Your home is likely to be your biggest investment but to ensure you get the maximum return on it you’ll want to take good care of it.
This includes regular electrical services, plumbing inspections, and visual inspections to ensure everything is working properly. However, one aspect that is often overlooked is outside the home. You don’t just need to keep your yard tidy to maintain the value of your home, you should also take a look at the outside of the property.
One of the easiest solutions is actually to use cladding or curtain walls. This covers the exterior walls of your building, improving the insulation properties of the building and drastically reducing future maintenance.
However, if you feel that painting is the best option then you need to make sure that you prep your home properly. Here’s what you need to do:
Clean The Walls
You can’t paint the walls unless they are clean. If you don’t clean them properly then the new paint will be sticking to the dirt and not the wall, it will come off much quicker than it should.
There are two stages to cleaning the walls properly:
- Scrape
You need to scrape the walls down to remove any flaking paint. Again, the paint won’t stick properly to flaking old paint. This is why it is essential that you remove all loose pieces of paint first and larger dirt/debris.
- Pressure wash
Once the walls are scraped you should use a pressure washer to hose the walls down, this should remove any flakes you’ve missed and made sure the walls are completely clean ready to be painted.
Windows & Doors
The next stage is to check all the caulking and putty around the windows and doors. If any is damaged it’s a good opportunity to replace it or patch it up.
Don’t forget to leave enough time for this to set, you’ll want to add masking paper to which will help to ensure you don’t get paint where you shouldn’t.
Paisley Painting has a team of experienced painting professionals who deliver the highest quality results.
Protection
Before you actually start painting you should cover the flower beds and any other objects at the bottom of the walls with drop cloths. This will prevent you from having to waste time clearing up paint mess; which is especially difficult if the paint is on decking or patio stones.
Start From The Top
You should start painting at the top of the wall and work your way down. This is the easiest option if you’re using a ladder and will help you to catch any runs before they set.
It s essential that you support your ladder properly before you start work, you’ll also benefit from a hook that will allow you to hold the paint pot on your ladder without using your hands.
Painting your home will transform it and, if done properly, will last for between 5-10 years. That’s long enough for you to move if you don’t want to paint it again!
