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How to Paint the Exterior of a House
Few features of your home make an immediate visual impact like the exterior paint job. Superbly applied paint conveys your pride in your home and helps define its personality.
Step 1: Prep Your Surface
You may be tempted to get straight to the painting, but diligent prep work is critical to a professional-looking finish. Before painting a new house with a stucco exterior, let the stucco cure for at least 28 days. Paint will not adhere properly to uncured stucco and may appear chalky or dusty. If you are repainting an existing home, inspect the exterior walls and trim for chipping, peeling, mildew and other imperfections. Kill off mildew by applying a chlorine bleach solution with a garden sprayer. Then pressure-clean the entire exterior to remove dirt and old paint that has come loose.
Step 2: Caulk and Patch
Before you pick up a paint roller, grab a tube of caulk. It's vital to seal any cracks, as well as the joints where one type of exterior material meets another. This includes window frames, door frames, molding and fascia boards. If an old stucco surface has chips or pits, patch them with new stucco (and allow time to cure). Replace wood siding or fascia boards that show signs of rotting. Gently sand wood trim and doors to ensure an ideal surface for painting.
Step 3: Take Time to Prime
To get the most out of your paint job, prime with a quality sealer. If you are repainting walls that have become chalky or dusty, select a chalky wall sealer. Paint will not stick to a dusty surface. As for new construction, latex primer works well for vinyl and most wood siding. If you're working with stucco that is not fully cured, you can apply a hot stucco primer. This sidesteps the waiting period, allowing the surface to accept paint as soon as the primer dries. It's best, however, to let stucco cure for the recommended time period if possible. Check the label on your primer or sealer to determine how long to wait before you begin painting.
Step 4: Choose Quality Exterior Paint
A good exterior paint is 100 percent acrylic latex. The formula consists of three main components: - Pigments, which provide the color. - Binders, which hold the pigment to the wall. - Solvents, which make the paint spreadable. Today, most exterior paints are water-based. As paint dries, the solvent evaporates, leaving behind only the pigments and binders. These are known as volume solids. Higher quality paints are generally higher in volume solids. They may also have better binders, which will hold the pigments in place longer. This improves durability. To determine the percentage of volume solids in a brand of paint, check the manufacturer's website or ask your local distributor for a Technical Data Sheet. In general, paints labeled "premium" or "super-premium" are likely to be higher in volume solids than budget brands.
Step 5: Pick Colors with Curb Appeal
When it comes to color selection, there are so many choices that the decision can be overwhelming. If you're not sure where to start, spend some time driving around your neighborhood to see what appeals to you. Keep in mind that vibrant colors will fade sooner than more muted ones. Be sure to consider the stylistic elements of your home — choose a color that complements your roofing material and any brick or stone accents. If you're having trouble deciding between two shades, paint sample swaths on a section of your home's exterior. Look at the result during different times of day to see which one you like best. Before getting your heart set on a certain color, check with your neighborhood association and local building department to make sure there are no restrictions on paint colors in your area.
Step 6: Spray and Roll
The ideal way to paint exterior walls is called spraying and back-rolling. This method requires two people. One uses a sprayer to quickly and evenly spread paint across the surface. The other person follows behind, running a roller over the paint that has just been sprayed on. This delivers an even finish, particularly on textured surfaces like stucco. If your budget allows, apply a second coat after the recommended dry time. Muted colors cover better than bright ones. For vibrant shades, you may require a second coat just to get the full color.
Step 7: Finishing Touches
The last step is to paint the doors, fascia, molding, shutters and other decorative details. There are no short cuts to a professional finish — you have to put in the time to get the best results. Depending on your climate, a superb paint job with top-of-the-line materials can hold up for as long as 10 years.
How much does it typically cost to paint a house in North Texas?
Cost to paint exterior of house in Dallas: Cost to paint exterior of house in Dallas, Texas ranges from $1.10 to $2.80 per square foot. Exterior house painting cost: Exterior house painting cost ranges from $1,100 to $13,800 depending on the size of the house. The lower end of this range represents smaller homes (under 2,500-sf) and the upper end of this range represents larger homes (over 2,500-sf). Cost to paint a house exterior based on the number of square feet: Cost to paint a house (1,000-sf): $1,100 to $2,800. Cost to paint a house (1,500-sf): $1,700 to $4,100. Cost to paint a house (2,000-sf): $2,300 to $5,500. Cost to paint a house (2,500-sf): $2,900 to $6,900. Cost to paint a house (3,000-sf): $3,400 to $8,300. Cost to paint a house (3,500-sf): $4,000 to $9,700. Cost to paint a house (4,000-sf): $4,600 to $11,000. Cost to paint a house (4,500-sf): $5,200 to $12,400. Cost to paint a house (5,000-sf): $5,700 to $13,800. To get a more accurate cost for your house painting project, request a quote from us. Exterior painting cost per hour: Exterior painting cost ranges from $20 to $50 per hour. Hiring exterior painters on an hourly basis may be appropriate when you need several smaller elements painted (ie: a door, fence, a couple of windows, exterior porch columns, etc.).
