The Steps Involved with Exterior House Painting Preparation
By Karl Crowder
Feb 3, 2010, 11:53   Exterior house painting starts with systematic preparation of all surfaces to be painted. Here are some simple guidelines and things to look for before continuing with the painting process.

Thoroughly inspect your home completely before moving on. This will prevent, if any, further damage to your home. Look for signs of blistering, peeling or chalking on the paint of your home. Water damage shows as rot or discolored areas. These problems will need to be properly fixed before moving ahead into the project. Mildew and mold are also other problems one may encounter while fixing up the home. After each repair, take further steps to prevent any more damage from occurring.

Often, exterior house painting preparation requires more effort and time because the exterior of any house receives more damage due to sunlight, which causes paint to fade and wood to warp, and weather, which can cause mildew and mold and other kinds of damage.

First, start with pressure washing to remove dirt and to make sure the surface is clean. Usually after pressure washing, you can begin repairs depending on the severity of the damage. If the damage is already apparent, make the repairs as soon as possible. However, most of the damage is noticeable after pressure washing. After washing and all repairs, move onto scraping and sanding.

Caution must be taken in this stage due to environmental and physical concerns. For example: if your house was built and finished before 1980, it is possible that your finish may contain lead based paint. Find out what you need to do and what not to do in those cases. It’s better to be safe than sorry especially when it comes to your own health and home.

Apply a high quality primer to all raw areas after scraping and sanding. As you continue further on, you may need to apply caulking to seal any areas where water can leak. Pay special attention to windows and doors.

Now mask or cover any areas where you do not wish for paint to go. Masking paper and tape should be used instead of news paper. A hand held masking machine will make this task easier. This is as important as the rest of the preparation. If not done correctly, the entire exterior painting job can be severely affected.

If you chose to hire a professional painting contractor to do the job, make sure that proper exterior paint preparation and repairs is included with the contract proposal. This makes it easier on you so you do not have to go and find a repair contractor. It also makes it easier on the contractor. If they know what kind of repairs might take place, they can find out whether or not they need a building permit with inspection.

If all of the exterior house painting steps are followed and all repairs made, your new finish can last beautifully for many years. Quality always saves money in the long run.

Karl Crowder has been a professional house painter for over 20 years and writes for http://www.house-painting-info.com, your house painting guide. Visit http://www.house-painting-info.com/exterior-paint-preparation.html for all the exterior preparation techniques needed for a successful paint job.