home remodeling 1home remodeling 2home remodeling 3

Exterior House Painting

A fresh coat of paint on the exterior of your house is a great way to add instant curb appeal. It freshens the look of your house right away. Imagine your house feeling brand new again. Although exterior home painting is alot harder than it looks, it is still a manageable task that a determined home owner can do for him or herself.

It is important to inspect the current state of the paint on your home. Is it an older home? It may have originally been painted using an oil based paint instead of a latex based paint. Old oil based paint will start to peel over time. Typically people choose to touch it up, but you might consider stripping all the paint off the house first and then repainting the exterior of your home with latex paint. You can test a spot on your home by applying paint to a small area and letting it dry overnight. The next day, press a piece of tape on the painted area and pull it right off. If the paint comes off in a chip, exposing the wood underneath, it may be time to strip all the paint off and start from the bare wood. This will ensure that the new coat lasts a long time and reduce the amount of touch up work that needs to be done.

Watch out for lead paint!
lead paint was common in the 1950's. It was finally outlawed almost 30 years later, but many houses in need of re-painting are covered with that original lead based coat. If you are unsure whether or not your house was painted with lead paint, you should have it tested by a professional.

Choose colors wisely
Most of the time, homeowners repaint the exterior of their home with the same color that was previously used. This is a perfectly fine solution that most likely will take the guess work out of choosing a paint color. As time goes on, certain colors and color themes will be more popular. For example, in the seventies, homes were often painted with rich earthtoned colors that by todays standard look a little too dark and not as fresh. A good way to determine what color your house should be painted is to take a look at what your neighbors have done. Most people don't want their house to stick out like a sore thumb and choose to go with the color schemes of homes around theirs. Another good gauge for determining color is to look at the trim, roof and adornments of your home. Is your roof black composition, ceramic tile, or some sort of shake? These are visual clues that will help you determine what color direction is best for your house.