Exterior Painting: Avoid These Common Mistakes

Earlier this month we told you all about the common mistakes that people make when they’re doing their own interior painting (and how those can be avoided by simply calling a professional painter). Those mistakes included rushing the preparation process, tipping over paint cans and ruining the carpet, and splattering paint on the ceiling when painting too vigorously.

Of course, things change once you get to exterior painting. Painting the outside of the house is a very different beast from interior painting, even though some of the problems overlap. Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to painting a home. (Once again, the easiest way to avoid these is to simply contact a local painter and get it done right the first time!)

Improper Cleaning

One of the most important parts of home painting preparation is to properly clean the surface of the home as much as possible. Sometimes this is done with soap, but a pressure washer is a must. Many people have never used a pressure washer before, and they aren’t aware of the amount of cleaning that has to be done before paint should be applied. After all, there’s often 5-10 years of dirt built up on the house, and all of it should come off before the painting starts. And speaking of people using equipment for the first time…

Not Knowing How To Use The Equipment

Nearly every house today is painted using a paint sprayer. Cheap sprayers are purchased or expensive sprayers are rented, and they have one big thing in common: people are using them for the first time and don’t use them very well! Sure, most people can figure them out enough to get a coat of paint on the house, but more often than not their lack of experience with them (and how to use the various nozzles) often leads to streaks that show up for years afterward. Unfortunately, these streak might not show up until there’s a bright light shone on them, such as headlights. But when those lights shine, it becomes obvious that the homeowners should have hired professional painting contractors to deal with their house painting.

Improper Masking

Here’s something that interior painting and exterior painting share: masking. Masking means covering anything that you don’t want to painted. So while you’re painting the house and the trim, you probably don’t want any paint on the exposed foundation. You’ll also want to avoid the gas meter, deck, and hose spigots. You can always tell someone who painted their own house because of the number of house-colored droplets of paint on the concrete on the front porch!

Not Having the Right Ladders

Ladders are certainly one of the most important aspects of exterior home painting. You need ladders that won’t get in the way or press against areas that are wet. You also need ladders that can reach every part of the house, because reaching out with the paint sprayer wand too far can lead to…

Serious Injury

Most interior painting doesn’t result in serious injury, unless you have vaulted ceilings to deal with. But there are more two-story homes than ever, and we have no trouble labeling “falling off a ladder” as one of the serious mistakes people make when they’re trying to perform their own house painting. Why does it happen? Well, once again it comes back to the issue of experience. Most people are up on a ladder only a few times a year, and most of the time that’s a step ladder. While we’re on extension ladders every day, most people just don’t have the experience to prevent falls and tipovers.

Hiring the right painting company to handle your house painting seems like a pretty good idea when you take a look at everything that can go wrong. Contact DJ’s Painting and we’ll get it done!