Painting advice from a professional painter in Sacramento could not come at a better time. Spring is in the air and it is perfect weather to upgrade and touch up areas that need improvement. As the weather is mild and perfectly awesome, it is best to get the outside exterior painting tasks done before it gets too hot. If you are wondering about some of the best ways to get things started, we have a few tips for you.
Pressure Wash Your Exterior
Any professional painting contractor in Sacramento will agree that it is always best practice to make sure that the surface you are painting over is clean and free of any dirt particles or oils that would hinder the new paint from being able to bond with the surface. Yes, if the surface is properly primed it helps the paint to stick however if there is a bunch of dirt stuck to the surface it will not allow the primer to bond to the wall either. Go around the exterior of the building that you are going to paint and make sure that you get a pressure washer that has a decent amount of pressure behind it and wash away any dirt that is there. Make sure you get around the trim areas as well. If some of the old paint washes off in the process, it is no big deal because you are going to paint over it anyway.
Prime Your Surface
We mentioned a little bit in our last paragraph about primer. Applying a liberal layer of primer first can help to make the paint that gets applied stick to the surface better. There are different types of primers, so make sure that you get the kind of primer that will best match the type of paint you will use on your home.
Some paints come premixed with their own primer already included so that you don’t have to separate the procedure. However, always remember that not all paint manufacturers are created equally. If you go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of supposed paint that is mixed with primer do not be surprised if the stuff peels away within a couple of weeks.
When you apply your primer you can do so with a paintbrush, a paint roller, or even a spray gun if you have one. The most important factors are that you make sure that the surface is adequately cleaned before you apply the primer, and that your primer is not some cheap knockoff from the dollar store.
Start Painting Outdoors Mid Morning
Make sure that it is the right time of day to be painting when you paint the exterior of your home. If you start too early there may be too much moisture left in the air for you to get the optimum effect of your paint. If you start too late, there may not be enough moisture in the air and the paint can dry too fast. If your paint dries faster than it is supposed to it can seem like a good thing, but depending on the type of paint that you get, it could cause you problems. Just like concrete, paint has to be applied in a certain way with the right conditions or it could end up cracking and being ugly later on.
Paint Evenly
Whenever you are applying paint it is always the best practice to apply an even layer of paint on the surface. If you put too much paint it can cause excess drippage and ruin the paint job. Yes, if you apply paint with a roller it is easy to simply roll off the excess paint, but that excess paint is not always easy to see until after it has dried out a little bit and leaves a bunch of dripping messes throughout the painted surface.
Using a paintbrush to brush the entire outside of a building could take a very long time, but if you choose to go that route you have to be extra careful about making sure that the paint is even because it is not so easy to fix with a brush if it is not. Hopefully, you are advanced enough to at least have a roller, if not a sprayer. Painting an entire home by hand is a brutal task and could take a very long time.
Conclusion
At the end of the day when all is said and done the best way to paint your home is to be mindful of the surroundings and take your time. When you try to rush you can cause accidents such as spills and falls. If you happen to spill an entire bucket of exterior paint on your driveway or patio it could take an awful lot of energy to clean up. Just be careful to spray the surface, properly primer the surface, and paint all of the paint in an even manner. This way you can end up with a great paint job without having to hire a contractor. However, it is probably better to hire a professional than to do it yourself if you don’t know what you are doing.