Exterior Painting Tips

Exterior painting is a feat that homeowners can do if they put their mind to it. In fact, many of them achieve results that come close to those of professional painters. It is necessary to paint the outside of a house in order to protect it from the elements and exposure. Among the many elements that can affect it are rain, snow, sunlight and wind. These can do some damage to the outside of the house after it has been exposed to it for some time. There are some tips and advice that homeowners can follow in order to end up with a satisfactory paint job.

Preparation

In preparation of the exterior painting job that the homeowner might try to do, he can get familiar with the different kinds of brushes that are need to paint the walls and other outside aspects of the house. There are several brushes that can be used for various purposes. If the homeowner is unsure about which one is used for what, he or she might try their luck at a hardware store and ask about these. The basics are usually a brush that can cover an area of about three inches wide, a roller and some smaller brushes for the details if there are any. The people at the hardware store can also help with the kind of paint that should be used to the covering of the house. There are some that are suitable for wood and others for concrete. The owner of the house can also do some practice strokes to become familiar with handling the brushes. Some people who have never held a brush might also develop blisters in a days' work. Check the weather for the days that exterior painting is planned. Extremely sunny and hot days may not be suitable because these can cause the paint to dry too fast and leave lap marks. These are divisions set about by the start and finish of the brush stroke. Some blistering and peeling might also occur after the paint has dried if it was applied on an extremely hot day. Windy days promote dust and other debris sticking to the walls of the house.

The Actual Job

Before starting the exterior painting tasks, the plants and grass under the walls might benefit from a covering of newspaper. Door knobs and window jambs which are not to be painted should also be wrapped in protective covering to ensure that flecks of paint will not go to them. It is important to work in a small area first before trying to paint the entire wall. The idea is to continually start and end on wet paint so that the dried results are seamless welding of the paint. Corners such as those in windows and panels should be painted with a certain wiggle at the corner before starting to paint the area. The wiggling motion leaves a thicker coating on the corner. Horizontal cladding can be painted by each layer in order to promote a seamless job.