We are a fully insured and professional painting company offering exterior painting to Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Garner, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina, Zebulon, and Garner. For full details please visit our home improvement page or contact us today.
So your house needs to be painted? It can seem like a daunting job, but as long as you have a plan and stick with it, it won’t be too bad.
The first thing you must do is to clean it. This is often done with a pressure washer. If you don’t have one you can hire someone to do it for you relatively cheaply. Either way, don’t skip this step. It’s important.
After you’ve thoroughly cleaned the wood you’re about to paint, find the rough spots which need to be caulked or patched. Caulking is very straightforward: you just buy the appropriate amount of tubes, as well as a caulk gun if needed, then apply it where you need to seal. You’ll want to caulk cracks and also around areas where different materials abut. So windows, doors frames, molding and fascia boards will all get caulk. If you have to replace fascia board or other smaller pieces, make sure to sand them down first. That will make the painting much easier.
Patching is just about as simple. You simply get some putty and apply it to fill holes in the wood. It dries fairly quickly too, but if you’re not sure, there are some which change colors to let you know when they’re done.
When you’re painting outside, it’s not as important to sand these spots as it is inside, but it’s still a good idea. You’ll be glad you did later.
The type of exterior paint we use will depend on what type of surfaces we are painting. Are the exterior surfaces wood? Are there previous coats of oil based paints? Is bare wood, metal, or cement being painted? We often use Sherwin Williams or other high quality exterior paints. Many homes in Durham are painted with exterior acrylic latex. Some paints come with primer mixed in, but the value of primer is that it makes the surface you’re painting sticky which helps the pain to roll on smoothly. Primer is often best applied separately.
This is important: don’t be cheap with your paint. It’s going to protect your house from the elements. You wouldn’t want a thin coat in the winter or when it rains and neither does your house. Pay a little extra for a quality paint. It’s worth it.
Picking a color is such a personal choice that no one can advise you – well, except maybe your municipal code or your HOA. Check first to see if there are any restrictions. If there aren’t, your home is your castle. Make it something you like. If you buy it at a store like Lowe’s or Home Depot, they’ll usually shake the cans for you there, which will save you a lot of time.
If you’re painting by yourself, you’ll probably end up with a roller and an extension rod (and possibly a ladder depending on your house). There’s nothing wrong with doing it that way, but it may take a while.
If you have someone who can help you, you can buy (or rent) a sprayer. One person can spray the paint on while the other immediately applies the roller.
In many cases, you should apply a second coat. It’ll just last much longer.
Finally, when you’re done with the walls, it’s time for the detail work – the doors, fascia boards, molding, shutters and so on. You won’t be able to use a roller or sprayer for that part, so get a high quality brush and jump right in. Relax –you’ve already done the hard work. This is the icing on the cake. Take your time and make it look right.
Here’s a home that we painted recently:
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