Exterior Painting Mistakes Every Homeowner Should Avoid

Repainting the exterior of your home is a remarkable way of upgrading its looks and increasing the value of your home. It’s one of the cheapest and most transformative renovations you can do to your home. However, it’s worth noting that an exterior painting job is a major project and should not be underestimated.
There is a lot that can possibly go wrong during DIY exterior painting, especially if you don’t have the right tools, equipment, and skills. In this article, we will share the most common mistakes many homeowners make during an exterior repaint project and how to avoid them.
Here you go;

1. Poor Quality Materials
After finally finding the time to repaint your home’s exterior, the first step you would probably want to do is buy the materials to be used. You will need many things including the painter’s tape, caulking material, detergent and so on –but perhaps the most important materials are the paint and the primer.
When buying your paint and primer, you might be tempted to go with the cheaper options in order to save a penny. However, when it comes to paint and primer, buying cheap brands (which are often low quality) will cost you more in the low run. Low price low-quality paint doesn’t adhere effectively to the siding, won’t last long, and many times you will need to use extra coatings to get quality covering.

2. Insufficient Preparation
The bulk of most exterior paint jobs often goes to surface preparation. Good prep work facilitates even paint coverage, effective paint adherence and a durable paint job free of paint flaking and peeling. But it’s quite involving, which is why most DIY painters skip important steps.
If there’re any signs of paint peeling and flaking on your siding, start by scrapping the old paint off then follow that with a good cleaning, preferably pressure washing. While at it, be sure to treat any mold or mildew on your siding. Additionally, clear away any surrounding debris and trim back any branches or bushes.

3. Skipping the Painter’s Tape
Even if you have a natural hand for making straight lines, any exterior painting job without the help of a painter’s tape is guaranteed to have sketchy edges. Admittedly, if you’re not a detail-oriented person, applying the tape around the perimeter of your surface can be a tricky business.
But if well done, painter’s tape ensures crisp edges and a professional-looking result. Using any other tape such as masking tape will produce messy, low-quality results. Make sure the tape is straight, seal it tightly along the surface, and when done, remove the tape before your paint job dries completely.

4. Skipping the Primer.
Skipping the primer can also be quite tempting considering that it can potentially save you up to 4 hours of work. However, applying a primer on your exterior before painting evens out the surface and makes it easier for the paint to stick to your siding.
Naturally, most paints don’t stick well to bear surfaces, which means without the primer, your paint job will start to fade out and peel too soon than you expected. It also helps the true color of your paint to come through by blocking any underneath stains or old paint from bleeding through your new coat. It’s the key to a beautiful, flawless finish.

5. Painting on Wet Surfaces
Both the paint and primer don’t go well with wet surfaces. Many rookie painters in a hurry and eager to see the new color on their house tend to rush the process by painting on surfaces before they are properly dry. This often leads to moisture being trapped under the paint coat and later result in paint blistering.
After pressure washing your siding in preparation for painting, allow it to dry completely before applying the primer. This could take even a whole day depending on the siding material and weather conditions. Equally, allow each coat of the primer and paint to completely dry as recommended on the packaging before applying the next coat.
Bottom Line
Depending on your skills and level of painting experience, there’re many other things that can possibly go wrong. But keeping in mind the above main exterior painting mistakes will save you a lot of time, hassle and frustration.