Exterior Paint Is All About Preparation

Frankly a great paint finish is all about preparation of the surface to be painted. Exterior painting requires more preparation than interior painting.  Exteriors can be painted with latex or oil based paint or stained.

Exterior Paint on an Apartment Complex

Paints do much better if a primer coat is applied before the finish coat. Primer coats can be tinted to match the final color giving the final painted finish more depth. Stains are applied directly to the surface.  Paints and stains come in different finishes, matte to gloss. Gloss finishes look great when done correctly but tend to show any tiny imperfection and are a little harder to work with.

Getting the surface ready

Exterior painting is dependent on the weather. If it is too wet, too hot or too cold the paint will not apply and dry correctly. Today most paints are less temperature sensitive; check the instructions on the can for the temperature limitations.  However, the surface to be painted always needs to be dry and clean before painting.

Your preparation begins with scraping away all loose paint if you are painting over an old coat of paint. Note that if the surface is really dirty power washing before painting is a good idea, but remember to let the surface dry before painting. If you are painting a new surface you can start with the primer after cleaning the surface.

Priming is important. This step often gets left out and the paint job just won’t last as long or look as nice if you do not prime. Priming adds to the time but extends the life of the paint job. If a new surface is to be painted a primer must be used to seal the raw surface. Where needed caulk should be applied to fill cracks and crevices after priming.

Selecting the paint

Paint comes in many grades. If you are looking for a quality paint job the better the paint the better the job. Good paint simply costs more!  Coverage is what you are looking for and good paint has more pigment and is mixed better.

Take your painting contractor with you when you buy the paint. He will be well versed in the conditions of the surface you are trying to cover and his knowledge of paint will save you money and probably heartache.

Remember paint looks entirely different on small paint samples than it will look on your job. Take the time to buy some small samples and put them on the surface before making the complete purchase, let the samples dry entirely and try to look at the sample paint spots in as many different lighting situations as possible, light is what makes paint look good or bad, so take the time.

Selecting a painting contractor

Do-it-yourself painting jobs can look fine, but when a professional painter does a paint job the difference is very visible and the paint lasts a lot longer. A good paint job is all in the preparation of the surface to be covered and the contractor’s experience is invaluable in preparing the surface and applying the paint correctly.

Always have the painting contractor show you his previous work and get references and check them.