Exterior Painting
Exterior painting is not everybody's cup of tea. In fact, many people flat out refuse to paint the exterior of their home because you have to be worried about more variables than with interior painting. Follow these simple tips to make the job easier:
1. Choose a day to paint that is not overly hot or cold. If it is cold (below 45 degrees) outside, then the paint thickens up and is hard to work with. If it is hot (over 80 degrees) outside, then the paint dries extremely quick as you are applying it and you will sweat like crazy. I prefer temperatures between 55-75 degrees. Spring time and early to mid fall work great to achieve these temperatures.
2. Don't fight the sun. The sun is your enemy when painting outdoors. If you are paiting on the side of a home when the sun is beating down then the paint will dry to quickly and you will get overheated. Always try to work on the side of the house away from direct sunlight.
3. BUGS! Insects can be a real pain. However, if you paint in early to mid spring or fall you can avoid many of the pesky insects. If you must paint when insects are prevalent then wear bug spray and look for an insecticide that can actually be added to the paint to repel insects as you apply it. Nothing is worse than picking dead bugs out of your freshly painted siding.
4. Work with a clean surface. Don't try to paint over filthy siding. If you have a pressure washer or have access to one then please give the exterior of your home a good cleaning a few days prior to painting. Dirt will mess up the finish of your paint, hurt the coverage of the paint, and hurt the adhesion of the paint. Also, simply using a sponge with dishsoap followed by a garden hose works just fine.
5. Do not paint when the weather is calling for rain in the next 24 hours. You want the paint to have plenty of time to cure (completely dry) and bond to the surface before being doused with rain. Keep in mind that you do not want to try painting if there is a heavy dew on your siding either.
1. Choose a day to paint that is not overly hot or cold. If it is cold (below 45 degrees) outside, then the paint thickens up and is hard to work with. If it is hot (over 80 degrees) outside, then the paint dries extremely quick as you are applying it and you will sweat like crazy. I prefer temperatures between 55-75 degrees. Spring time and early to mid fall work great to achieve these temperatures.
2. Don't fight the sun. The sun is your enemy when painting outdoors. If you are paiting on the side of a home when the sun is beating down then the paint will dry to quickly and you will get overheated. Always try to work on the side of the house away from direct sunlight.
3. BUGS! Insects can be a real pain. However, if you paint in early to mid spring or fall you can avoid many of the pesky insects. If you must paint when insects are prevalent then wear bug spray and look for an insecticide that can actually be added to the paint to repel insects as you apply it. Nothing is worse than picking dead bugs out of your freshly painted siding.
4. Work with a clean surface. Don't try to paint over filthy siding. If you have a pressure washer or have access to one then please give the exterior of your home a good cleaning a few days prior to painting. Dirt will mess up the finish of your paint, hurt the coverage of the paint, and hurt the adhesion of the paint. Also, simply using a sponge with dishsoap followed by a garden hose works just fine.
5. Do not paint when the weather is calling for rain in the next 24 hours. You want the paint to have plenty of time to cure (completely dry) and bond to the surface before being doused with rain. Keep in mind that you do not want to try painting if there is a heavy dew on your siding either.
Preparing the surface
To Prepare Block or Concrete Surfaces:
You will typically run into the need to paint these surfaces if part of your foundation is showing above ground level.
1. Using a house degreaser/wash (found at any home improvement store or Walmart) scrub the block or concrete area and rinse clean. You can use a pressure washer if you have one.
2. Wait minimum of 3-5 days for it to dry.
3. Using a thicker nap roller cover (3/4" nap- or larger nap if the surface is really rough and poros) prime the block/concrete with a block/concrete primer found at any paint store. One of my favorite brands is Loxon from Sherwin Williams. If the surface has been painted before you will only need one coat of primer, if not, then two coats is best. Let dry for 12-24 hours.
4. You are now ready to paint on the topcoat with a high quality latex topcoat of your choice. Always remember, yellow colors and deep colors tend to fade quickly outside.
Painting Vinyl or Aluminum siding: they are basically the same except for the need to prime the aluminum siding.
