Exterior House Painting
Services

Is there peeling paint that needs to be scraped off? After scraping does the bare wood show?

If it does, we will many times use wood putty to fill holes or old paint to make it smooth. If it is just bare wood, we will have to paint it with a primer first, before applying a finished topcoat.

We have written an article on what needs to be done with Peeling Paint Before Painting

What condition is the brick, stucco and stem walls?

In the case of stucco, we might have to scrape off loose sections and fill in the gouges or holes with a patch compound called Fix-it-All and then match the texture with stucco patch.

The stem wall will need to be inspected for a white powder that is a result of water seepage called efflorescence crystals.

That will need to be scraped or wire brushed off and a water sealer painted on called Drylok, before painting over with a topcoat.

You can go here on more information on our blog for Stem Wall Before Painting

How about cracks or gaps in the wood or stucco? The older a house is, the more these will show up and will need lots of calking to fill in the cracks.

 We recommend a high grade acrylic caulk, like Alex Plus made by DAP, to seal them up from the elements.

What shape is the entry and patio ceiling in? Many times, the old paint and drywall tape is peeling off. We will need to scrape that off, apply a primer on the bare drywall before taping and texturing and then put a topcoat of paint on.

Sometimes we have to replace sections of the drywall that are beyond repair with new pieces before taping and texturing.

What condition are the wood gables and eaves are in, especially the side of the house or building that receives the most sunlight? That is a big problem in Arizona and the south western USA.

Many times, the wood is so worn-out that just spraying the paint is not enough no matter how coats you put on it, so we do a technique called backrolling.

This is when you spray paint on the wood and a second painter will immediately follow with a roller over the same area while it is wet.

This will then help the paint to burry deep into the worn-out wood and bring life back into it and also fill many of the hairline to medium cracks.

We wrote a blog about prepping out out wood on the exterior of a house before painting “Residential Painters are the Jack of All Trades” when it comes to preparation and wood replacement.

We will also do minor wood replacement, depending on how much needs to be done.

If it is too extensive, we can recommend a contractor to do the work and then we can prime that out when the contractor is done.

Pulling away the dirt and gravel from the foundation is something that is very important.

That gives us a better idea what condition the stem or foundation wall is in and it allows us to paint much further down and not have over spray on the ground.

After we are done spraying, we then push all the dirt and gravel back. This makes for a very tidy look to the building or house when completed.

We cover all walkways with heavy duty tarps as well as pulling back plants and shrubs and then covering them with plastic so no over or drifting spray can fall on them.

You can buy cheap tarps but it’s better to spend the money and upgrade and have a heavy tarp to protect your home with.

Window Screens are forgotten objects when painting the outside of a house but should be considered as part of the painting job for the professional painter and owner alike.

We have painted homes that really look great with a new coat of paint but now the old faded screens stick out like a sore thumb.

They did not show up so badly because the rest of the house had old paint that was faded, so they were not so noticeable but now that the house is done, they do stick out.

This worn out faded look will show up on the sides of the house that receives the most sun throughout the year.

We wrote a blog on preparation and care of Window Screens on a paint job.

As you can see, there is much to be done in the way of preparation, or prep work, on every professional paint job.

We not only use the best paint in the way of top coat but undercoat and primer.

When waterproofing on a stem wall we use:Drylok.  America’s number one selling masonry paint, DRYLOK® is available in a number of specialty formulations, all developed to deliver optimal performance for your masonry care and repair projects.

We use Alex Plus Caulk for cracks and gaps. America’s #1 selling latex caulk. A superior quality, all-purpose acrylic latex caulk plus silicone that is is highly flexible, durable, and has excellent adhesion to create a long lasting waterproof seal. 

Fix-It-All for patching compound that does not shrink and is a hard bond and is fiber reinforced so it can be sewed, drilled, filled or sanded after drying.

Bondo Wood Filler provides stable, durable repair for wood surfaces on a broad range of projects inside and outside the home.

Kilz ultimate water based stain and odor blocker helps to seal in odors, so they don’t seep out.

We use Dunn Edwards Paints for primer and exterior top coat for the exterior of your home. Their exterior paint and outdoors paint primers are top of the line and stand up to the wear and tear of seasonal weather. 

We also use top-of-the line Pro Behr Paint depending on what the job calls for.