The secret of a good house paint job is that most of the hard work is typically done before you start painting. Painting a surface that has been poorly prepared will result in disappointment. Quality surface preparation will reward you. It is therefore important to arm yourself with the knowledge that preparation is very important when it comes to painting. Consider the following tips when preparing for an exterior painting project.
Lead paint awareness and planning
Exterior paint preparation can be a daunting task. Depending on the size of your project and your level of experience, you might not know where to start. Like everything else, it is important to start with a good plan. You need to identify the parts of the project that can be broken down into sections and the parts that need to be done together. It is also important to look for areas that will be troublesome so that you can be careful when approaching them. The planning stage is the best time to consider testing for the toxicity of the paint. If your house was built before 1979, there is a high chance the previous paint contains lead. You should therefore scrape your existing paint.
Pet patrol
Give some thought to how your project will affect your pets. If you are painting your house, you will be dragging supplies behind you and moving around the compound. When you are scraping and sanding, watch the debris because pets can chew harmful materials and fall sick. Keep your house paint supplies away from your pets. Your pets can get overly excited or stressed due to the commotion outside.
Scaffold and ladders setup
Exterior paint preparation projects involve multi-story work. You are going to need a ladder or a scaffold to boost your reach as you support yourself safely. It can be tricky to set up your scaffold or ladder outside. This is because you will need to take the stability of the outside ground into account. If your ladder sits steadily on a concrete surface, it may sink into the soft soil outside as soon as you climb on it. The ladder may even not move at all until when you are high in the air.
Preparing ground cover
You should keep plants and shrubs in mind when painting the exterior of your house. Cleaning paint debris from your grass and bushes is not fun. You should therefore use a lightweight canvas to cover up your flower beds. Plan on removing the covering once you are done with your painting project to avoid killing your plants. As you place ladders and drop clothes, you should keep an eye on your flowers and plants. Try to avoid them if they are fragile.
Tape around objects or remove them
When applying house paint, you do not want to paint over some things. Some of these things include air conditioners, utility heads, racks, hose bibs, outlet boxes and so on. depending on the nature of the item, you can remove it or tape around it.