1. As with most surfaces you are going to paint, cleaning is important. Both vinyl siding and aluminum siding can get very dirty and oxidized (the filmy white finish left on your hand if you rub it over the surface. The best technique to clean these surfaces is to first get the siding wet with a hose or pressure sprayer. Then mix a heavy duty cleaner (TSP) in with some warm water. Scrub the damp surface with rags or sponges soaked in the cleaning solution. Then spray clean. (Side note- if you can avoid spraying from the ground up into the siding do, the best is to spray hoses and pressure washers from the top of the siding angled down. This avoids forcing water into places it does not belong.)
2. Make sure the surface is clean and very dry. Usually 24 hours drying is fine.
3. For vinyl siding you are most likely not going to need to prime unless making major color changes or the surface is still oxidized, if either of these are true then get a high quality exterior latex primer for these situations from your local paint store or home improvement store. For aluminum siding you will likely need to prime. Oil primers seem to work best for aluminum siding however they are getting more and more difficult to find in stores. A high quality acrylic latex primer will do if you cannot find an oil primer. Apply the primer, one coat typically is fine. Then wait 24 hours to dry.
4. You are now ready to topcoat with the high quality exterior paint of your choice.
You will typically run into the need to paint these surfaces if part of your foundation is showing above ground level.
1. Using a house degreaser/wash (found at any home improvement store or Walmart) scrub the block or concrete area and rinse clean. You can use a pressure washer if you have one.
2. Wait minimum of 3-5 days for it to dry.
3. Using a thicker nap roller cover (3/4" nap- or larger nap if the surface is really rough and poros) prime the block/concrete with a block/concrete primer found at any paint store. One of my favorite brands is Loxon from Sherwin Williams. If the surface has been painted before you will only need one coat of primer, if not, then two coats is best. Let dry for 12-24 hours.
4. You are now ready to paint on the topcoat with a high quality latex topcoat of your choice. Always remember, yellow colors and deep colors tend to fade quickly outside.
Painting Vinyl or Aluminum siding: they are basically the same except for the need to prime the aluminum siding.
1. As with most surfaces you are going to paint, cleaning is important. Both vinyl siding and aluminum siding can get very dirty and oxidized (the filmy white finish left on your hand if you rub it over the surface. The best technique to clean these surfaces is to first get the siding wet with a hose or pressure sprayer. Then mix a heavy duty cleaner (TSP) in with some warm water. Scrub the damp surface with rags or sponges soaked in the cleaning solution. Then spray clean. (Side note- if you can avoid spraying from the ground up into the siding do, the best is to spray hoses and pressure washers from the top of the siding angled down. This avoids forcing water into places it does not belong.)
2. Make sure the surface is clean and very dry. Usually 24 hours drying is fine.
3. For vinyl siding you are most likely not going to need to prime unless making major color changes or the surface is still oxidized, if either of these are true then get a high quality exterior latex primer for these situations from your local paint store or home improvement store. For aluminum siding you will likely need to prime. Oil primers seem to work best for aluminum siding however they are getting more and more difficult to find in stores. A high quality acrylic latex primer will do if you cannot find an oil primer. Apply the primer, one coat typically is fine. Then wait 24 hours to dry.
4. You are now ready to topcoat with the high quality exterior paint of your choice.
Bit of a Side Note
You will notice that I did not mention anything about using a sprayer to paint your exterior. I realize this is all the rage to do right now and that you probably see the fancy commercials all over television. I would like to make a couple of points about this.
1. The sprayers you see advertised are typically Wagner sprayers or similar ones. These sprayers typically do not work well. They clog easily, spray an irregular pattern, and tend to be a giant waste of money.
2. Spraying paint outdoors with any type of sprayer is a risky decision. Overspray, (paint that does not hit the targeted area and paint that gets caught up in the air) can drift hundreds of feet or more. Many people find out to late that they got overspray all over their own or somebody else's vehicles, buildings, or other property. This can happen even if there does not seem to be much wind at the time.
1. The sprayers you see advertised are typically Wagner sprayers or similar ones. These sprayers typically do not work well. They clog easily, spray an irregular pattern, and tend to be a giant waste of money.
2. Spraying paint outdoors with any type of sprayer is a risky decision. Overspray, (paint that does not hit the targeted area and paint that gets caught up in the air) can drift hundreds of feet or more. Many people find out to late that they got overspray all over their own or somebody else's vehicles, buildings, or other property. This can happen even if there does not seem to be much wind at the time.
Tools
The list of tools you will need is very similar to the one found on the page for interior painting. However you may need these additional tools.
