Photo By: Ryan McVay Photo By: Dennis Oblander Photo By: Linda Macpherson Photo By: Laurey W. Glenn Plan ahead when painting. The time of year is key, so understand your local weather patterns. Select a dry time of year when there is little rain and lower humidity. Paint needs time to dry and will not adhere to surfaces that are not dry. Better quality paint means you will paint fewer times over the years, and you'll get better coverage when you do paint. Paint technology has improved dramatically in the past few years, with colors guaranteed to last longer than ever before. You may be tempted to skimp on paint to save money up front with a cheaper brand, but you're bound to have trouble and eventually pay more in the long run. Paint won't adhere very well to dirty or rough surfaces, so be sure to clean the siding and trim thoroughly, allow to dry, and sand. Be sure to sand (or scrape as needed) any peeling paint to create a solid surface for the paint to adhere.

Rotten wood and siding material are nearly worthless to paint, as they will do nothing but to continue to deteriorate. You have a couple of options. Replace the siding or wood trim with new components, or in the case of small areas, use a wood hardener and match with an exterior filler product, such as a wood filler. Be sure to prep and sand either one prior to painting. The rule of thumb has always been to apply a good coat of primer, sand, then apply your color coats. This is still a good rule to follow, but new paint technologies have combined primer and paint into one product, which manufacturers assert will cut down on the number of coats you will have to apply. This newer paint is more expensive, but may be comparable to the purchase of separate primer and paint. Look at reviews of these newer paints, particular from folks that have used it in your area. Mixing multiple cans of the same color of paint into a larger container, such as a five-gallon bucket, will help ensure a uniform color is applied to your home's exterior.

This step, called boxing the paint, is a method the pros follow. This step is important if, for example, you initially bought a gallon or two of paint less than you needed and then picked up the extra gallons at a later time.decorating ideas for weddings outdoor Starting at the top and working your way down while painting helps control streaks, as you will be working with gravity rather than against it. stylish home decor storesDrips are inevitable, but this method will allow you to feather out mishaps in the direction you are working.christmas table decorations buy online Properly close your paint containers with their lids after you finish for the day to keep the paint from drying out. christmas decorations for outside of house

Use a rubber mallet to lightly hammer the lid shut. You can also add a plastic wrap film over the opening to ensure a tight seal. Painted porches (particularly steps) and other painted floors can become a bit too slick with a coat of paint alone, so add a little bit of fine sand to the paint to add traction. best paint to paint metal front doorYou can use play sand or additives that manufacturers have begun producing to provide this extra texture.home decorating wholesale products It's easy to forget how messy painting can be, so be sure to cover the ground, bushes and any other vegetation below the area you are painting. Also move or cover up any outdoor furniture, hoses, grills, etc. Use drop cloths and weigh them down on the corners or securely wrap them around the items you are protecting.

A fresh paint job has the power to totally transform the look of your house in less time and for less cash than any other remodeling project. That thin skin of resin and pigment also protects your investment, shielding it from sun, wind, and rain—until the paint begins to crack and peel, that is. Then it's time to button up with a couple of new coats. Properly applied, new paint should last for a good 15 years, provided you use top-quality materials, apply them with care (and with an eye on the weather), and, most important, clean and sand every surface first. Here's what you need to know to get a first-class finish on your home's exterior. A thorough scrubbing is a must before painting any exterior surface. It removes the dirt and broken-down paint residues that keep fresh coats from adhering and gets rid of mildew that grows on paint in all but the most arid climates. Most contractors clean with pressure washers, but in the hands of someone unfamiliar with the equipment, these can gouge wood, shatter glass, and drive water behind siding and trim.

Using a hose, a pump sprayer, and a scrub brush is slower but safer, and just as effective. Before the scrubdown, protect nearby plants by misting their leaves and saturating the surrounding soil with water, pulling them away from the house, and shrouding them in fabric drop cloths. (Plants will cook under plastic.) Lay more drop cloths along the base of the walls to collect any falling paint debris. Walls should be wet down before getting scrubbed, then washed with a gallon of water mixed with 1 cup chlorine bleach and 1 cup of either a concentrated, phosphate-free cleaner, such as a trisodium phosphate (TSP) substitute, or Jomax House Cleaner. Working in sections, from the bottom to the top, will avoid streaks. Be sure to rinse walls well before the solution dries. Wood siding and trim should be ready to paint after a day or two of dry weather. Paint that has peeled, bubbled, or blistered has got to go. But if lead is present—a strong possibility in houses built before 1978—you need to proceed with extra care.

To lay any doubts to rest, you can send paint chip samples to a lab, such as Macs Lab's Home Free; for about $38, they'll give you a definitive answer. If your paint does contain lead, you'll need to take special precautions during the scraping and sanding phases to protect yourself, your family, and the environment from toxic dust. If the paint is lead-free, you need only don a dust mask and lay down tarps to catch debris before tackling the most crucial part of the project. New Orleans contractor Joseph Wallis did use a PaintShaver on this project to capture lead dust. This carbide-tipped angle grinder, which has a dust-collecting shroud that connects to a HEPA-filter vac, can be rented by mail from the manufacturer for about $50 a day. Scraping paint by hand is a grueling task because you've got to attack it from every direction. But compared to power grinders and sanders, it's the least damaging way to remove the old layers. You can speed up the process by using a heating gun to soften the paint (as shown).

