Tips for exterior decoration This article explores the viewpoint from a professional painter’s point of view as exterior painting is the most important maintenance project that can be done on your home The paint and render (if applicable) is all that is stopping damage from the weather and water.
Damage to your exterior woodwork alone can cost thousands of pounds or euros to fix. This just one surface to your home that is highly vulnerable to the damaging effects of the weather and a poor quality, cheap paint job.
Often the difference between a good exterior paint job and a bad one comes down to saving some money and cutting corners on the materials or labour; if a professional decorator is hired right from the start, another thousand pounds spent now can save many thousands later!
If you plan on doing the painting yourself be prepared, typically exterior painting will be the most difficult home maintenance project you will do. For a word of warning about trying to paint the outside of your house yourself, click HERE to read a very interesting list of reasons why you should change your mind now!
Doing a DIY paint job typically involves considerable time and physical effort. Why not do it right and receive the best value for your money plus gain the most time before needing to re-paint.
Following the best exterior house painting tips and using the best quality materials can add years to the life of the house paint before the need to repaint the walls. The use of top quality painting products, knowledge and practical experience will result in lower maintenance and less repairs in the future, although our advice would be always to get someone in to do it for you.
To top this off, there will be an increase in the value of your home, a win – win situation. More and more evidence suggests that as the housing market tightens, only the best condition houses will sell.
So you think the property market will continue to rise in the UK? I dont! The USA is already slowing down, the uk will follow I assure you! For a light hearted view of why the housing market in the UK will crash, click HERE to view a very funny movie!
Exterior house paint must stand up to the most extreme conditions that man and nature can dish out.
All bulding by their very nature, have to "breathe", that is, they have to expand and contract.
To top it off wood is constantly moving, splitting and warping. Now add the weather, with wind, dust, rain, hail and snow. The best results will need a good method encompassing all aspects of exterior painting.
The Method
In order to achieve professional results you need to envision the exterior painting involving many elements, each progressing from one to another in a rational manner.
No matter what the surface is made of, every job begins with an evaluation of the condition of the home and what is needed to produce the best foundation for the finish paint. Exterior surface preparation is the most important part and can take the most time and effort.
Don’t rush, taking your time and doing things right will add years to the life of the exterior paint job. An essential part of this process is choosing the most appropriate primer to use. The primer is as important as the paint.
After the preparation is done you will need to choose the best exterior paint and application methods. Unfortunately there isn’t an easy answer to either of these concerns. Each house is different to some degree and requires its own decisions.
Applying exterior stain to wood cladding and trim is very similar to painting except the stain is thinner and a bit more difficult to control. The type and colour of stain will influence its application. Some experimentation will be necessary. The most common exterior painting methods are brushing and rolling or spraying. Both work extremely well and are suitable for most surfaces. Your own skill level and particular situation needs to be taken into consideration.
For bungalows, brushing and rolling can often be the best choice. Using an airless paint sprayer can speed up the finish painting, but will require more skill and experience and is usually best left to tradesmen.
The method you choose will depend on the type of paint chosen, your personal skill level and the construction of your home. Often every home requires a combination of both methods in order to achieve the best results. No matter which method is chosen use professional grade tools.
Exterior painting can encompass many surfaces.
Each type of surface of your home can require a different exterior painting method and this depends on the type of finish you choose. Generally there is four categories of surfaces; the body, trim,(gutters, pipes etc), windows and doors.
The body is the largest area needing painting and can made of be brick, render, tyrolean, spar dash, pebbledash, harling, rough cast, stone and so on...............
Concrete block is another wonderful building material, some would say. My favourite is split-face block, often used on commercial buildings. This material can be painted or stained to achieve many decorative affects. Painting concrete block is very easy and if done correctly will last a very long time.
Almost any exterior surface can be painted. This is just a partial list of surface types we paint every year.
Painting Exterior Trim
For the professioanl decorator, the most satisfying part of exterior painting is putting the finishing touches on the trim. This draws the entire house together; the finished article! (Although the original version of this article is american, i have tried to make it as english as possible.) The TRIM, the americans refer to is usually the bits that are NOT the main wall, such as decorative features, pipes, soffits, fascia boards and so on.
The parts that I consider trim are fascia boards, gutters, vertical and horizontal pieces of wood forming bands, corner boards and door frames. Soffits can also be included if this is the look you like. Most of the time soffits are painted at the same time and the same colour as the body.
