Exterior Painting Tips

Painting the exterior of your home is an excellent way to give your property a fresh, new look.  Aside from enhancing the look of a property, exterior paint can help to protect your home from weather damage.

• As most exterior painting requires the use of a ladder, it is essential to consider your safety.  Be sure that you follow all the precautions and instructions on your ladder.
• Make sure that the ladder is secure. On hard ground use stabilisers, on soft ground place boards underneath the feet of the ladder.
• Never stand on the top three rungs of a ladder.
• Never lean to one or other side of a ladder.
• Never allow more than one person onto a ladder at a time.
• For painting large areas, you could hire a scaffold tower as an alternative to ladders.
• The type of exterior paint you choose will depend on the surface you are painting. There are two main exterior paint types: smooth and textured.  As a general rule smooth paint is easier to apply than textured paint, however, textured paint is often more durable.
• When choosing colour it is always important to consider the colours of the neighbouring houses and surrounding environment.
• As with internal painting good preparation will ensure excellent end results. You must thoroughly clean the area you are about to paint. Rubbing with a stiff brush will remove all loose paint, dirt and dust.
• If there are areas of fungal growth on your surfaces use a fungicidal wash to kill and remove the fungus. You may be required to leave the wash on for a period of time: be sure to refer to the instructions.
• Once you have cleaned your surface all cracks and holes should be filled. If there are substantial cracks you may need to contact a builder for advice.
• Porous surfaces will require priming to ensure that the walls do not soak in all the paint.  Ask your local DIY / hardware store for advice on a suitable primer for your surface.
• Walls with a dusty or sandy surface will require a stabilising solution. By painting on the solution you will ensure that the sand / dust binds to the wall.
• A simple method to establish whether or not you need to use a stabilising solution is to rub your hand along the wall surface. If your hand is covered in dust / sand when you remove it from the wall, you will need to apply a solution.
• Before you put paint to the wall you will need to mask off areas you do not want painted, for example window frames. You should also place ground sheeting over porches, patios and paving to protect them from splashes and spills.  Make sure that the sheeting in laid in such a way that you will not trip over it.
• Exterior painting should not be done in the rain. Very hot and sunny weather is not good for painting either. It will prove very uncomfortable to work in and may dry out your paint too quickly. Early summer and autumn are good times to tackle out door painting.
• Apply an order to your painting. You should paint from the top and work your way down the wall. Paint in sections.
• Use a wide tough brush with coarse bristles. Very rough surfaces may prove quite difficult to paint, you will need to scrub the paint into the surface with the end of the bristles.
• Rollers can be used on smooth surfaces. Extended rollers are available which may allow you to reach high areas without the use of a ladder.