How do you paint a house?

Painting a house is usually a major undertaking – whether you do it yourself or hire a professional to do it all for you. You might even decide to do a bit of the prep work yourself to save costs – either way, get a few quick quotes using a tool such as Service Seeking to give you some idea of what’s required in terms of money and resources.

Step 1: Choose the Right Time of the Year to Paint

It’s important to take the time of year into account when painting the exterior of your home, as very cold (below 4 degrees Celsius) or very hot temperatures can ruin your paint job.

Remember to check the weather forecast to make sure there is no rain promised for the days you choose to paint.

Step 2: Choose the Right Paint and Primer

Choose a high-quality exterior paint, such as 100 per cent acrylic latex, which will produce better colour, dry faster and be more durable in the long run.

• Look for paint with a higher percentage of volume solids, and opt for cans labelled “premium” or “super-premium” rather than choosing budget brands.
• Also, put some thought into the colour you choose for your house. Take the style of your home into account and make sure the paint colour complements the roof material and any brick or stone accents.
• Consider getting samples of your top colours and painting swathes on an obscured portion of your home. Take a couple of days to see how each of the samples looks in different lights and decide which ones you prefer.

Step 3: Gather tools and equipment

• Garden hose with a high-pressure nozzle
• Stiff-bristle brush with an extension pole
• Bucket and detergent or TSP substitute
• Drop cloths, plastic sheeting, and painter’s tape
• Hook-blade paint scraper and moulding scraper
• Wire brush
• Respirator, dust masks, and safety goggles
• Putty knife and 5-in-1 tool
• Work gloves and latex gloves
• Stepladder and/or extension ladder
• Disk sander or random-orbit sander and sandpaper
• A caulking gun and caulking compound
• Paintbrushes
• Paint rollers and extension poles
• 5-gallon (22-litre) bucket with a roller grid
• Paint sprayer

Step 4: Prep Your Surface

You may be tempted to get straight to the painting, but diligent prep work is critical to a professional-looking finish.

• Before painting a new house with a stucco exterior, let the stucco cure for at least 28 days. Paint will not adhere properly to uncured stucco and may appear chalky or dusty.
• If you are repainting an existing home, inspect the exterior walls and trim them for chipping peeling mildew, and other imperfections. Kill off mildew by applying a chlorine bleach solution with a garden sprayer.
• If you’re lucky, the only real preparation you’ll need to do before the paint job is to clean the surface of your house. Use a hose to wash down the walls and go over any stubborn dirt with a wire brush and some warm, soapy water.
• Alternatively, a power washer can be used to clean particularly stubborn dirt and remove paint flecks. Just be careful not to cause any damage to the home by setting the spray too high.
• Remember to wash from top to bottom and allow the surface adequate time to dry thoroughly before proceeding with the paint job.

Step 5: Remove Defective Paint

If there is any old, defective paint on the surface of your house, you will need to remove it before you can proceed. This includes any paint that is loose, blistered or chipped.

• Failing to remove the old, chipped paint before you begin will prevent the fresh paint from properly adhering to the surface of the house.
• Use a wire brush or paint scraper to knock any loose paint free from the surface of the house, and use a power sander (or a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a wooden block) to smooth any rough surfaces.
• If any heavy deposits of old paint need to be removed, you may need to use an electric paint remover, which essentially melts the paint and then pulls it from the wall.

Step 6: Take Time to Prime the Surface

To get the most out of your paint job, prime with a quality sealer.

• If you are repainting walls that have become chalky or dusty, select a chalky wall sealer. Paint will not stick to a dirty surface.
• As for new construction, latex primer works well for vinyl and most wood siding. If you’re working with concrete that is not fully cured, you can apply a hot stucco primer. This sidesteps the waiting period, allowing the surface to accept paint as soon as the primer dries.
• It’s best, however, to let stucco cure for the recommended period if possible.
• Check the label on your primer or sealer to determine how long to wait before you begin painting.

