By Jason Finney and Krista York

Recently Katie from Kokomo asked us Krista, our office manager, “What Preparations do you take before you paint the outside of our house?”

Exterior prep work is the most critical step in the painting of your house.  The time spent preparing the surface to paint will pay off exponentially down the years preventing paint failure, peeling, and cracking.  

Krista told Katie about our seven-step process for preparing the exterior of your home to paint.  

1. We powerwash your house to get all the dirt, mildew, and any algae growth off of the house.  We also remove any oxidation from the old paint.  Paint adheres best to a clean surface.  
2. Our paint technicians always hand scrape any loose paint.  This step is the one many homeowners and painters alike shortcut.  Power washing alone will not get all of the loose paint off of the house.  Hand scrapping will get all of the loose paint off of your home.     New paint will be shrinking as it dries, forming a mechanical bond. Fresh paint pulls up the edges of loose paint, and you get peeling very quickly.   
3. We will identify any wood that needs replacing due to rot, holes, or damage.  
4. The carpenter (with your permission) will now replace any rotten wood.
5. Next, we prime and spot priming all raw wood, including any areas that we scrapped.
6. We caulk all vertical wood to the wood joints and any other gaps requiring caulking to allow for the expansion and contraction of the joint.  
7. Finally, we cover and protect all surfaces that will not get painted.  This frequently shortcutted step is vital.  Remember is always easier, quicker, and less hassle to protect a surface from paint than to clean paint off afterward.

To learn more about our prep process, read up on how we prepare for interior jobs.