Painting Your Home Exterior

With the air brisk and the temperature finally cooling off, now’s the perfect time of year to handle those bigger, outdoor home maintenance tasks and to-dos.  

Number one on the list? Re-paint your home’s exterior.

Whether you’re listing your property or have just noticed a few scuffs and chips, a new coat of paint can make a world of difference. Want to make sure the job’s done right? Heed these tips:

• Wash first. There’s no point in painting if your walls are covered in dirt, dust, and mold. Rent a pressure washer and spray down the entire home exterior, top to bottom, and make sure to clean each area equally. You want to start with an even, consistent palette.
• Fill in cracks and holes. If you spot any cracks or holes, use an epoxy filler to make the surface flat. If wood, metal or siding is damaged, consider replacing it before painting over. Often, a new coat of paint will only highlight these imperfections and make them more noticeable.
• Check for existing exterior paint chips. Look carefully for areas where paint is chipping, peeling or loose. Painting over these will just cause inconsistencies in coloring and texture, so you’ll want to remove them and sand them down before starting your project.
• Proactively fight stains. Spot any stains that just can’t be washed off? Invest in a stain-blocking primer paint, and apply a thin coat before moving further.
• Cover areas that won’t get painted. If you don’t want your exterior paint color on your light fixtures, window frames, doors, shutters or other outdoor features, wrap or cover them in plastic tarp. Use painters tape to secure the tarp without causing any adhesive-related damage.
• Apply a primer. If you’re changing your home exterior from one color to another, you’ll want to apply a coat of primer first. This is particularly important if you’re going from light to dark or vice versa.
• Spray the paint. A paint sprayer is going to give you the best all-over coverage — especially on areas that aren’t so easy to reach. Make sure to overlap your strokes and work your way across the surface foot-by-foot, top to bottom. You want a consistent, even spray all the way across.
• Fill in missed spots by hand. You may need to use a paintbrush to fill in little spots around door frames and windows that your sprayer missed. Just make sure you have painters tape in place to keep your lines straight and clean.

Need help financing that home makeover? Get in touch with Embrace Home Loans today. We’ll help you make the most of your home investment.