Paint Options, Painting Advice and Decorating Tips – Professional External Painting of Your Home

Painting the exterior of your house can prove to be a demanding home improvement task. There is a wealth of information and advice available that can assist to ensure you get the best possible results which are long-lasting.

The key to starting any external house painting is in the preparation. Are you looking to decorate windows, doors, masonry or facia and soffits? Each will require individual and specialist preparation and advice from professional decorators with experience and expertise will benefit the end result.

It is best then to decide which paint colours and paint finish you would like to achieve. If you are unsure of colour combinations, many Companies can provide you with sample books or colour swatches to offer advice on which colours work well with each other. Although it is often advised that you choose colours in keeping with the surrounding houses; this element of home decorating will allow you to add individualism to your property.

Lower-quality paint is unlikely to be able to stand up to everyday weathering. Higher quality paint will offer an improved protection against sunlight, temperature variations and discolouration. Moisture is less likely to be able to seep through cracks that may appear eventually from a less-superior paint.

Prior to beginning your painting project; ensure all surfaces are clean and dry. It is imperative to remove any flaking or cracked paint. It is likely that if external surfaces have not been maintained over many years that they will have suffered from rot. Any rotten timber should be scraped away then the area treated with wood hardener and filled with two part wood filler. Knots should also be treated with knotting solution.

All areas will then require sanding, which will provide a dull surface for optimum paint adhesion. You can protect surrounding areas by covering up paths and plants with dust sheets or plastic.

You will then need to prime the areas; oil primers topped off with an acrylic or latex finish will give a better seal. An oil-based primer should be used for metal doors, especially when exposed to weather.

For optimum, long-lasting painting finishes it is important to plan around the weather. By choosing a time where the temperature is not too hot or cold or where humidity is not so intense will ensure paint will not bubble.

All woodwork should then be painted with an undercoat; the ideal requirement is two coats of undercoat followed by one coat of gloss. Finish the job by scraping and cleaning all glasswork.

Professional external painter and decorators will have a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, allowing reduced working times and superior finishes, knowing best approaches to safety working at heights.

It is likely they will be members of trade associations, offering confidence that you are employing a professional; one of these being the Painting and Decorating Association (or PDA). Experts will offer evidence of previous work completed and will be happy to offer advice and tips for your individual home decorating job. The result; the best, safe and long-lasting outcome!