Painting your home is an important step in improving its appearance. If the current paint on your home is worn out or outdated, it can diminish the curb appeal, affect the impression people get of your home, and even lower your home’s value.

To quickly spruce up your home with a new paint job, you can call a professional painting company to help you. There are various types of materials used for the exterior of your home and the proper actions need to be taken before these materials can be painted. Here is what you should know.

Exterior Painting for different house siding materials:

1. Wood – Painting wooden siding requires cleaning, scraping, and priming first. Then oil-based or exterior acrylic paint can be used for painting via brushes, rollers, or an air sprayer.
2. Stone – Painting a stone facade is simple. Make sure to clean it first, rinse it, and prime it and then it can be painted.
3. Brick – There are many considerations when it comes to painting brick. Once brick is painted, the color is permanent. Also, if exposed to moisture, brick will chip. It is crucially important to keep up with painting the brick every few years, so it lasts you a long time. Once you paint brick, you may need to power wash it more often as dirt and grime will be more visible on painted brick as opposed to natural brick color.
4. Stucco – Stucco should first be brushed with a stiff brush to remove dirt, or a power washer can be used. Caulk any hairline cracks and allow to dry based on the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the caulking is fully dry, make sure to use exterior masonry paint for painting the outside of the home.
5. Metal – First use a wire brush to clean up any rust. Use a rust-resistant primer to prime the surface before painting. Use only 100% acrylic or oil-based paint to paint the exterior of the home.
6. Synthetic materials – You should first wash the exterior of the home with detergent to remove dirt, then you can prime and paint the outside of your home with exterior paint.

Here are a few things to avoid when you have a brick home and are considering painting it:

• Don’t paint your brick home if the brick is damaged as it will look worse.
• Make sure to pick high-quality masonry paint if you’ve decided to paint the outside of your brick home.
• If you are not familiar with painting brick, make sure to hire professionals who can properly prep the brick and use the right paint to paint it.
• Really think through if you would like to paint your brick home as once it is done, it will be done permanently, and you cannot go back to the natural brick look. You can however always change the paint color in the future.

What is a fair price for exterior painting?

When calculating the cost of exterior painting for a home, you should consider these three things:

• Labor Cost:

It is important to calculate in the labor cost of painting a home because it takes time to prepare the surfaces that will get painted. The only way to reduce this cost is to control the amount of time spent on preparing the surface for painting including cleaning, patching, sanding, caulking etc.

• Cost of Paint and Materials:

You should also calculate paint cost into your budget. If you have chosen a specialized type of paint such as one that is mold resistant, odor resistant etc., you should expect a higher cost.

Other ways to save on the cost of house painting services include:

• Getting competing bids – Always make sure to reach out to at least a few vendors before you decide which one you will use to ensure you receive the best price.
• Create a contract – Make sure that you have a contract so that your agreement is in writing. It is good to be aware of how much time the job will take and how much it will cost.
• Do some of the work – To save on labor, you could do some of the prep work yourself before the painting starts. Therefore, take into consideration the cost of the various materials needed for this job.
• Repaint as needed – Do not wait for too long before you repaint your home. If there is peeling paint and damage on your walls, the cost of repairing these problems before re-painting may end up increasing the cost.
• Remove any actions you may not want – In the contract with your vendor, make sure to specify the areas you would like painted and which areas can be skipped to save on cost.
• Choose the color wisely – Try to pick lighter colors instead of darker as darker colors fade quicker. You can also try to recoat existing colors instead of changing colors.
• Know the cost of painting per square foot – The average cost of painting per square foot in the USA is $3.03.
• Know the cost of paint per gallon and by story so that you can calculate those costs into your budget.
• Know the cost of painting by siding type – Each siding type requires different prep work and paint type so these costs should be considered.

What is the best time to paint the house exterior?

When painting the exterior of your home, you should consider when the best time is to get it done. Early summer and early fall are your best options. There is little rain, and the temperature does not change drastically during the day and night. This will help the paint go on smoothly and it will be able to dry properly.

There are a few things you should avoid when painting the outside of your home:

• Avoid painting when it’s wet out:

If it is raining, it is a bad idea to paint. You should always wait for a dry day to paint.

• Wait for the proper temperature to paint:

Make sure that you are not painting when it is too hot or too cold out as the paint will not adhere to the area properly.

• Consider the season before painting:

Depending on the climate you live in, you should choose the proper temperature to paint. You do not want to paint if its too cold or too hot out.

What are the steps for painting the exterior of a house?

If you would like to increase the curb appeal of your home, you can have it painted from the outside. It is important to follow the proper steps to do so. Here is the order of steps you should follow:

1. Pressure wash the home from the outside to remove all the dust and dirt.
2. Repair any surface that has damage so that it can later be covered by paint.
3. If there is chipped paint on your home, make sure you remove it.
4. Use caulking to fill in any gaps between different areas as needed.
5. Make sure to put primer on stains before painting.
6. Protect windows, doors, lights, and fixtures with plastic and painter’s tape.
7. Use eggshell paint first and work top to bottom.
8. Paint doors and window trims in semigloss paint.

How do you paint over old exterior paint?

When painting over old exterior paint, it is important to follow these steps to get the best results:

• Pressure wash the exterior of the home to remove dirt and mildew.
• Use a primer if needed or just do the problem areas.
• Make sure to cover up all windows, doors, and fixtures in plastic sheets.
• Use the proper tools to paint the color you chose. You may need more than one coat.
• Start the painting at the top and work towards the bottom.

Should I power wash my house before I paint it?

It is crucially important to have your home power washed prior to painting. If you do not have your home power washed and you paint over dirt, grime, and other debris, the paint will not adhere to the surface very well and the paint job won’t last.

If your home is ready for a new exterior paint job, make sure you call a professional for home painting services.  They will provide a quality paint job to improve the curb appeal of your home.