Importance of Exterior Painting Preparation

Preparation is Key To Long Lasting Paint

A freshly painted home or business provides that extra curb appeal and can make a homeowner or business owner feel good. When it’s time to repaint your home or office, there is a temptation to rush and get the job done quickly. Without proper preparation time, any painting project can result in unwanted consequences. Believe it or not, there are “professionals” who will take shortcuts to decrease costs and speed up paint time. Don’t be afraid to ask additional questions of your painter to ensure you’re making the right decision. Hiring a professional house painter or commercial painting contractor should not necessarily be about who has the cheapest price.

Recently, we had painting crew approached us asking if we are hiring and saying “we can help you save money on paint costs.” This is not uncommon. Most painting companies, like ours, are approached by other painters looking for more work. But when a painter says they can help the company save money on paint, it means they’re going to apply thin coats to shave a few more gallons off the project. We do not advise that approach and those are not the type of painters we look at hiring.

When Legacy Painting does a project, we want to do it right and that means applying the paint in a manner it’s designed to be applied. We want to provide the homeowner or business quality craftsmanship and reject those who want to cut corners.

Failure of Proper Surface Preparation

Any painting project that is not prepared or painted correctly, the homeowner is left to deal with the consequences. For exterior house painting, this is especially true for a few reasons:

• Abuse of Weather. The exterior paint of your home can take a beating from rain, hail, ice, snow, humidity over the course of its lifespan.
• Dust, Dirt, Debris. When a surface is not thoroughly pressure washed prior to any painting, any dirt, dust or other debris will affect the ability of the paint to bond with the surface.
• Damage, Moisture, Mold. Moreover, if any wood damage, moisture issues or mold problems are not addressed prior to painting, any new coat of paint will only temporarily mask over those issues. Any unaddressed moisture problems will get worse over time if not resolved.
• Loose Paint, Peeling Caulk. Failing to remove any loose paint and not recaulking areas where the caulk is failing is asking for a sooner than average repaint. Caulk prevents water an moisture from working its way behind the exterior surface of the home and failure to recaulk could recaulking future water damage. Failure to remove any loose paint will prevent any new paint to adhere to the surface.

How Professional Painters Prepare a Surface for Paint

At Legacy Painting, our painters are trained to follow preparation requirements for exterior painting. As professional painters, we:

• Never Rush. There is a lot that can go into doing quality work and making sure not to rush each step will ensure that quality.
• Thoroughly Wash. When we apply your exterior paint, we want to ensure it lasts as long as possible. Even if the weather can affect the life of your exterior paint, ensuring the paint has a clean surface to bond will help by thorough pressure washing. We want to remove any dirt, dust, mildew, mold and loose paint before any painting.
• Inspect Every Surface. When inspecting an exterior painting project we are able to identify areas that need special attention, for example, wood replacement. Note, that in many cases we can identify additional areas that need special attention once the home has been cleaned. We will always inspect the surface again after cleaning. Any repairs will be made or recommended prior to painting.
• Sand, Patch, Repair, Prime. We will perform any sanding, patching, priming, and repairs where necessary to ensure the best surface for the paint to bond.
• Apply Proper Coats. As stated earlier, we want to ensure we apply quality coats of paint with a minimum of 2 coats to any project. In some cases or areas, 3 coats may be necessary.

Consider Legacy Painting

At Legacy Painting, we take pride in our work. We will treat every exterior house painting or commercial painting project with the attention and craftsmanship the customer expects. As a result of our quality work, many of our satisfied customers have provided great referrals over the years and we will continue to do our very best.

If you’re looking for an Indianapolis residential or commercial painter for your next exterior painting project, consider Legacy Painting!

Call (317) 426-7228