Dramatic Changes Exterior Painting

Exterior Painting Services

Pressure Washing

Most (if not all) exterior painting projects begin with a pressure wash. A pressure wash using a mixture of bleach, water and a high alkaline cleaner is used to clean your home. This will kill off any mildew or algae on the surfaces that are to be painted. If these organisms are left on the surface and painted over, you would most certainly have similar problems in the future. These chemicals are used in small enough quantities and become so diluted with the washing process that there is generally no impact to surrounding plantings. Just to be sure, we always wet down the grass and other plantings around the entire area to be washed. We also work with a company that can assist our clients who want a more an environmentally responsible option.  This alternative involves using an enzyme system to clean your home.

Scrape, sand, prime and caulk

The next step to take when painting an exterior is to deal with areas where the paint, caulk or glazing has failed to maintain adhesion. Areas where paint is peeling will be scraped first to remove any loose paint, then sanded to smooth out any rough edges between the area of failure and the paint that is still adhering. These areas will then be primed in the areas where we have scraped and sanded down to bare wood. Caulk joints between wood moldings, siding pieces, window frames and siding will all be filled with paintable latex caulking. Loose window glazing on older windows will be removed and new glazing will be put in its place.

Site Preparation

It is important to be realistic with an exterior painting project. We do cover the ground around your home in an attempt to contain any paint chips/flake that will fall while we complete your project, however it is not always feasible to get all areas covered. Most homes have bushes or plants that get in the way of being able to completely cover all areas. Additionally, paint chips/flakes will often not fall directly onto the areas we have covered. Lastly, the worse your paint is peeling, the more challenging it is to contain the resulting mess. However, we do our best to clean up after your project has been completed.

Number of Coats

Most exterior projects receive 1 coat of paint, provided that the home is being painted the same color. When a color is being changed, we will typically apply 2 coats to ensure complete coverage. Even when converting from Oil based paint to latex there are now products that we can use to cover in one coat.

Before	After

Flat, Satin, Semi-gloss or Gloss

Most painted siding is painted either Satin or Semi-gloss. Satin provides a more subtle look and is the most commonly applied finish for siding. Semi-gloss is used frequently as well, based on the fact that it generally holds up to weather conditions better than other finishes. Most woodwork is painted Semi-gloss of Gloss because it holds up better to the elements and is generally the first place that a homeowner will find rotted wood.

Paint or Stain

Depending on the type of siding (wood, masonite, cedar, stucco, brick) different products are more common. The following is what we generally find (there are exceptions to every rule):

• Wood siding could be either latex or oil based paint or a solid latex stain
• Masonite is almost always painted with oil or latex paint
• Cedar is generally stained but could be stained with a semi-transparent or solid stain
• Stucco is almost always painted with oil or latex paint
• Brickwork could be painted with latex or oil

Decks and Fences

There is a lot of variety in product usage on these structures. Older decks and fences may be painted, but most suburban wood decks and fences are built using pressure treated lumber and are stained. There is no rule of thumb with regard to what product to use. We find that it is generally a matter of personal taste and what type of product was used previously.