Exterior house painting is a fantastic way to maintain and beautiful the wood siding on a home, but it’s essential to do things correctly. If you make certain exterior painting mistakes on your home, you may suffer the consequences- essentially, a shortened life for your brand new paint job. Read on to learn more about the most common exterior home painting mistakes that we at Home Makeover Systems in Longwood, FL often encounter, and how you can avoid them. If you’re looking for exterior house painting Orlando residents trust, call Home Makeover Systems today!

Avoiding The Most Common Exterior Painting Mistakes

Here are some of the most common exterior painting mistakes that homeowners trying to paint on their own often make, and which can end up shortening the life for their paint job. 

• Not enough surface preparation- It’s important to smooth rough edges on old paint prior to painting, as good surface preparation is essential when you do any sort of house painting. After you scrape away loose, flaking, or peeling paint, the old coat that remains in place will most likely have rough edges. If these edges are not sanded properly, then the new paint will flow over them in a very thin coat, which creates areas that are vulnerable to failure. 
• Not preparing weathered wood properly- You should always prepare weathered wood properly, as painting bare wood that has been exposed to the elements for even a few weeks can result in cracking and peeling after only a year or two. This problem can typically be solved by thoroughly sanding the weathered wood, then priming prior to painting.
• Not using primer- Pretty much any exterior paint job can benefit from a coat of primer, but it’s especially important to prime wood that has not been previously painted. The same holds true for any wood that is unpainted, either due to the fact that it has peeled or flaked off, or due to rigorous scraping and sanding throughout surface preparation. 

Common Home Painting Mistakes We See

• Not correcting moisture sources behind the wood- It’s important to correct any moisture behind the wood, since moisture seeping from behind can result in blistering and peeling. Careful caulking can resolve most of these problems, and among the areas to check are open seams at corner joints and anywhere windows and doors are joined to the walls. It’s important to seal any splits or cracks within the siding with paintable siliconized acrylic caulk, and if any wood seems structurally unsound, it’s wise to call in a pro to ensure that it doesn’t need to be replaced.
• Not applying paint at the proper spread rate- One of the most common mistakes in exterior house painting Orlando residents commit is to not apply paint at the proper spread rate. Paints work the best when applied at the recommended spread rate, which means that if you try to economize by thinning it out or applying it in too thin a coat, it is probably going to fail early. There may be cracking and peeling, and also result in greater susceptibility to mildew formation.

Contact Us Today

There are certain things to keep in mind when doing home painting in order for the optimal results. If you’re looking for exterior house painting Orlando residents trust, call Home Makeover Systems in Longwood, FL today!