1. hot dog or whizzie roller handle, tray, and roller cover: this is a 1" wide roller, found in 4-6" lengths, usually white or pink in color, they make special trays for these rollers, handles can be had for 1-2$-
2. wire brush: in case of loose paint you need to scrape off of block, brick, or concrete surfaces you are painting
3. cleaning agent: TSP is my favorite and can be found at Sherwin Williams or most home improvement stores, great for cleaning any type of siding
4. bleach- regular household bleach, mix 1 cup to 1 gallon of warm water and use rags or a sponge to scrub off any mildew on siding or block
5. a thicker nap roller cover- available in whizzie sizes and full 9" sizes- typically nothing smaller than1/2" nap but up to a full 1" nap depending on the roughness of the surface you are painting
1. hot dog or whizzie roller handle, tray, and roller cover: this is a 1" wide roller, found in 4-6" lengths, usually white or pink in color, they make special trays for these rollers, handles can be had for 1-2$-
2. wire brush: in case of loose paint you need to scrape off of block, brick, or concrete surfaces you are painting
3. cleaning agent: TSP is my favorite and can be found at Sherwin Williams or most home improvement stores, great for cleaning any type of siding
4. bleach- regular household bleach, mix 1 cup to 1 gallon of warm water and use rags or a sponge to scrub off any mildew on siding or block
5. a thicker nap roller cover- available in whizzie sizes and full 9" sizes- typically nothing smaller than1/2" nap but up to a full 1" nap depending on the roughness of the surface you are painting
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Painting Techniques
Concrete or Block (also brick):
After following the above mentioned steps to prepare the surface you will need to apply the primer and paint as follows.
1. Cut in the area to be painted as you normally would, however, painting this type of porous surface can be a bit trickier. I would suggest that if the surface is very porous that you use a cheaper brush that you don't mind getting ruined and throwing away. This is because the paint can be very difficult to work into each of those little pores while you are brushing and you will likely ruin the brush by forcing the paint in with the bristles.
2. Using a 9" roller with a nap of 1/2" or more paint on both the primer coat(s) and top coat on as you would with any other surface. If the surface is very rough then I suggest using a 3/4"-1" nap roller cover.
Vinyl or Aluminum Siding: Begin by following the steps mentioned above to prepare the surface. Then do the following steps.
1. Cut in the border of the exterior wall you want to paint first with a high quality 2 1/2" brush.
2. Using a whizzie roller, hold the roller parallel to the ground. Apply the paint as you would with a larger roller, working from the top of the exterior section to the bottom and from one side of your choice to the other. Also, work your way down the wall doing only one or two panels at a time. Make sure to get the whizzie roller completely covered with paint including the tip which has nap covering it. This covered tip allows you to paint the flat section of the siding piece you are working on as well as coat the bottom lip of the piece above.
3. If you choose not to use a whizzie roller then a brush will work just fine. You may want to use a 3" or 3 1/2" brush to help make the job quicker.
After following the above mentioned steps to prepare the surface you will need to apply the primer and paint as follows.
1. Cut in the area to be painted as you normally would, however, painting this type of porous surface can be a bit trickier. I would suggest that if the surface is very porous that you use a cheaper brush that you don't mind getting ruined and throwing away. This is because the paint can be very difficult to work into each of those little pores while you are brushing and you will likely ruin the brush by forcing the paint in with the bristles.
2. Using a 9" roller with a nap of 1/2" or more paint on both the primer coat(s) and top coat on as you would with any other surface. If the surface is very rough then I suggest using a 3/4"-1" nap roller cover.
Vinyl or Aluminum Siding: Begin by following the steps mentioned above to prepare the surface. Then do the following steps.
1. Cut in the border of the exterior wall you want to paint first with a high quality 2 1/2" brush.
2. Using a whizzie roller, hold the roller parallel to the ground. Apply the paint as you would with a larger roller, working from the top of the exterior section to the bottom and from one side of your choice to the other. Also, work your way down the wall doing only one or two panels at a time. Make sure to get the whizzie roller completely covered with paint including the tip which has nap covering it. This covered tip allows you to paint the flat section of the siding piece you are working on as well as coat the bottom lip of the piece above.
3. If you choose not to use a whizzie roller then a brush will work just fine. You may want to use a 3" or 3 1/2" brush to help make the job quicker.