Secrets to Giving Your Home a Picture-Perfect Facelift Inside & Out

You probably know already that it's a tough job painting the exterior on the average desert home in Arizona. It's hard to properly work that new paint into the grooves and pebbly finishes on your walls.

Those groovy and pebbly surfaces are why professional painters usually use a high-pressure sprayer to apply paint to the surface and then backroll that paint onto the stucco, according to Joe Campbell, co-owner of the Arizona Painting Co. of Phoenix and Tucson.

Although using a sprayer might look like fun, it's tricky and takes practice to use safely. "If you're interested in repainting your house yourself, you can rent a paint sprayer," Campbell said. "But be sure to practice on a small area of a wall of the house or on a fence wall until you get used to the process. If you spray even a little bit of skin in the process, you could require medical attention."

Exterior Painting

Repainting can't actually start until considerable preparation work is done. Campbell listed the steps that need be taken before repainting the exterior walls of your house whether you do it yourself or hire a professional:

1 | Wash

Before painting, walls need power washing at a level of 3,000 psi. The aim is to clean the surface thoroughly and remove any areas of peeling paint.

2 | Patch

Cracks and damage to the stucco need to be repaired and perhaps filled with smooth, textured, or elastomeric caulk.

3 | Inspect

If there is peeling paint on wooden trim on the house, it needs to be removed and the wood has to be prepared for repainting. Painters should also check for dry rot and perhaps replace some of the wood.

4 | Waterproof

The bottom of exterior walls needs waterproofing. Rocks and soil need to be removed from the area so that walls can be repainted.

5 | Prep

Other exterior areas that may need special prep work before painting begins are the dry-wall ceilings that cover patios and entranceways at a house.

6 | Time

All this washing and preparation work on the average-size house can take a full day even when two people are working on it.

Interior Painting

If you're thinking about repainting the interior of your home yourself, here are matters that have to be considered carefully:

1 | All in one go

Ceilings can be a special concern because large open living areas have become so popular. Generally, a huge ceiling stretches from kitchen to great room to dining areas and more. That space needs to be done in one day, and the best way to do it is with a paint sprayer. If a painter tries to do that huge space with a brush and roller and stops in the middle at the end of the day, a distinctive line could be left in the texture of the ceiling. You don't always have to repaint ceilings, of course, but if you need to, it may be best to hire a professional painter.

2 | Make it smooth

Doors and closets will also have a smoother look when done with a paint sprayer rather than with brush and roller.

3 | Plan it out

Many do-it-yourselfers have success using brushes and rollers in repainting one bedroom in a house at a time – maybe one bedroom a weekend.

4 | Use the right finish

Although we recommend flat paint for a home's exterior, interior walls should be done with an eggshell or satin finish. It's best to use two coats of paint on any inside walls.

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Photo Credits:

• Arizona Painting Co.

 

RELATED CONTENT:

• Blog: How to Choose the Right Paint
• Blog: How To Get Interior Design On A Budget
• DIY FAQ: How Do I Properly Store Paint and Other DIY Materials?
• DIY FAQ: Rosie's Painting Consumer Guide
• Podcast: How To Choose The Right Paint

 

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