There are a lot of things you can do to keep your paint job in good shape. For example, according to Angi, maintaining your siding can help your paint look great for years to come. That being said, there will come a time when you need to hire professional exterior painters to make your place look its best. There are a lot of myths out there about exterior home painting, though. We’re here to bust five of them.
Myth 1: You Don’t Have to Paint Before Selling
You want to make your home look its very best when you’re putting it on the market. Would you rather people see a house with faded paint or with a brand-new coat? Let’s look even further into that and flip the roles. As a buyer, would you want to get a place where you’re going to have to hire someone to paint it after you buy it or would you rather move into a place that’s already painted and have one less thing to worry about? So, have the exterior painted before putting the listing up.
Myth 2: Don’t Paint in Cold Weather
In the past, professional exterior painters might have told you to wait until the weather was a bit warmer before hiring them. The reason for that was that paint didn’t hold up as well during the colder months when it came to drying. That’s not the case anymore. Paint manufacturers have created paints that are specifically formulated to be able to dry well in colder temperatures. Now, there’s no excuse to not have the painters do the job even in the fall or even early winter.
Myth 3: Don’t Have Your Home Power Washed Beforehand
The outside of your home might not look that dirty, but trust us, it is. A lot of things can accumulate on the exterior and that could interfere with how well the paint will settle. When you have it pressure washed, you’ll be amazed at how dirty it was beforehand. While it might seem like a pain to find a pressure washing service before painting your home, you might not need to go through that trouble. Many painters offer this service as part of their painting preparation routine, so you can hire one team for the prep and the actual paint service. The end result will be a great-looking coat of paint on your home.
Myth 4: Use The Same Paint For All Parts of the Exterior
The professionals will quickly explain to you why it would be a bad idea for you to have them do that. Your home has wear and tear affect it in different areas. That means different types of paint work best in certain places. You can have them get the same color, but the different paints can help your place weather the different climate effects that will be hitting it all the time. As a result, you won’t have to worry about one part of the exterior cracking and peeling before the others.
Myth 5: You Don’t Need to Take Care of Exterior Problems
As we’ve mentioned before, the exterior of your home needs to be in the best shape possible in order for the paint to last for as long as you’d like it to. Before you have the painters come to do their work, you’re going to have to make sure that there are no problems with the exterior of your home. That means taking care of things like wood rot. Painting over it isn’t going to make the problem go away. In fact, it’s going to only get worse as time goes by. Then you’re going to be looking at having to have repairs done on an area that you just had painted. That won’t look good.
The best plan of action there is to have your place inspected before you have the exterior painted. Yes, that will also cost money, but you need to think about the long-term versus the short-term. Tell the inspector what you are planning on doing and they will look to see if there are any problems that could continue to fester under the new coat of paint. You’ll feel a lot more secure knowing that things have been fixed.
Considerations Before Having Your Home Painted
Once you’ve moved past the myths above and you’re ready to have your home painted, you’ll want to make sure that you hire the best professional exterior painters in your area. How do you find those? There are a few ways to do that. First, you can see if your friends or family members have had their place painted. They may have loved how their paint job turned out and can’t wait to recommend them to you. The same goes for your co-workers. This could make the search an easy one.
If that doesn’t work, then you could keep your eyes open while you drive or walk around your neighborhood. Someone might be having their exterior painted. See if you can get the name of the company or talk to the painters yourself. See what kind of availability they have to come over for a consultation.
If all the other options fail, you could use the best one: the Internet. It’s as simple as taking your phone out and putting “local exterior painter” and your zip code. You’ll soon be scrolling through countless painting company websites and customer review sites. Look through those and see what people are saying. Remember to take reviews with a grain of salt, though, as not everything you read is inherently true. As you click on the company sites, check out the galleries of previous homes the painters have done. This will give you a good idea of what kind of work you can expect from them.
Working With Your Painting Contractor
Once you’ve found a painter that you like, call them and explain your situation. They will likely want to come by for a consultation and see for themselves. Typically, they will also inspect the place themselves and see if there are any potential issues. Then they will talk about the types of paint and colors that you want them to use. After that, it’s a matter of getting the quoted price and having them get started as soon as possible.
It can be easy to fall for common myths. The best thing to do is to talk to the professionals about any concerns you might have. They will be courteous and explain why the myth is just that: a myth. That should put your mind at ease. Then you’ll be able to settle down and watch them do their job. Before you know it, you’ll have a beautiful home with a fresh exterior. Then it’s a matter of either enjoying it or seeing it fetch you a nice bump in your sale price.
Are you looking for professional exterior painters in your area? Do you live in California? Our professional painting team can do both interior and exterior painting, as well as commercial and cabinet painting. If you’re ready to work with reliable painters, contact our team at Barbour Painting for a consultation. We look forward to working with you to help you achieve your dream home!
