Spring is a great time to spruce up your home with a new coat of paint before the daily afternoon thunderstorms put a splash in the workflow.
But before you pick up a paintbrush, be sure to make the most of you time and investment by doing the job correctly with these steps.
First, be sure to prep the surface so the paint will last and not flake off. Diligent prep work is critical to a good looking finish.
This means pressure washing to clean off dirt and removing peeling, mildew and other imperfections and making sure to repair chips or wood rot with caulk and Bondo.
Kill off mildew by applying a diluted chlorine bleach solution or even beter TSP with a garden sprayer.
Quality of paint is important to a long lasting finish. Look for an exterior paint that is 100 percent acrylic latex. The solvent in the paint evaporates, leaving behind only the pigments and binders.
These volume solids are found in higher quality Benjamin Moore paints available at ACE Hardware stores and are vital in improving paint durability.
Time to get to work and that means doing it twice.
Two layers of paint will give you a better finish and longer life out of the pain job.
Use both roller and paint brush. Professional spray a layer of paint first and then roll the wet paint in to fill areas on stucco. A brush takes longer but should be the tool to achieve a finished look around trim, soffits, and doors.
The last step is to paint the doors, fascia, molding, shutters and other decorative details. The best tools here are “a steady hand and a good brush,” Richard says. You can save a little time by using 6-inch “hot dog” rollers to get the paint on quicker, particularly along the length of the fascia. But there are no short cuts to a professional finish — you have to put in the time to get the best r