Protecting areas underneath your siding walls

Use drop clothes in order to properly cover the ground along the painting area or the perimeter of your home. If you’ve been in the same situation before, then you know how hard it is to clean spills or drips on porous concrete surfaces. While you don’t necessarily need to consider taping the drop clothes, you could get a few bricks and rocks in order to weigh them down.

With a large gust of wind, you shouldn’t be surprised if the drop cloths gets stuck to your wet paint and forces you to do all that hard work all over again.

As for the drop cloths, you should always go with cloth. Using plastic is not a good idea, since the paint will not be absorbed and all you’re going to end up with is a slippery mess. Just make sure to use high quality painter’s tape for taping along the top edge of window and door frames. In terms of width, it needs to have a minimum width of two inches.

Tip: Painter’s tape is a much better choice compared to masking tape because the latter dries out too fast and removing it is going to be very hard.

Once the painter’s tape has been applied to the baseboard, get a credit card or maybe a putty knife in order to pass over it and ensure adhesion is good. By doing so, you’ll ensure that there is no way for the paint to get underneath the tape. Also, while the paint is still wet, make sure to remove the tape. You can check some painter’s tape reviews here – http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/painters-tape-reviews/

On railings, mailboxes and lighting fixtures, if you’re going to paint any area above them, consider protecting them by taping a plastic bag over them.

Using pressure washer for paint removal

If you plan on using pressure washers in order to get rid of the dirt on the exterior surfaces of your home, you should exercise great care. If you’re not careful with how you use them, you may end up not only gouging wood, but also injuring yourself. That is why it’s recommended that you consider stating with the lower pressure settings and then follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, consider hand washing around doors and windows and only use the washer on siding.

Be careful when painting from a ladder

When you’re tackling projects like this one, you should keep in mind that safety is the number one most important thing to consider. If you fall off a ladder, then this could result in some serious injury. To avoid such situations, you should never reach too far from the current position of your ladder or lean over. If you do have to reach a certain spot to paint it properly, you should get off the ladder first and then move it.

There are various types of ladders available on the market from very basic wooden ones that you can get for a few bucks to some fancy Little Giant ones. If you have extra money to burn you can get a telescopic ladder (that seams to be an honest review) for around $100.00 up to a few hundred which depends on its brand, size, and ratings. These are little tricky to operate and you should definitely read the instruction before climbing one of them.

One more thing: ascending to the top rung is in no way recommended and that’s because when you’re at the top, the ladder will not have the same stability as when you’re in the middle for instance. Even if something does fall, don’t try to catch it, since you may lose your balance and fall.

Old paint removal and wall preparation

Any flaking paint should be removed by making use of a scraper and while you’re at it, be sure to wear goggles so you don’t get paint chips into your eyes. All the surfaces should be washed with water and a TSP solution and then rinse them with water and leave them to dry.

TSP is an All Purpose Heavy Duty Cleaner, more about it here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisodium_phosphate

Now if you have bare woodwork, it’s recommended that you use an oil or latex based specialty primer that’s formulated to block protect against stains.

When it comes to glossy painted surfaces, you should prime them in such a way that you promote adhesion of the top coat. To prime such surfaces, you can use one of 3 methods, including:

TSP to wash the surface by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use water to rinse everything properly and let it to dry thoroughly.

180 grit sand paper to scuff the surface.

An oil or latex based primer that’s specially made for glossy surface adhesion.

Debris Cleanup

Make sure that you get rid of any dust and dirt by using a power washer. When it comes to cleaning eaves and corners though, nothing can bear hand washing. Oh, don’t forget that where the siding touches the ground, that’s where a lot of dirt hides. Clean it properly.

Protecting plants

If there are any flowers or grass around the house, you should know that they can end up getting painted. To proven that, bend them away and use a drop cloth to cover them properly. If there’s dirt on the siding, brush it away.

Taking care of your pets

During the painting process you should make sure to keep the pets locked up. While you work, someone should take care of the kids so they don’t run into trouble.

Cleaning And Drying Surfaces

Use a regular sponge mop and move from top to bottom in order to clean the walls well using water and a TSP solution, all while following the instructions recommended by the manufacturer. After that, rinse well and allow them to dry.

Note: If you don’t know where to get TSP, you should know that you can easily find it in the paint department near the solvents. The reason this is very much recommended compared to other types of cleaners out there is because it’s an all purpose cleaner that’s also not abrasive and can be used on all types of surfaces. Since it’s a concentrate, it’s a lot stronger than other kinds of cleansers. Because of that, you should protect your skin and eyes from splashes and make sure that it doesn’t end up on your grass, bushes and flowers in large quantities.

Prime the Walls

If you want the results to look like the job has been completed by a real professional, then you definitely need to prime the walls. Plaster, patching compound, drywall and bare wood all need primer in order to properly seal the surface. If you prime your surfaces properly, you won’t have to use too much topcoat and the color is going to lay rich on the final layer.