Planning and preparing to paint the interior of the house is essential. The better prepared you are, the better the project will turn out. We will provide you the whole process of how we paint the interior walls below.
How to paint Interior Walls
Preparation
To prepare the room for painting, first remove any obstructions. This includes everything from furniture to light switch covers. The more you can remove, the more space you'll have to move around and create a better paint job, and the less opportunity for accidental paint splatters on things you'd rather not paint, such as the sofa or bookcase. Move out the big obstructions. If there are things you can't move out, move them to the center of the room and cover them well with plastic sheets. Then look to the little things. With the correct screwdriver, remove light switch plates, outlet plates, pictures, hanging hooks or nails, and hooks for towels or clothes. After the plates have been removed, place tape over the remaining switches and outlets to avoid slopping paint on them. Some wall obstructions, such as trim, require too much time and effort to remove and later replace. Besides that, you may cause damage to the walls by removing them. Unless you are making extensive whole-room remodels, you may find it easier to mask off baseboards, crown molding, or trim around windows and doors. Few professional painters will be found without a set of work lights. By shining white light on the wall you are painting, you get a true and clear visual representation of how well the paint is going on. Ceiling lights just don't do the job. Find two inexpensive LED work lights, each rated at 4,000 lumens, at your local home center. Run long, uninterrupted strips of painter's tape along the juncture between the wall and ceiling, wall, and adjacent walls, and along the top of the baseboards. If the wall has a door or window, run the tape around the door or window trim to protect them from spattering paint.
Apply the Primer
You do not always have to use a primer when painting a wall. This is particularly true when you are repainting a wall the same color and the existing paint quality is good. Always use a drywall primer when the surface is bare drywall paper. Professional painters often request the paint store pre-tint the primer to bring it closer to the intended wall color, rather than leaving it the usual stark white. This reduces the number of color coats needed.
Mix the Paint
Unless the paint was mixed at the store a couple of hours before you start painting, it will need to be mixed again. Either use a wooden paint stirring stick or chuck a metal spiral power mixer attachment into your electric drill.
Paint the Edges
Paint a 4-inch wide swath along the edges with a 2-inch trim brush by dipping the brush lightly into the paint can, wiping off the excess, then painting alongside and slightly on the painter's tape. Or, if using the cutting-in technique, paint the edges about 4 inches inward as well. With either method, paint at least two coats.
Roll the Paint
Now you will roll paint on the inner part of the wall. Dip the roller in the paint tray and thoroughly squeeze it out by rolling it on the tray. Place the roller on the wall and paint in "W" shapes in order to fill small sections of about 4 feet high by 4 feet wide. Finish a section before moving onto an adjacent section. Work quickly so that you maintain a wet edge. Make sure that you are always working off of a wet edge, as this will help avoid streaking.
Let the Paint Dry and Paint a Second Coat
After the wall is finished, wait at least a couple of hours for it to dry. The glossier the paint, the longer the dry time. Flat paint can be ready for repainting in as little as an hour in dry, warm conditions. Paint a second time.
Clean the Work Area
Clean up your brush with warm water and a paint comb, provided you are using acrylic-latex interior paint. Remove drop cloths and let them air-dry over a fence outside. Wad up plastic sheeting and throw away. Wait until the next day to remove the painter’s tape. Pull the tape straight back to cut the paint and create a sharp line.
Tips For Painting Interior Walls
If you need work done quickly and flawlessly, you can always opt to use a professional painter. But if you have time and you want to learn to paint like a pro, follow these tips.
Use Top-Quality Paint
Purchasing low-quality paint seems like a money-saving idea on paper, but not so much when it's on the wall. Poor paint requires multiple coats, and it might still end up peeling and chipping. Because interior walls are so visible, many homeowners find it worthwhile to buy top-quality paint, even when the price is higher.
Use Wider Roller Covers
Speed up your paint time by using wider roller frames and covers. The most popular width on the consumer market is 12 inches because it is easier to handle. Many painters even use a 9-inch-wide roller frame and cover. But if you are strong enough, using an 18-inch roller will considerably speed up your painting. If you are painting many walls, it will be worth it to use a larger roller. But for just one or two walls, a conventional 9-inch or 12-inch roller will work just fine.
Use Masking Film
Professional painters often use plastic masking film to cover adjacent walls, ceilings, and windows. Static electricity holds this ultra-thin plastic to the surface. Some masking film comes with an attached edge of painter's tape.
Use a Canvas or Fabric Drop Cloth
Plastic sheeting is fine for covering furniture and other areas where you will not be walking. But for underfoot, a canvas drop cloth provides a more solid place to stand. In addition, a canvas or fabric drop cloth can be reused.
Learn the Cut-In Technique
While taping the edges with painter's tape is effective, professional painters tend to use the freehand cutting-in method. This tape-free procedure requires a steady hand and a trim brush to draw a smooth band of paint.
