8 Steps to Take Before Painting the Exterior of Your Home

In what order should you paint the exterior of your house? Before you even start to paint your home, you want to think about cleaning and repairing any damages and dirty panels. We are here to walk you through our eight-step process of cleaning the exterior and then painting your exterior. When you start to paint the exterior, you will want to start with the door, paint the panels first, then the rails, the stiles, and finally the edges, always working from top to bottom. We are going to give you Jones Paint & Glass tips and tricks of what you need to clean, cover and prim before you can start to paint your home! 

Step 1. Pressure-Wash Walls

 You are going to need to pressure-wash the walls to get rid of any cobwebs, dust, and dirt that’s stuck to the walls, have you ever painted over dirty walls?! It’s not fun! You will want to keep the pressure level between 1500 psi and 1800 psi. If you have loose paint you want to get rid of it and increase the water pressure to 2500 psi. 

Step 2. Repair Damaged Surfaces 

After you pressure-wash the exterior of your home you will want to repair any damages that your home has. Whether that be some cracks or broken panels. Repairing any damages will make your paint job a lot easier to do. 

Step 3. Remove Loose Paint 

Removing any loose paint before you paint over the exterior of your home would be a good idea. Painting over flakey loose paint is not ideal. You want a smooth surface to paint over. 

Step 4. Caulk Trim 

Caulk Trim, most people don’t think of caulk trim before you paint the exterior of your home. It’s good to trim boards, wood windows, your garage door trim, any imperfections on the siding of your home. This is important to do before you paint because it helps protect against water and insect damage. 

Step 5. Prime Stains 

You will want to prime any stains that you have on the exterior of your home. Priming is used to help treat a surface before applying the topcoat. Primer is formulated to ensure maximum adhesion. Primer will make your paint job last longer. 

Step 6. Protect Doors Lights and Windows 

You will want to cover anything that you don’t want to get paint on! You can use a sheet, or tape to protect windows, doors, landscape plants, brick, deck floor and handrails, and sidewalks. You can’t forget about water valves, phone and communication boxes, electrical meters and lights, etc. For 

Step 7. Paint your Exterior 

Now it’s time to paint the exterior of your home! You will want to start from top to bottom. You will want to try to paint in the shade if you can, a bad exterior paint job starts with sunshine! Working in the shade will benefit you from having any brush marks, lap marks, and inadequate adhesion. Another fun tip is to paint your home with a roller, unless you are an experienced painter then you can use a spray can but it is best advised to use a roller to avoid any uneven areas. For help with paint color, visit https://jonespg.com/exterior-paint/. 

Step 8. Paint Trim and Doors Last 

Last but not least you will want to paint your trim and doors last. Remove any protective sheeting from all your windows, doors, and light fixtures. Touch up any spots you may have missed and your trim and you will be all set! 

Final Thoughts

Painting the exterior of your home can be a lot of work and extremely time-consuming! If you have any questions or concerns about what color to use, and any more tips and tricks, feel free to contact us. We have locations in Provo, American Fork, Roosevelt, Vernal, Cedar City, and St. George! 

You may also be interested in...