How To Prepare Siding For Exterior Painting

It s best to use a power washer angling the spray in the direction rain would hit the house as washing from the bottom up can cause unnecessary damage to the siding.

How to prepare siding for exterior painting.

Chemical strippers can be used to loosen paint from intricate moldings. Give the surface a full day to dry before moving on. If you choose to use any chemicals complete a final rinse to remove remaining materials because residual chemicals can be damaging to your painting process. Nearly half of the house painting process is preparation.

Use a hook scraper to remove loose paint. Sand rust from nail heads then set and caulk the nail holes. Before you begin to paint the exterior of a house mask windows and doors with heavy plastic or builder s paper and lay drop cloths on the ground. Priming all bare wood caulking fillers sealing trim allowing primer to properly dry.

Have you ever wondered if you can paint aluminum siding. Keep the sander moving at all times to avoid sanding a depression into the siding. Use a long handled scrubber brush and a mild detergent to gently scrub away accumulated dirt grime mold and other residue. Some of the preparation guidelines include use a 300 degree steam cleaner a rental item or scrub the siding with a very hot detergent solution.

Begin by hosing down the siding. Nearly half of the house painting process is preparation. You can use a pressure washer for this job but keep the pressure low and the nozzle away from the siding to avoid eroding the wood and driving water into cracks and crevices. Use a molding scraper to remove paint from convex shapes.

The key to painting aluminum siding is to get it really clean and to use 100 percent acrylic latex paint. Check the label to be sure it s recommended for metal siding. To summarize prepping exterior trim for paint sanding filler caulking edges where trim meets another substrate allowing to dry. Before you open that paint can follow these steps to guarantee your exterior paint will look great and be sure to last.

5 soak an abrasive sponge in the solution and scrub the siding. Clean the wood surface thoroughly. Or you could wash it by hand with tsp or a similar product available at home centers and paint stores and rinse it thoroughly. Feather sand the edges of sound well adhered paint down to bare wood.

Expect to pay the premium for good paint. In spots where wood is uneven try a putty knife which is less likely to damage wood. Replace or fill badly damaged areas. Washing alone is often not enough to remove mold or mildew from the surface.

The best way to get this siding clean is to power wash it. Lightly sand glossy finishes to remove the sheen called scuff sanding but sand scrape or cut into the surface only as much as is necessary to correct problems. Be sure to wear gloves while doing this. When you re satisfied with the wood s appearance rinse the exterior from top to bottom with a garden hose.