'Exterior Painting Tips and Techniques'

Today many homeowners, at some time or another, opt to take up the job of repainting their home exterior. This is no quick or easy task and requires much planning and common sense.  If you are up to the job and determined to complete the work yourself then here are some important points and tips to consider.

Exterior painting jobs require a considerable amount of physical effort.  You must be confident climbing scaffolding and sure-footed enough to work comfortably from that position.  Ideally you should be familiar with handling paints and primers and have some experience in similar home maintenance tasks.   Another factor which greatly helps in making this a successful job is ‘TIME’.  Allow yourself ample time to finish the job.  Start early and do not rush yourself.  This is not a job that needs to be finished in a week or two.  There are many factors and stages to consider and so rushing into things will not give a good result.

Plan to tackle this job in the right weather conditions.   It is safe to say to stay away from extreme conditions; not too hot with direct sunlight and not having temperatures below 50 degrees F. Also try to avoid windy days as this will have your paint drying up too quickly and risking having dirt blown on to your fresh paint.

Get inspiration from various home improvement magazines, find out the latest colour trends and keep in mind not to defer greatly from your neighbours’ style of external décor.  Try out small samples of paint combinations so that you can visualise the overall look of your colour scheme. Most paint store employees can be very helpful and ready to suggest the pros and cons and best combinations available.