I have to paint my house soon and need to know the best steps to going about doing it.?

Question

My house has wood siding. I need to strip the older, flaky paint, re-paint and seal it. I have never done this before. After scraping the old paint, what grit(or grits) of sandpaper should I sand with? And should I get some type of sealer for after I paint to keep it looking good for several years. HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

i suggest pressure washing to get rid of flaking paint . it is much quicker.(you can rent one) the paint store will help you with the undercoat and paint(latex)

Answer 2

Go spend some time at an independent paint store (Benjamin-Moore, Kelly-Moore, etc.) They can give you lots of free and useful advice and they sell fully-compatible paints (primers and top coats), along with all the supplies you need.

Preparation is the key to a good, long-lasting paint job. You can use a medium-grit sandpaper for the majority of your sanding, eg 150 grit. A coarse grit (50 to 80) is ok for sanding a lot of loose paint quickly, but it can leave gouges, so you need to use a finer grit to leave a smooth finish for your paint to look good. Get a scraper tool to remove a lot of paint on wide, smooth surfaces, such as clapboards or window sills. A wire brush is good to remove paint on metal gutters.

Remove all rotted wood and either replace it with new wood or fill with an epoxy-based wood filler material.

Wash all the dust, dirt and loose paint from your walls, eaves and soffit areas. You can rent a high pressure sprayer or use your garden hose on full blast. In particularly dirty spots, wash with a solution of TSP, warm water and a couple drops of dish soap, and rinse well. Remove all mold and mildew with water and bleach, then rinse. Paint will not stick to dust, and mildew will grow right thru your paint.

After the water dries, check for any exposed nails or fastens and sand away the rust. Touch up the nails with a high quality alkyd-based primer (today's oil-based paints) that is compatible with your top coat. Over bare wood, I would recommend 2 coats of primer. You can ask to have it tinted to match your top coat, particularly if your final paint is deep or saturated in color.

After the primer dries, paint everything else. Most people use latex (PVA - poly vinyl acrylic) paints, which are excellent for outdoors. Walls, eaves and soffits get painted first (especially if all the same color), then do your trim. I recommend using a semi-gloss or full gloss 'enamel' trim paint. The added resins in those formulas provide a long life compared to flat paints.

You can spray or brush on wood, and use a roller for stucco or large flat areas.

Use a high-quality paint brush for the trim work - Purdy makes some of the best brushes you can buy and they last for years if well-cared for. Choose brushes that are compatible with your paints. Nylon for latex; china bristle for oil/alkyd.

Take your time and you will be very pleased with your painting.

Answer 3

Hi,I really feel for you. That's an very huge job ,Hope you'll have help. Preparation is 90% of the paint job.Any paint job. I would rent a pressure washer, and after you wash it down,you'll need to wire brush it, to get loose paint chips off. Than, you'll need to,sand any rough spots, Spackle any holes,or chipped wood,Use exterior Spackle. After that is finished, you want to use a good exterior sealer in the tube. (Make sure it's a paintable sealer) Use that to seal around window frames,door frames,hose bibs,pipes, etc.Next comes the primer. If you want a long lasting paint job, use a oil base exterior primer. Preferably close to the color your going to paint your house,the paint store can mix it for you.You'll also heed some rusty metal primer to prime around pipes,nails. You have to remember to let everything dry fully, between steps,or you'll end up with paint that will crack,and peel in no time, Next comes your paint. Use water base,(it's easier). I would use a flat or eggshell on the walls, and a satin or semi -gloss for the trim.remember you'll need brushes(natural bristle for oil paints, synthetic for water-base,or latex.)Rollers,Med. or high nap for textured surface,smooth nap for smooth surfaces. You'll also need roller handles,roller pan and liners,a bucket or two,(cardboard ones are fine) Tarps,paint thinner,putty knives,Masking tape, sandpaper,and don't forget to get stir sticks! Have fun.Oh, use 100-150 grit sandpaper.

Answer 4

Hi,
I hope I'll be able to help out. If it's outside you're doing, first scape off the loose pieces of paint. Use the tough grit, not to tough tho. Wear gloves to protect your hands when sanding. After you have done this, use the kitz primer, covering everything.
It really works well if you have places hard to cover, like if you're doing inside ceilings, this works great. Give it time to dry good, then use a good grade of paint. Not this cheap paint that's like water.
Before you start painting, open the paint can, have a stir stick handy. If it's water base paint, you'll need to thin it out some with a small amount of water. If you don't thin it out, it will be harder to apply with the brush.
If it's oil base paint, if you have paint thinner, use a small amount of it to thin it out. This is willl help the paint to go on smoother. If it's outside job, I would suggest you use the emamal, oil base paint.
This will last longer than the water base paint. You also might have to go two coats after you apply the kilz. You can buy this at any Lowes, Wal-mart etc. if you don't want to have the paint brush to come apart while you're painting. Buy a better grade paint brush.
When you're done painting, you can put thinner in a bucket with your brushes. This will keep the brushes from harden on you. Same with water base paint, make sure weh ncleaning your brushes, etc.
Wash then out good, shake off the excess. This will make it easier to use next time around, if you have another project you want to do. This will save you from having to re-buy more brushes.
Good luck to you, I hope this will help you out. If you can, let me know how things turn out for you.

Answer 5

After scraping off the old paint get some filler and fill all the gaps.

After filling all the gaps apply an undercoat. This is the first layer of painting onto which the final paint will coat.

After applying the undercoat then choose the paint of your choice as a final touch. It is advisable to apply the first coat and once this dries then apply the second coat.

Answer 6

Call your local college. College kids usually have a little business while going to school to help defray tuition cost. They work for reasonable wages.

Answer 7

Better have all grits eliminated for long-lasting repaint

Answer 8

GET PROFESSIONAL HELP! DO NOT LET YOUR PRIDE GET THE BETTER OF YOU! trust me on this!