Step 7: Know the Amount of Paint You’ll Need

It’s a good idea to figure out how much paint you’re going to need before you begin painting to eliminate the risk of running out of paint halfway through.

• To estimate the amount of paint you’ll need, measure the perimeter of the house and the height of the house (excluding any gable ends) and multiply them by each other.
• Divide this number by the square foot coverage indicated on the can of paint you plan to use to get the quantity of paint (in gallons) you will need for a single coat. However, it is a good idea to add an extra gallon to that number for safety.
• To calculate the amount of extra paint needed for any gable ends, measure the width and height of the gable end, multiply these numbers, and then divide by 2. The result will give you the gable’s square-foot dimensions, which you can then include in your paint estimations.
• Keep in mind that certain exterior wall surfaces – such as shingles, masonry, and concrete – may need 10% to 15% more paint than smooth, flat walls with the same square footage.
• The application method may also affect the type of paint you need – airless sprayers may require up to twice as much paint (for the same wall dimensions) as brushes or rollers.

Step 10: Decide the Paint Application Method

Whether you use a brush, roller or paint sprayer to paint your house is ultimately a matter of personal preference. Each method has its benefits – using a brush gives you greater control over the painting, using a roller makes the job more efficient, and using a paint sprayer provides heavier coverage.

• Using a brush: Many people who are painting their homes for the first time prefer to use a brush, as it forces you to be very thorough and gives you control over every square inch of the house. To use: Dip your brush into the paint until the bristles are halfway covered. Touch the brush against the wall at several points across a horizontal line. Go back and paint back and forth to fill in the empty spots and provide even coverage.
• Using a Roller: To use a roller, roll it in the paint until all sides are evenly covered, then apply the paint to the wall using criss-cross strokes. Then, go back and paint over the same section using up and down strokes to fill in the gaps.
• Using a paint sprayer: To use a paint sprayer, load your chosen paint into the sprayer. Hold the sprayer upright, about 1 foot (0.3 m) away from the wall. Move the sprayer smoothly back and forth, beginning the motion before pulling the trigger to avoid areas of heavy deposits of paint. Make sure each new stroke overlaps the previous one by about 8 inches (20.3 cm).
• Using the spray and back-roll technique: The spray and back-rolling technique is a particular method recommended for both its speed and evenness of coverage, but it requires two people. It involves one person using a sprayer to quickly coat the wall in paint and the other person following behind with a roller to spread and even it.

Step 11: Paint Away

• Work from top to bottom. Always work from top to bottom and from left to right when painting. Working from top to bottom allows you to cover up any drips of paint that fall as you work your way down while going from left to right, which helps you to identify any spots you might have missed quickly.
• Follow the sun. Try to plan your paint job so you are following the sun throughout the day, waiting until the morning sun has dried any night-time moisture from the walls. You want to work in the shade throughout the day, away from direct sunlight, as this can affect the quality of the final result.
• Be careful using a ladder. It is essential to be very careful when using ladders, especially extendable ones. You should never reach more than an arm’s length away when standing on a ladder. Instead, you should paint in a horizontal strip as far as you can reach, then move the ladder across to continue painting along the same line. Make sure that your ladder doesn’t tilt from side to side and that it’s resting on the even ground about 1/4 of its total length away from the foundation of the house.
• Apply a second coat. Once you have waited the recommended amount of time for the paint to dry, you should consider applying a second coat – if time and budget allow. A second coat will even out the paint and provide more protective coverage for your home. It will help the finished product to look better and last longer. If you have chosen a more vibrant colour for your home, a second coat will often be necessary to bring life to the colour.

Step 12: Finishing Touches

The last step is to paint the doors, fascia, moulding, shutters and other decorative details. The best tools here are “a steady hand and a good brush,” Richard says. You can save a little time by using 6-inch “hot dog” rollers to get the paint on quicker, particularly along the length of the fascia. But there are no shortcuts to a professional finish — you have to put in the time to get the best results.

Depending on your climate, a superb paint job with top-of-the-line materials can hold up for as long as ten years.