Painting the outside of your home is a fantastic way to improve curb appeal and increase property value. It’s a huge project and requires some serious time and effort. It’s one of those projects that can be done by a solid DIY person, but could also be done by a professional house painter if necessary. For those that want to jump in and try for themselves, here’s some great tips to get you started. Remember, always do what you can and don’t overwhelm yourself. Painting is a project that you could start on your own and this still hire a pro later on to finish.

  1. Plan appropriately

Planning is crucial in a large project like this. Make sure you take the time to plan and research everything you need. Reading this article is a good first step, but you’ll need to do even more. One big aspect to never forget is checking the weather forecast. Exterior painting will take several days to complete and you want to pick a stretch with no rain (and ideally no big wind storms). You also need to plan the materials list and buy or rent all necessary equipment for the job. This is crucial because running to the hardware store eats precious time away.

  1. Prepare the house thoroughly

Preparation is the next key element in proper exterior painting. Hopefully during the planning and research phase, you noted which type of siding you have on the home. Vinyl siding will paint much differently than brick or metal. Knowing this will help you prepare accordingly. The first prep item is cleaning and preparing the siding for paint. If you have chips or cracks in the siding, fix those first. This could be done with caulk or any type of silicone sealant. If you have a brick or other siding type, you might need to use a mortar or similar substance.

  1. Get the proper amount of paint and get started

Choose your painting style after all your research (brush roll or spray paint) and get started. You should have done all the necessary research during the beginning phase and now it’s time to get started. Make sure to avoid getting paint on items you don’t want to – think of landscape and the roof. After all, who wants a painted roof? Typically, most homes will require two coats of paint to get the true color of what you wanted. So prepare to paint twice. This step should go quickly and smooth if you’ve done the prep work ahead of time.

  1. Enjoy the work and clean up accordingly.

Make sure you properly dispose of any extra paint. Follow your local guidelines for this step. Once all that’s been accomplished, step back and enjoy your work. House painting is one of those projects that has massive rewards because you can see your completion quickly. So take a minute to love what you’ve done and gear up for the next project!