Painter In Massachusetts

With the arrival of spring, it's time to freshen up your home, both inside and out. With the help of a professional house painter, I've come up with a list of five things that most people do wrong when they are painting the outside of their home. Here they are:

-I always wash the exterior before I paint. I don't wash it all at once, I start with the side that I want to paint first. A quality paint job takes time, and there's no sense in washing the entire outside of the house only to have dirt built up by the time you get around to painting the next side.

-Color choice is very important. We've all seen that house that's painted a weird or even ugly color. Be careful in selecting a color- look through magazines, look at the houses around you, and look through exterior paint color pamphlets. These are specially designed to help in the selection of an appropriate exterior color, and can be found at any good paint store.

-Equally important is the use of high-quality paint. I always use a brand-name paint, every job, every time. It doesn't make sense to do otherwise- use a lower-quality paint, and the paint job won't last as long or look as good. Why waste time and money? Personally, I recommend the use of Benjamin Moore paint, their brand has stood the test of time and can be counted on to deliver consistent results.

-Choose a latex-based paint for exterior painting jobs, especially if you're a contractor doing a job for a customer. People want durability and quality! Oil-based coatings have a tendency to peel and crack over time, while latex paint can bend, "breathe" and stay flexible, letting moisture escape from underneath and avoiding mold and peeling. Use oil-based primer only on bare wood.

-If you decide to stain instead of paint, there are quite a few good exterior, latex based stains. Solid body stain, which looks like regular paint, is made for rough wood like that used on siding. If you have a natural wood colored siding, you'll want a semi-transparent, oil-based stain- because the oil can soak down into the wood. This will protect the wood from the elements for a long time. One coat usually does the trick.

Follow these tips, and your next painting job will go smoothly and easily, and will look great!