Importance of Surface Prep During Exterior Home Painting
When we handover exterior painting estimates to homeowners, many of them ask why we allocate a lot of time and resources towards paint surface preparation. Well, there is a lot that goes on in the preparation stage before a painter grabs a paintbrush or a paint roller. Today we want to share why surface prep is vital during exterior painting.
Full exterior surface preparation typically includes cleaning, repairing, paint stripping, sanding, patching, caulking, masking, and priming. The prep process might be a little time consuming, but it’s essential for a high-quality and durable paint job. Most of the paint failures happen due to improper surface preparation
Importance of Surface Prep
Durability
Paint durability is probably one of the most significant benefits of proper surface preparation. Rainfall, humidity, organic growth, insect invasions, frost, and temperature fluctuation can quickly damage your paint job. Taking time to prep the surface sufficiently ensures a long-lasting paint job.
Paint adhesion
If you take a glance at your wall, you might think that it’s clean since it has no major stains. But, there is probably a fine layer of dust, dirt, and chalking paint that is not obvious to an untrained eye. Paint doesn’t adhere well to a dirty surface, so make sure that the surface is well-cleaned before painting.
Aesthetics
One of the biggest benefits of exterior painting is to boost curb and aesthetic appeal, but painting on a poorly prepped surface denies you this benefit. Immediately after painting, your fresh coat of paint might look beautiful, but once it dries out, the surface imperfections and dirt start to show through.
Even, Smooth Finish
Uneven paint shades are a sign that you either skipped sanding or priming your surface during preparation. Sanding, cleaning, and priming the paint surface allows the paint to be absorbed better across the entire wall and eliminate any chances of uneven paint patches.
Common Surface Prep Process
The exact steps involved in exterior surface prep depend on the siding material, surface condition, and homeowner preferences. But here are the most common exterior prep processes that work together to give you the benefits mentioned above;
· Cleaning –all the loose surface dirt, dust, chalking paint, and loose failing paint needs to be removed. This is often the first step, and the pros can either clean by hand or by pressure washing. The surface must be left to dry before painting can be done.
· Paint scrapping and stripping –if the surface has any loose paint that is cracking, peeling, flaking or bubbling, you need to remove it using a paint scraper. Painting over failing paint causes premature paint failure of your newly applied coat of paint.
· Repairs –if there’re any damages on the surface, such as cracks, dents, missing wood planks or missing caulk, consider fixing them before painting. Some painting contractors can help you with minor fixes at a small additional fee, ask your paint if they can help.
· Sanding –sand down any rough areas and feather-sand the edges of the remaining paint patches. Sanding minimizes the appearance of transition marks from bare surfaces to areas that still have patches of the old paint.
· Priming –A primer helps to increase paint adhesion and blocks off any surface stains and old darker paints. If you need a smooth, even paint coat, don’t skip priming your surface.
The Bottom Line
Surface preparation is one of the most critical processes that you shouldn’t skimp over when repainting your home exterior. It promotes betters paint adhesion, even finishes, durable paint job, and aesthetically appealing results.
At The Painting & Wallpapering Company, we carry out all the necessary surface prep steps based on the type of siding material, condition of the paint surface and your preferences.
If you’re looking for a trusted and reliable residential painter in Moorestown, Mt Laurel, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Evesham, Medford, Tabernacle, Shamong and the surrounding areas, we can help. Call us on 609.953.0944 for a FREE, no-obligation estimate.