Safety First: Use a respirator when scraping paint by hand. Also, make sure you protect the surrounding work area—including any plants and shrubs—with a tarp covering. With loose paint removed, it's time to step back and assess what remains. If most of the paint still adheres well and it's not too bumpy, the boundary between the paint and the bare wood can be smoothed with 50- or 80-grit sandpaper. Small random-orbit or pad sanders make this job go faster. (Wallis first covers these boundaries with Synkoloid patching compound so no edge is visible after sanding.) As shown, you want to make sure that there is a feathered, smooth transition from exposed wood to old paint. For areas that might get close scrutiny, you can follow up with a 100- or 120-grit rubdown to erase any scratches. If less than half the old paint is left, however, it may be worth stripping it all off. Guertin gets rid of stubborn remnants using shrouded grinders (like the PaintShaver), infrared paint strippers (such as the Speedheater), or chemical strippers (like Multi-Strip), then smooths the wood with a course or two of sanding.

When siding (or bank accounts) can't take the shock of a total strip job, Rich O'Neil, of Masterwork Painting in Bedford, Massachusetts, has successfully hidden rough, well-adhered paint under Peel Bond, a thick primer. Safety First: When using a random-orbit sander, be sure to protect yourself from refuse with a respirator. For sanding by hand, a dust mask will do. After the sanding is done, it's time to fill minor cracks and dents, repair any rot, and replace any pieces that are too far gone. (Wholesale replacement of wood siding or trim will likely require a carpenter.) O'Neil patches shallow holes and divots with Ready Patch because it dries fast, sands smooth, and stays flexible. Deep cracks and rotten spots are best repaired with two-step epoxies, such as those made by Advanced Repair Technology. (For a step-by-step instructions, see Repairing Rot with Epoxy.) The days of using polyester auto-body fillers on wood are over. "They cure too hard," says Portland, Oregon–based painting contractor Kathleen George.

"They look good at first, but then they peel away." Hold off on caulking the cracks until everything has been primed. "Primer protects the wood when—not if—the caulk fails," says O'Neil. Primers are formulated to penetrate, seal, and provide a good surface for the top coats to stick to. Use them over bare wood, Spackle, and epoxy, or over paint with a chalky, deteriorated surface. (If the paint surface is clean and sound, you can skip the priming step.) Acrylic primers can be used on most surfaces, but on cedar or redwood, oil-based coatings are a must because they lock in these woods' reddish-brown "extractives," which will leach out and leave behind rusty stains if the wood is primed with a water-based product. Painters often tint primer close to the color of the top coat, but Wallis thinks that's a recipe for "holidays," or missed spots. Instead, he tints his primer a contrasting color. "If I can see the color coming through, I know I need to apply more paint," he says.

On the cottage shown in this story, he chose a gray-blue primer to go under a peach top coat. If primer is sprayed on, "back-brushing" it immediately by hand will work the coating into every crack and crevice. Tip: Spray exposed nailheads with a metal primer to prevent rust from bleeding through the paint. When the primer is dry, caulk all small joints (less than ¼-inch-wide) in the siding and trim. Most pros use siliconized acrylics—paint won't stick to straight silicones—but Guertin and O'Neil like the new, more expensive urethane acrylics for their greater flexibility and longevity. O'Neil stresses that it's shortsighted to skimp on caulk. "If the joint fails, you're back to square one." Guertin uses the lifetime rating as his quality guide. "I don't expect 35-year caulk will last 35 years, but it should last longer than a 15-year caulk." Deciding which paint to use has gotten much easier now that acrylic latexes have pushed oil-based paints almost to extinction.

The acrylics offer superior performance (they don't harden with age, the way oils do, so they move and breathe without blistering), they don't mildew as readily, and they emit fewer VOCs, so they comply with new air-quality regulations. They also work over both oil- and water-based primers. Oil paint still has a place in high-traffic areas such as wood steps and porch floors because of its superior wear resistance, and on steel and cast-iron railings, which benefit from oil's water repellency. The last big decision is how to apply the paint. Most pros use paint sprayers because they're fast, but in inexperienced hands a high-powered sprayer can leave drips, thin coats, and a mist that may land on many things other than your siding. If you do hire a painter who uses a sprayer, make sure he is meticulous about removing, covering, or masking off everything in the area that might get hit with overspray: gutters, roofs, windows, shrubbery, walkways, cars—you name it. Once you choose a paint brand, the pros advise against additives, such as mildewcides.

But they will add conditioners such as Floetrol (for latex) or Penetrol (for oils) to slow drying times in hot weather so brush and lap marks don't show, and to make paint more sprayable. Every painting job develops a unique choreography as ladders go up and come down and tarps are unrolled and folded up. But two basic principles remain: 1) Start at the top and work down. 2) Work in the shade, out of the sun's glare. As the dance proceeds, keep an eye on the weather. Rain can wash freshly applied latex right off the wall, and a temperature dip below 50 degrees F two days after application can interfere with adhesion and curing and dull the sheen of glossy paints. (Latexes like Sherwin-Williams's Duration and Benjamin Moore's MoorGard Low Lustre are formulated to tolerate temps as low as 35 and 40 degrees, respectively.) Do-it-yourselfers are best off using a brush for maximum control. You may end up with a better quality job, to boot. Says Kathleen George, "With a brush, I know that I've inspected every square inch of a house."