor walls are very different from painting the exterior walls. Starting from your safety to the curb appeal, you have to consider a lot of things. Despite all the odds, use the following top tips for a flawless DIY exterior paint job.
Keep Yourself Safe
If there are any lead-based paint coats on the exterior walls, do NOT scrape them without an experienced painting contractor. If you are not sure, check with a lead testing kit.
Use sturdy ladders, eye protection equipment, and standard safety gear used by professional painters.
Consider The Weather
Exterior paint takes a few days so you need to check the weather forecast before starting the project. Avoid the days with excessive sunlight as heat leaves the walls with unpleasant lap marks. It’s not a good idea to paint on a windy day as well. It takes nice and pleasant weather to complete the exterior painting job.
Invest In High-Quality Painting Supplies
You need high-quality painting supplies to match the results of professional exterior house painters. Other than the tools typically used for scraping and priming, gather the following supplies.
4-inch synthetic straight bristled brush
A 1.5-inch synthetic angles sash brush
A heavy-duty roller cage
0.5-inch nap roller covers
Roller screens for cleaning sessions
7 inch and 9-inch standard rollers
A boom box
1-gallon and 5-gallon buckets
All of these tools and sufficient enough for a standard exterior paint job as some of them are great for larger areas while other help you manage the detail work.
Sand And Power Wash
Exterior walls are exposed to tough weather conditions and thus have dirty surfaces. The chipping and peeling paint does not allow adequate adherence for the new paint coats. You must sand the surfaces before proceeding. Power washing can simplify the cleaning for any painter. You need an even and solid surface before priming the walls.
Remove The Rot
Get rid of the rotting pieces of the siding. Sand where necessary and replace where sanding is not enough. For smaller damaged areas you can also apply wood hardener or fill the dents with a high-quality filler material. Once it is completely dry, sand and prep before applying paint over it.
Avoid The Most Common DIY Painting Mistakes
The top three mistakes made by any DIY exterior house painter are lap marks, brush marks, and drips. You can avoid the risks by taking the above-mentioned measures. Here are some additional tips to get past these mistakes.
Work quickly and in small sessions.
Start your strokes from unfinished areas to avoid brush marks. As you end the stroke, sweep the brush up and off the work area.
Check back on your work for drips, runs, and sags. Pay attention to corners and edges. If you see paint run, use a brush to fix it on before it dries. If you find paint run in a dried region, use 100 grit sandpaper to even it out and spot it with fresh paint.
Go from top to bottom. This allows you to feather out the flaws in the direction you are painting.
Use The 3-Step Brush Technique
Load the first two inches of your paintbrush in the paint can move it back and for over the edge of the bucket to remove access paint, and then apply paint on the wall. Use painter's tape where necessary and you are sell set to become a DIY painting pro!