8 Tips For Painting a House Faster and Easier
Time always seems to be too short.
For starters, check that you are using the correct ladder and that it is stable.
You might even want someone to spot you as you climb to the highest parts of the house.
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Take note of the power lines and where they intersect regarding to your property and roofline.
Do not use an aluminum ladder if there are wires near your home.
When you have run out of paint or are done with the job, dispose of paint cans properly.
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Save any extra paint in an air-tight sealed container for touch-ups.
Even if you’re just painting, you’ll want to verify you’re doing so safely.
First thing in the morning?
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Late in the afternoon?
But don’t wait too long.
Wash the House Quickly
Most houses will need to be washed down before painting.
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Washing a house by hand is the most effective and the most work-intensive method.
If you own apressure washer, spray down the house two times.
First, clean it with a soapy solution.
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Second, rinse it with clean water.
If you want to change the color, then consider making thenext colordarker than the present color.
Minimize Priming
Does your house need a completecoat of primerbefore applying the paint?
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Bare wood, wood filler, and rust-stained areas should all be primed.
If you just have a few bare patches, one quart of exterior-grade primer should be enough.
Prime only the unpainted and unprimed areas with primer, not the whole house.
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Minimize Paint Scraping
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Scraping paintis a universally unloved subset of painting.
One problem with paint scraping is that one section always seems to lead to another.
The new paint will seal the edges and help keep it in place.
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Scrape until you reach a relatively solid edge, then stop at that edge.
Use a Paint Roller
Paint rolling lets you cover large expanses fast.
The catch is that many types of siding do not lend themselves to rolling.
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Paint sprayingmeans that all non-paintable surfaces within 20 feet should be covered.
Cover bushes, small trees, and grass.
If your house is rich inarchitectural details, the time invested inpaint spraying will pay for itselfmany times over.
Details usually mean brushwork, and brushwork is always slow.
Forpaint rollercovers, purchase inexpensivequality rollercovers and dispose of them at the end of each painting session.
Exterior painting is conducive to economy-quality roller covers.
Orclean paint rollersby submerging the roller in warm water, plus a few drops of mild dish soap.
Wearing waterproof gloves, squeeze out the paint underwater.
Then, rinse several times in clean water.
Paintbrush combs cut brush clean-up time by pulling out all of the paint remaining between the bristles.
Yes, caulking before you paint is important.
Allow the caulk to dry for at least one hour before applying paint.
Your home’s exterior should be painted every 5 to 10 years.
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