Types of materials most often used for exterior trim are wood, Masonite and exterior grade MDF. Even vinyl and steel can be used as a decorative cover over other materials. All are paintable with the proper preparation and primer.
Exterior painting methods while applying the finish paint to exterior trim include brushing, rolling or spraying. Typically brushing is used but rolling can speed thing up a bit. Spraying exterior trim is done only rarely; example is a large Victorian with extensive amounts of wood trim.
Painting and Staining Exterior Windows and Doors
Wood windows and doors often need some TLC. These items are constantly on the move and usually will require refinishing before the siding. It is very hard to have lasting results with old windows and doors, but it is possible.
Window and door construction can consist of wood, exterior grade MDF, steel or fiberglass. All of these materials can be painted. Wood and fibreglass can also be stained.
Painting wood windows is a very common project while most steel or steel clad windows are prefinished. These to can be painted if the factory finish has faded or a different color is desired.
Many homeowners are installing new doors manufactured out of steel and fibreglass. These modern materials last a lifetime and can be stained or painted. Painting a steel door or painting a fiberglass door is a straight forward project with several application methods.
Staining and finishing an embossed fiberglass door can be a bit tricky. A few tricks will help, but patients will be the most important skill you can have. Staining and finishing exterior wood doors is much easier.
These are all good projects for the weekend warrior requiring just a little time and effort.
New Construction
If you are building a new home consider spending extra money on the exterior paint job. Often builders and customers try to save a few quid from all of the trades. This is unfortunate especially with the exterior painting.
You will have only one chance to have the exterior painting done right. If done incorrectly it will cost you much more down the road. From the first day the paint job is protecting your house.
This protection is based on the foundation provided by the primer and caulk. If these items are inferior or missing the paint job will never be right, no matter how much you pay in the future. Each application of paint will be laid on top of this faulty foundation.
This takes its toll on your homes' ability to protect and insulate, and tends to lead to higher maintenance costs in the future. If you have to make a choice, at least budget enough money for the exterior painting and have it done right from primer to finish.
Do It Yourself or Hire a Painting Contractor?
If you made it this far, you might be thinking “Do I want to do this?” Although there is a lot to think about and do, be assured that anyone can correctly accomplish their exterior painting project if they have at least the correct experience and training.
Time after time, as a professional myself, i have seen botched up DIY paint jobs where the homeowner thought, "why should I pay someone 3 grand to do it, i can get the paint at B and Q for about £100! (oh yeah?). Usually these people bodge it up and then call in a professional to correct the mistakes! A good sign of an abandonded DIY paint job is that the DIY'er will start painting the house from the bottom floor upwards, gaining confidence to go up that steep ladder! Well, if they havent yet fallen off, they will soon! Time and time again the surveyors here at NPA see poor paint jobs like this!
Put it this way, the typical value of a UK home is around £200,000 (april 2007); what wrong with spending 5 grand to paint the outside properly? If you owned a brand new top of the range Rolls Royce car, (value similar to the house example), if it needed a respray, who would you take it to? The Rolls Royce dealer and pay 10 grand to have it done properly, or some bloke you met in the pub who said he could do it for a grand? What do you think?
It is evident from the above that having your home painted should NOT be taken lightly for many reasons and if you are thinking of doing it yourself this summer, remember that exterior painting, and all types of painting, is physically challenging. You need to be fit and capable of performing hard work. There is no point in busting a gut doing your house up only to be off work for 2 weeks with exhaustion!
You will need to be on ladders at some point. Even some bungalows will require the use of step ladders and possibly extension ladders so are you up to it? This can be a dirty job. This is especially true if your home is in bad shape. If you can handle any of this then go ahead and get started, but if any of the above is a problem consider hiring a qualified professional painter. Finding a painter that is right for you can be a challenge, fortumately here at NPA, we are experts in refurbishing and painting the outside of houses and a quick email to us will save you a lot of money and hassle! Remember, we price the job up for FREE and you are not obligated! WE dont come out with some silly sales pitch! Why not contact us and find out more?
To summarise the above, all I can say is, if its worth doing, its worth doing right! If you dont feel experienced or confident enough, dont bother trying to paint the outside walls of your house and invariably, you will either do a terrible job, or you will injure yourself. Call the professionals, call NPA NEVER PAINT AGAIN TODAY!
Tel: 0800 970 4928 (with 24 hours a day voice mail)
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