There are over 130 million housing units in the United States. Since you’re reading this post, we’re willing to bet that you live in one of them.

While having a place to call home is great, maintaining that place isn’t quite as fun. One of the most arduous tasks that you’ll need to undertake when it comes to home maintenance is external painting.

Painting a house isn’t as easy as just grabbing a bucket of paint and getting to work. It takes planning and even consults in some cases.

To make sure that you get the most out of your painting experience, consider the following tips.

1. Call in a Contractor

We get that DIY-lovers might roll their eyes at the prospect of calling for help. The truth is though that painting a house can be hard work and if the job comes out bad, your whole neighborhood will know.

To avoid your neighbor’s wrath or an HOA fine, visit this website or any of the thousands of others out there to learn more about how paint contracting services can make your life easier.

2. Pressure Wash Walls

If you’re set on doing your own painting work, we tip our hats to you. To get started, you’ll want to pick up a pressure washer and give your walls a good rinse.

When people paint external surfaces without pressure washing first, they seal in everything from dirt to bugs. Believe us when we say that won’t make for a good look on the side of your home. Nowadays, for more populated southern towns like Asheville, North Carolina, painters will also work a pressure washing gig on the side because they already do it every time they paint. However, it’s always better to hire a professional pressure washing company in places like Asheville, NC like ProServ Unlimited to do the job before the painter since they are nine times out of ten more experienced and less expensive.

3. Prime Unusual Areas

Even after pressure washing, not all of your canvas will be ready for painting. If you have unusual features that you’re planning on painting over like wood knots or paint stains, use some primer on those areas before applying a general coat.

Doing so will make sure that your paint job looks uniform.

4. Protect Areas That a You Don’t Want to Paint

We shouldn’t have to tell you that painting a house can be a messy affair. To make sure that your mess doesn’t end up getting all over your cement, windows, lawn, and doorways, pick up some plastic bagging and cover things up.

You can never be too cautious when it comes to your use of bagging and plastic tape.

5. Get to Work

At this point, you should be ready to go! Our recommendation for external paint jobs is to load whatever paint color you’re feeling into a commercial-grade paint sprayer and applying two coats to ensure that you get the best possible results.

If your area experiences harsh weather, make sure that your paint is designed to stand up to relevant elements.

Painting a House Is Hard but With Willpower, You Can Get the Job Done

Painting a house is a beast of a job, even for smaller units. Still, if you’re adamant about owning your painting experience, it’s certainly possible to do a great job.

Our recommendation is to follow our tips and take your time. If you do, you’ll love the results that you get.

Looking for more tips and inspiration on all things home and design? If you are, do yourself a favor and dive deeper into the pool of content that we have right here on our website.