Why I Didn’t Paint the Exterior of My House
Professional exterior home painting tips for homeowners that will help when DIY’ing your house painting project. Stop “procrastipainting” about painting your house and get it done.
I have an exterior house painting update for you. Not the full reveal yet, but a sneak peek on how the exterior house painting process went.
Getting the outside of the house painted has been on my To-Do list for 3-1/2 years. It was time to stop “procrastipainting” and get it done.
Getting my house painted has been a totally different kind of home improvement project for me. Somewhat unique since I didn’t DIY it as I have done for 99% of all the updates to my house.
The main reason I decided to hire professional painters is this…
… the need for tall ladders.
Even though I am in good shape and can easily climb a ladder, falling is too much of a risk. Not worth it, so we hired professional painters to paint the house.
Since I do so much DIY, this quote isn’t really valid but it has always made me smile since the day I saw it in a relative’s apartment. I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.
For me, it was fun watching the painters work instead of doing it myself. While they worked, I did ask them a lot of questions about painting an exterior of a house so I could share with you.
If you have been procrastipainting like I did, these tips will help you paint the exterior of your house like a pro.
Exterior Home Painting Tips
The first thing that I had to decide once we knew we were finally going to paint the house, was what color to actually paint the house. I went to Home Depot and looked at many color swatches and tested out the colors on my house. You can read all about that process in this post on the color I chose to keep my house in harmony with neighboring homes.
I chose to use Glidden Premium Exterior paint that is a Paint + Primer in one. It is an acrylic formula that protects against UV rays, color fading and the weather. It is also ideal on a variety of surfaces, making it perfect for my house. A paint that does it all without the premium price. Right for my budget starting at $26 per gallon.
How to Choose The Right Pro Painter to Paint Your House?
To find a professional painter, I searched online for “exterior house painters near me”. I contacted four painters who came out and gave me bids. I asked each a few questions about their painting process and time frame for when they could do the job.
I knew the last painter that came out to the house would be the one we would use. He was not only personable, but he explained in detail the process he uses. This and his paint knowledge sealed the deal.
When DIY’ing Exterior House Painting
- Enlist Help – If you are painting the exterior of your house yourself, see if you can enlist a few helpers to assist you. Having others to help will make the job a lot easier and get it done faster.
Family and friends will usually work for free or for a good meal after a day of painting. Also look into hiring a few college age kids who need some money and may have free time over the summer months.
How Much Paint Do You Need to Paint The Exterior of a Home?
After I chose the paint color and finish, the next thing was how much paint would I need to buy? When using a pro, they will figure this out for you, but when painting the exterior of your house yourself, here is a simple reference to determine how many gallons of paint you will need.
When painting two coats on the Exterior of a Home:
- One gallon can of paint will cover up to 400 square feet.
- Two gallon cans of paint cover up to 800 square feet. (For reference: Inside your home – two gallons will cover an average size room)
What Tools Will Make Painting the Exterior of a House Easier?
As the saying goes… “Having the right tools on hand will always make the job easier.” This is also true when painting a house.
- You can start with basic paint tools like drop cloths, clean up rags, paint stirrers, and buckets to clean brushes and spray machine parts.
Here is a closer look at the tools that the painters used when painting my house.
- Pressure Washer – Pressure washers make cleaning the outside of a house easy. There are two kinds – electric and gas-powered. With electric pressure washers, there’s little upkeep and no fumes. A gas-powered pressure washer provides a bit more pressure to quickly remove very set-in dirt and mold. I have used both on other projects over the years and prefer the electric. I found it easier to use and move around.
- Exterior caulk and caulk gun. Caulking cracks and crevices along windows, doors, joints and around moldings before painting will make the paint job look professionally done. Caulking hides imperfections and will create smoother, seamless transitions.
- Caulking takes time but is worth it. Apply caulk after the surface is dry from power washing. Smooth the line of caulk with a fingertip. Have a rag handy to wipe excess off your hand as you work.
- Check again for spots that may need more filling in after the first coat of paint has dried.
- Quality Paint Brushes – 3 – 4 inches wide. Using a high quality paint brush will make a huge difference in how the paint goes on – less brush strokes and when the tip is chiseled, it will make the brush loaded with paint glide right over the surface.
- Paint Sprayer – This is a professional paint spraying machine. When DIY’ing your exterior paint project, you don’t need such a heavy-duty one. Ask at the paint counter at the home improvement store for homeowner sprayer recommendations that will fit your project and budget.
- 36″ x 9″ Paint Spray Shield – If using a paint sprayer to paint the house, you will need a paint spray shield and short paint pole to hold the shield. Both of these are sold at the home improvement store.
- Ladder – One or more ladders will be needed so you can reach the highest point on your house.
Also have a smaller 5- 6 step ladder. It will come in handy for painting around first floor windows and lower areas that don’t need big + tall ladders.
- Razor Blade Scraper – When the paint is dry, use a razor blade scraper to remove the excess paint around the glass on windows and doors.
- If the paint is really sticking in any one area, wetting the glass will help. The scrapers are sold at paint counters, home improvement stores, and even at the dollar store.
Ladder Accessories – When using ladders, have a few ladder accessories like a hook to hold a gallon of paint from a rung on the ladder to a tool apron that goes around the top of the ladder to hold brushes, caulk guns and more.
With the need to position ladders at odd angles, a ladder leveler tool will instantly level any ladder in seconds.
It even levels on steps and stairs. It does not attach to ladder, but creates a stable platform for your extension ladder.
It took about 5 days to prep and then paint the house with two coats of paint + primer. As you can see from the photos the weather was perfect for painting – clear and dry with low-humidity.
I am happy to be able to tell you that the exterior painting is complete. :-) !!!!
Both Ed and I love the new look the house has taken on…and so do our neighbors.
There is still much more to do to the exterior, but I am so happy that I finally stopped procrastipainting and got the job done.
I will share the AFTER with you in a few days.
Jay of No Worries Painting & Pressure Washing and his crew of Andrew, Rod and Alfonso were great. If you live in the midlands of South Carolina and are looking for a painter, I highly recommend Jay and his team. He can be reached at: 803-351-0398. Email: [email protected]
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