Painting your house is something of a right of passage, an important milestone in the home DIY community because it’s a large undertaking.
It requires precision, planning, and excellent execution. The most important thing to remember with painting your exterior is that preparation and precision are key.
Exterior painting is not at all like painting the inside of your house, for many reasons.
The scale of this project is much larger than an interior painting project since you’ll be painting a much larger surface area, typically, than when you’re doing a room or even several rooms in your house.
Plus you’ll be dealing with heights and precarious positions that require much more caution.
Beyond that, the type of paint and the process of applying it are different than working inside your home. You will be using thicker, more durable paint than what is used inside the house.
Because of this, we recommend you apply the paint with a paint sprayer, which is more complicated than using a brush and roller. This is because a paint sprayer makes the process much easier when using thicker paints.
You’ll also need to consider the optimal temperature range of the paint you choose to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible.
This makes the process more difficult and requires more preparation and planning to get right.
How to Paint House Exterior
Supplies You’ll Need for Painting Your Home Exterior
There are several important supplies you’ll need to make sure you have on hand when you’re planning an exterior paint job.
- Exterior paint
- Paint Sprayer
- Ladder
- Drop cloths
- Plastic sheeting
- Bucket of water
- Rags
- Sandpaper
- Caulk or putty
When choosing your supplies for your exterior paint job, you’ll want to choose durable paint that can withstand the elements. Typically, exterior paints will be latex based, which makes them thicker and tougher.
Since you’re working with a large area like the outside of the house, you will need a paint sprayer to apply the paint evenly over the entire surface. You can rent these sprayers from a local hardware store if you don’t already own one.
In order to reach the heights of an exterior wall, it will be vital to get a ladder so you can climb up to the top.
Then you’ll want to tape plastic sheeting over any places that shouldn’t be painted, like windows.
Having a bucket of water on hand is important for cleaning up any mistakes. Remember, there are windows, trim, and roofing that can all be accidentally painted. The sooner you remove the paint, the better.
Rags will come in handy with the bucket of water for when you need to wipe off any wet paint from spots that shouldn’t have been painted.
For repairing or sealing and preparing for new paint. You’ll also need a scraper to get it into the right spots.
Rossi Painting and Construction
