Painting a house is one of the most effective ways to add value to it. A study estimates that painting the exterior of a home can boost its value by 2-5 percent.
You cannot just take your painting brush and start painting your rooms one fine day. Before embarking on a painting project, you need to prepare your home. This is an important step. Painting surfaces that are not prepared or are ill-prepared is a sheer waste of time, effort, and money.
Follow these tips to prepare your home for painting.
Prepare the Exterior Surface
Prepping the exterior surface is crucial to the success of your paint job. Exterior surfaces accumulate dirt, grime, and mildew over time. Thoroughly wash the surface with a pressure washer.
Fill and seal cracks and holes in the stucco. Replace or repair cracked wood. Sand, prime, scrape and patch your exterior surface. Surface preparation ensures good paint adhesion and paint longevity. A clean and damage-free exterior surface will also enhance the aesthetic value of your home.
Create a Plan
Create a list of sections of the project that can be divided into parts and sections that can be handled together. Think about difficult-to-paint areas and come up with a plan to access them. Most importantly, do not forget to test for lead paint if your home was built before 1979.
Choose the Right Paint
When choosing the paint for your home, consider important factors such as coverage, color richness, and washability. Look for a low or zero VOC paint.
Remember, there are different paints for different materials such as cement siding, bricks, wood, aluminum, and vinyl. Your painting contractor in Petaluma will help you choose the right paint according to the materials used in your home.
Once you have chosen the paint for your home, use a portable paint calculator to find out the amount of paint you need. When calculating the amount of paint you need, two factors to consider are the total square footage (of the area to be painted) and the number of coats you want to apply.
Get Painting Supplies
Here are some painting tools and supplies you will need:
- Tape measure
- Screen
- Roller cover and tray
- Angled sash paintbrush
- Blue painter’s tape
- Stirrer
- Primer
- Five-gallon bucket
- Pouring spout
- Gole filler
- Sponge
- Screwdriver
Cover Areas
Remove furniture, accessories, and art pieces from areas that are to be painted. Cover the pieces and the floor with a drop cloth or lightweight plastic sheeting. Apply a roll of painter’s tape to the edges of the corners of your rooms, doors and window casings, and crown moldings. Use painter’s tape to protect outlets and switches from spills.
Sand and Scrape
Scrape off flaking paint, and sand to flush edges of different surfaces. This will help ensure there are no rough-looking areas.
Are you planning a painting project to give your house a new lease on life? Mike Chavez Painting would be happy to help. We are a leading painting contractor in Petaluma. Our team is on a mission to beautify our community. To discuss your requirement, call us at 707-623-5850.