Articles By Syndicated Columnist
Dan Thomas
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Improvement Inside And Out
Exterior Painting
Tips
No one realizes how big their house is until they start to paint it. Exterior
painting is no more
difficult than interior painting and the tools and
techniques are similar. It is a major job, however, requiring time, energy,
patience, and no small sum of money. Doing the work yourself is a lot cheaper.
Depending on how old the previous coat of exterior paint is, you may have a
major job of sanding, scraping, and washing.
Required Tools and Materials
Exterior paint or stain, stir sticks and a large container for mixing paint.
Primer suitable for paint or stain, 3 or 4 inch wide brush and 1 1/2 to 2 inch
wide brush: buy brushes suitable for paint or stain.
Extension ladder or scaffolding.
Putty knife, wire brush, and scraper.
Sand paper block or orbital electric sander and medium - grit sand paper.
Caulking gun and high - grade exterior caulk.
Nail set and hammer.
Garden hose, scrub brush pail and household detergent or high - pressure sprayer.
Drop cloth and rags.
Measure your home to determine how much paint or stain you will need.
Multiply the average height of the house (distance between the foundation and
eaves and soffit area) by the distance around the foundation to get the
surface area. If you have lots of full - length windows or doors, you can
subtract this from the surface area. A gallon of exterior paint usually covers
about 500 square feet: stain usually varies. Usually a gallon of paint for
trim is sufficient for large homes. Be sure to check the manufacturer's
estimate for coverage and to consider how many coats of paint or stain you are
applying. Ask your paint dealer for help in verifying your calculations.
Make sure you buy enough paint to cover all surfaces.
Select paint or stain appropriate for your home's surfaces. Do not try to
put alkyd - based paint on a surface previously painted with latex paint.
Likewise, stain cannot be used over paint, although you can restain a house in
a different color by using a satin primer and a solid stain.
Select colors appropriate for the style of your home.
Make sure the color is compatible with your roof, brick, and stone work.
Never use more than three colors on a home. Although some Victorian - style
homes blend shades of color for a
"gingerbread" effect. Choose one color for the siding, one
contrasting color for the trim, and perhaps a separate color
for the door.
For a monochromatic scheme, use three shade of the same color.
Check out your neighborhood for exterior colors that you like and are
compatible with the style of your house.
If you are considering painting, masonry - brick walls and chimneys - be
aware that once you paint them, they will require painting forever, and paint
is not as durable on masonry as it is on wood.
Paint the downspouts and gutters to match the siding. (If you do not paint
these, your choice of siding color may be affected.) Galvanized gutters must
be specially treated before they can be painted: commercial products are
available.
