The Secret for the Perfect Exterior Paint Job

People looking for tips on their own home improvement work often ask us how we get our work to be so precise and beautiful. It doesn’t come naturally or easy; we put an enormous amount of work in to make it perfect for you. (The picture you see above is one of the actual houses we have worked on, in Claremont Place.)

And we’re happy to share our process with you, because our work isn’t secretive. The labor we do is intensive and is part of how we charge. Most clients would prefer us to handle the work once they know just how much they’re taking on.

STEP #1 – Wash

The first step to a perfect exterior paint job is to wash the entire exterior surface of the house to be painted. We use only a garden hose and a scrubbing brush attached to a telescopic extension pole. Pressure washes can damage wood and create bigger messes than the clients want, so we prefer to keep our work practical and safe to the home.

We pre-wet the surface, cover an approximately 10 x 20 foot area at a time, and keep this wet until it can be scrubbed. Using a soft bristles brush, we scrub the surface evenly. (For this job, we like the cobweb duster brush attached to a telescopic pole, to reach those hard-to-get-at places.) We then thoroughly rinse the surface. It’s important to always start at the top and work your way down, letting gravity take care of the dirt you are washing away.

STEP #2 – Preparation

The second step is to prep all the areas that we are going to paint. That means we will be masking those areas not to be painted, scraping off peeling paint, lightly sanding to feather out edges, spot priming scraped surfaces, caulking cracks, and patching nail holes. We allow the patches to dry, sand the patches smooth, and then spot prime for a second time.

STEP #3 – Masked Areas

In the final step, we check to make sure that all of the masked areas are still protected. We correct any, if necessary. We then proceed to apply your first coat of paint! It’s very important to allow your first coat of paint to dry well before applying the second coat of paint. It’s crucial to getting a paint job to look smooth and seamless.

We usually finish up in a day and come back when we are certain the first coat is reasonably dry. For the proper dry time in between coats, please read your paint manufacturer recommendations printed on your paint can!