|
||
If you have a preferred paint contractor for your exterior house painting, you should make a note to call them well in advance of when you would like the project completed. You should call your paint contractor well in advance because they will likely book up fast and you do not want to have to put off the exterior house painting. When the exterior house painting is put off too long, you are risking unnecessary damage to the exterior of your home.
Your paint contractor will appreciate your foresight in calling ahead and it can help you feel more organized knowing you already have the project scheduled. Furthermore, if you only have a specified time period in which you can have the exterior house painting completed, you may not get it scheduled if you wait too long to call.
If, when you call, you find that the contractor can not complete your exterior house painting when you would like, it is your decision on whether to call around and find another contractor or wait until your contractor is available. It can be risky just picking a company out of the phone book and hiring them for the job without knowing their qualifications. This is a decision you will need to make for yourself.
If you decide that you can not wait for your painter to become available, another option in finding an alternative, reliable painter is to ask your original choice if they have an alternative that they can recommend for the home painting. Many times, painters have friends in the business that they recommend for a home painting if they are not available themselves to complete the project. If they don't have any one that they can recommend for your painting, you can always go the old fashion way of calling around to find someone that is available for the job. When doing this however, it is probably a good idea to fully research any potential painters before hiring them for the home painting. This research process would include asking them for references from previous projects so that you can contact the references and ask how satisfied they were with the final result.
It is always a good idea to call ahead to schedules your exterior house painting. By doing this, you can secure your project to be completed when you want and can also avoid damage to the outside of your home in the case that the project would be postponed. This will also save you the headache of having to call around and research alternative painters if your first choice is not available and you do not want to wait until they are available.
Anybody who has participated in exterior house painting knows that the process takes a great deal of patience and attention to detail. Over the years, professional painters have offered many suggestions on how to do the best overall job on paint the outside of a home. What I have done here is compiled the top 5 suggestions and placed them in a comprehensive format for your review and implementation.
So let's take it from the top, shall we?
1. Preparation!
Now, this is an ideal that people have been trying to pound into our heads since we were youngsters. We have always been told to "Be Prepared!" It's a great idea, in theory; however, life does not always allow for preparation. In spite of life's quarrels, exterior house painting is one task that requires preparation in order to create a smooth operating procedure.
So, the point here is to make sure that you know what materials are going to be needed and have them all on hand and ready to go BEFORE you start your project.
2. Take it From the top
This probably sounds like an elementary tip but believe it or not, there are still people out there who seem to forget about that little thing called gravity.
If you are planning on your finished product looking professional and neat, then you will always want to start painting from the top of the wall and work your way down.
3. Don't Let the Brush Dry out
If you are anything like me, your favorite part of painting (or any work for that matter) is the breaks. I LOVE to take breaks. It makes the "work" part of the day go by so much faster because you have something to look forward to.
Now, when performing exterior house painting, you will need to prepare for your breaks. You will want to wrap your paint brushes to insure that they do not dry out. Your best (and cheapest) bet is to use a plastic grocery bag. Any plastic bag will do; however, I recommend a plastic grocery bag simply because most people have these laying around the house somewhere.
This keeps your paint brushes from drying out and will ultimately save you a lot of unnecessary hassle.
4. Water Based Pain = Easy Clean Up
Unless you plan on making yourself into a living piece of abstract art, then water based paint is going to be the safest route. Oil based paint works great.............if you are a professional and have years of experience in managing it. However, for novice painters, water based paint will keep you out of harms way. Water based paint washes out of clothing very easily and comes off of your skin with minimal effort. It also works just fine for exterior house painting purposes.
5. Patience is a Virtue
And last but not least, the timeless virtue of patience. As I have already mentioned, exterior house painting takes quite a bit of patience and attention to detail. If you are the ill-tempered type or become enraged very easily. It may be beneficial for you to hire a professional painting crew.
However, if you have the ability to monitor your temper and maintain a level head in frustrating conditions, then go into this process fully prepared to exercise your power of will. You are going to need all of the patience you can muster with this project.
And that's all she wrote! At least for now.................
Here you have the top 5 tips for carrying out a successful exterior house painting. I extend my best wishes to you in your upcoming endeavor and would strongly advise that you put the family counselor on notice; you may need a few counseling sessions to release your frustration.
Enjoy!