How To Prepare Siding For Exterior Painting

Before you begin to paint the exterior of a house mask windows and doors with heavy plastic or builder s paper and lay drop cloths on the ground.

How to prepare siding for exterior painting.

Nearly half of the house painting process is preparation. Another key step preparing trim for paint is priming. The key to painting aluminum siding is to get it really clean and to use 100 percent acrylic latex paint. Lightly sand glossy finishes to remove the sheen called scuff sanding but sand scrape or cut into the surface only as much as is necessary to correct problems.

Feather sand the edges of sound well adhered paint down to bare wood. When you re satisfied with the wood s appearance rinse the exterior from top to bottom with a garden hose. Nearly half of the house painting process is preparation. Priming all bare wood caulking fillers sealing trim allowing primer to properly dry.

Clean the wood surface thoroughly. It s best to use a power washer angling the spray in the direction rain would hit the house as washing from the bottom up can cause unnecessary damage to the siding. To summarize prepping exterior trim for paint sanding filler caulking edges where trim meets another substrate allowing to dry. Some of the preparation guidelines include use a 300 degree steam cleaner a rental item or scrub the siding with a very hot detergent solution.

Mix 1 cup 240 ml of chlorine bleach with 1 cup 240 ml of trisodium phosphate tsp and 1 gallon 3 78 liters of water. Washing alone is often not enough to remove mold or mildew from the surface. Check the label to be sure it s recommended for metal siding. 5 soak an abrasive sponge in the solution and scrub the siding.

Have you ever wondered if you can paint aluminum siding. The best way to get this siding clean is to power wash it. Keep the sander moving at all times to avoid sanding a depression into the siding. Use a molding scraper to remove paint from convex shapes.

If you choose to use any chemicals complete a final rinse to remove remaining materials because residual chemicals can be damaging to your painting process. Use a long handled scrubber brush and a mild detergent to gently scrub away accumulated dirt grime mold and other residue. Give the surface a full day to dry before moving on. Be sure to wear gloves while doing this.

Use a hook scraper to remove loose paint. In spots where wood is uneven try a putty knife which is less likely to damage wood. There s more to exterior painting than coming up with paint color schemes. Replace or fill badly damaged areas.

Before you open that paint can follow these steps to guarantee your exterior paint will look great and be sure to last. You can use a pressure washer for this job but keep the pressure low and the nozzle away from the siding to avoid eroding the wood and driving water into cracks and crevices. Sand rust from nail heads then set and caulk the nail holes. Expect to pay the premium for good paint.