It’s no secret that wood siding looks best when it is taken care for. That’s why having a paint job is certainly a good idea and a wise investment as it not only makes your home look fabulous, but also helps keep the house exterior in a good health so that you don’t need to carry out extensive repairs too often. Where should you start from? Your local branch of True Value is the place where you can get the opinion of experienced professionals as well as the products that you will need to give your home’s wood siding the best possible look. After that just follow the instructions below.
Preparation
Check the external surface of the siding in order to detect problems with your home’s wood siding. These may include rotted or wet wood, mildew, open seams or joint or peeling paint. Once found, these problems should be dealt with before you can proceed with painting.
Before you start peeling of the loose paint, make sure you have covered the ground below your home’s wood siding with something to avoid falling of the paint directly to the ground and remaining there. The best way to get rid of the loose paint is with the help of paint scraper. After you are done with this, you can proceed with sanding. You should make sure the edges formed by the scraped and the painted areas are smooth enough (the process is known as feathering). It is necessary because painting makes the edges and ridges more obvious, contrary to the popular expectation that it will hide them.
Have in mind that the paint flakes at joints where two different materials meet – like the glass and the window frame or the trim and the siding. This is because these places are vulnerable to water and when it penetrates there, it causes the wood to swell and shrink. That’s why you need to get rid of any old and damaged caulk, to clean the problematic area with a brush (stiff type) and to add paintable calk with the help of a gun for caulking, but only when the area is completely dry.
Before you start painting, you need to take care of the small bumps on the wood with the help of exterior spackling compound. If there is a bigger roughness or some other area that may cause problems, you can fix it by using a two-part polyester resin filter – it will help you repair any damaged wood or holes.
You will also have to clean your home’s wood siding surface really good. For the aim, purchase or rent a pressure washer and make sure you clean the exterior of your home with it. Then you will have to remove the detachable parts so that they don’t slow the process. If there are parts that cannot be removed and shouldn’t be painted, you may cover them so that you don’t catch them with the brush.
You will also need to have in mind that paint won’t cover well that wood areas you cleaned by sanding. The solution to this is the premium sealer, which can be applied with the help of a spray applicator, roller or brush to the areas that need it. You will have to wait till the treated areas are completely dry before you start painting.
Paint!
You can paint your siding with a spray applicator, roller or brush. You need to start from top to bottom. First paint the walls and after them – the trim. Have in mind that smooth surfaces absorb less paint than the rough ones and try to apply the paint evenly.
When you finish painting, check once more every section for spots you have missed, drips and spills. When the paint dries you can attach the elements you detached earlier and the shutters. And you are done! You have successfully repainted your home’s wood siding all by yourself and not it looks better than ever and is protected from the blows of time for a few years to come.