In order to paint the outside of your home, you need to be well-prepared. By performing the proper preparation and painting steps, you will better understand why certain tools are mandatory for prepping and painting.

Use a Pressure Washer First

For example, you need to pressure wash your walls first to ensure good paint coverage and to get rid of the accumulation of dust and grime. Take the washer and begin at the top, working your way to the foundation in a gradual and smooth manner. You should overlap each stroke you make by about 10 inches.

Next, Use an Epoxy Filler, Spackle Knife, and Medium-Grit Sanding Block

Next, you need to repair any damage to the surface. That means walking around the perimeter of your home and looking for damages to such surfaces as masonry, wood, siding, metal, or stucco. Use a filler made of epoxy to fill in the holes and cracks. You will need to use a spackle knife in order to add the filler. After the areas are dry, sand them gently by employing a sanding block that is made of a medium grit.

Remove Loose Paint with a Medium-Grit Sanding Block After Spreading Out Drop Cloths

After you have taken care of any damaged surfaces, holes, or cracks, you need to find any areas that display chipped or loose paint. Lay out drop cloths at these sites and then remove the loose or chipped paint with your sanding block.

Use a Caulking Gun and Caulk

You will need to fill in any of the gaps between the trim and exterior that often appear around the windows and doors. Therefore, you will need to use a caulking gun and exterior caulk to caulk the trim. If your home’s exterior features both brick and siding, you will need to caulk the areas where these two materials meet.

Add a Primer with a Paintbrush

After caulking the trim, you need to prime the stains on the exterior. This includes any apparent wood knots. In order to perform this task, you need to apply a coat of primer designed to block stains with a smaller or medium-sized paintbrush.

Use Plastic Sheeting and Painter’s Tape

The next preparatory step involves safeguarding your lights, windows, and doors from the application of paint. Therefore, you need to cover these areas with painter’s tape and plastic sheeting. Use the painter’s tape to affix the sheeting.

Use a Primer (If Applicable), Flat Paint, and a Spray Gun

Finally, you are ready to paint your home’s exterior. In order to facilitate the process, you will need to pour a flat paint color into a paint sprayer. Apply one or two coats to your home’s surface, depending on the color intensity.

Just as you did with the pressure wash, work from the top to the foundation of the house and overlap each application about 10 inches. You may need to apply primer first if you are changing the exterior from a lighter to a darker shade or a darker to a lighter shade. Otherwise, this covering is not needed if you are covering a current color with the same color of paint.

As you can see, if you know the steps needed to prep and paint your house’s exterior, you can make better sense of what tools to use for this type of painting job.