There are several steps involved in a professional exterior painting job. Each one has its own specific:
- Time frame
- Needs
- Requirements.
We will tell you what happens during each step of the way. With this information, you can manage your expectations.
The initial assessment and quote
A good painter will conduct a thorough walk around the exterior of the house to:
- Look at the condition of the existing paint
- Identify window and door trim peeling
- Identify cracking or bubbling
- Check the condition of caulking around doors and windows
- Identify the type of substrate, wood, stucco, brick, fibre cement etc.
These things will determine:
- The amount of preparation work involved
- The pricing of the job.
A detailed quote for professional exterior painting services should include all costs for:
- Preparation
- Priming
- The number of coats
- Labor separately.
This way, you will know exactly what you are paying for. Beware of estimates that come without an inspection of the premises. A painter who doesn’t see the property is either going on a guess or will be skimping on some details.
Surface preparation
The crew will take a lot of time to pressure wash the exterior of the building. This is necessary to remove:
- Dirt
- Mildew
- Chalking
- Loose paint.
When the surface is dry:
- They scrape any loose or peeling paint
- The surface is sanded smooth
- Cracks, gaps and holes are filled with appropriate filler or caulk
- Any broken caulk around windows, doors and trim is completely removed and replaced
- Primer is applied to bare timber or other surfaces.
The biggest mistake is to skip or rush the prep stage. This results in short-lived exterior paintwork.
Protection and masking
A professional crew will cover all non-paintable items before any painting. Drop cloths or plastic sheeting are placed over:
- Garden beds
- Pathways
- Driveways
- Outdoor furniture
- Plants near the house.
Any architectural features and windows/doors not being painted are carefully masked. This results in a precise job.
The painting phase
Usually, work starts at the top of the house:
- Fascias and soffits
- Then walls
- Then trim
- Then doors and detail work.
This sequence prevents drips from upper areas falling on recently painted lower areas. The painting work can take from 2 days to more than a week depending on:
- The size of the property
- Complexity of the work.
Weather is a big factor in the timeline. Professional painters will track the forecast. They will stop work if the weather might affect the paint’s range.
Inspection and touch-ups
This is the last step after the paint is completely dry. The crew performs a thorough check of the exterior for:
- Thin areas
- Missed places
- Drips
- Areas that the finish did not meet specifications.
They do some touch-ups before the job is signed off.
The last words
A well-done exterior paint job will look good for many years to come as compared to a hastily completed painting job.