Tips for Preparing Your Home Exterior for Summer
While it is often viewed as only an aesthetic consideration, our choice of
exterior paint can actually have a massive impact on your comfort. The paint material and color can affect the amount of hot or cold air that comes through your walls, so choosing the best colors has the potential to lower your energy bills. So, here we’ll explore some tips to prepare your home exterior for summer.
Why DIY?
Painting your home’s exterior is a considerable job, but with a minimal investment in materials, tools, and time, you can save thousands of dollars and increase the value of your home. Although you may need to invest a substantial amount on paint and tools, hiring a pro could cost many times more. These savings do come at a cost, as a good paint job will require hours of careful preparation.
Buy High Quality Tools
Applying a top coat doesn’t require many tools beyond what you should already have for priming and scraping, It is a good idea to invest in at least two synthetic, top quality brushes to apply latex paint; a 4 inch straight brush for larger areas and a smaller angled brush for cutting in detailed work. For paint application on larger areas, you will need a heavy duty roller cage and roller covers for each color you’ll be using. Standard 9 inch rollers are ideal for flat, larger areas, but you’ll need smaller rollers for narrow areas or siding suitable for applying paints and stains.
Consult an Expert for Colors and Quantities
The first step to a good paint job is to choose an
exterior paint that will not only complement the architectural features of your home, but also fit the character of your specific neighborhood. Therefore, it is crucial to rely on some expert advice. Paint stores often have designers on their team to help you choose the right paint type and color. Choose a small amount of your possible colors and paint the entire scheme on a small area of your wall before you buy gallons and gallons of Cabot stains. This will allow you to see how the paint looks in your specific conditions, and if you don’t like how it looks, you can change colors and repeat the process. You may also need expert help to calculate how much paint you will need. Take some rough measurements of your home and count the number of windows and doors. Using this information, the paint store team will be able to calculate how much paint you will need to purchase. Ideally, you will need two coats of paint over your primer coat. For the best finish, buy the best paint you can afford, for example,
Arborcoat stains, cover better, are easier to apply and last longer.
Check the Weather Forecast
Finally, you need to keep an eye on the weather forecast in the days before you plan to paint. This is a large project, so you won’t want the weather compromising your plans. You should avoid using paints and stains, including
Wolman stains, in direct sunlight as they will dry too quickly and cause lap marks. This can also happen if you paint on a windy day. Avoid painting if there is a chance of rain and ensure the temperature is above 50ºf unless you’re using a paint formulated for cold weather applications.
