About the Business

Prep work on a home's exterior includes scraping, sanding, caulking, repairing/filling holes and cracks, and sometimes power washing and priming. On average, these tasks cost $25 to $50 per hour per painter, or 50 cents to $2.50 per square foot.
Don't paint your house yourself unless you have the time, tools, skills and stamina to do the work. Depending on the size and height of your house and the condition of the existing siding, preparing and painting a house on your own can be a tedious, difficult job. Exteriors should be painted every 5 to 10 years, depending on the quality of paint and craftsmanship it was painted with last time. Here are some guidelines based on exterior surface: Wood surfaces need to be painted every 3 to 7 years. Aluminum siding needs to be painted about every 5 years.
Wash. A thorough scrubbing is a must before painting any exterior surface. It removes the dirt and broken-down paint residues that keep fresh coats from adhering and gets rid of mildew that grows on paint in all but the most arid climates.Wood siding and trim should be ready to paint after a day or two of dry weather. An average-size house will take an average of three to four days to paint with a team of two to three people. In this case, we'll define “average” as a home with one to two stories and four or fewer bedrooms. A large house, such as a three-story or five-plus-bedroom home, will take five to six days. Most homes need to be painted every 7 to 10 years, but the actual timeframe varies by material and region. For example, cement fiberboard siding needs repainting every 10 to 15 years, but more traditional cladding needs painting more often. Pressure washing will not only remove the dirt and grime, but it can also remove old, chipped paint that may cause discrepancies in you new paint job. In short, forgoing the pressure washing step will likely cause a lot of injustice to your new paint job!
It is technically possible to paint an interior paint over an exterior paint. However, the binding process will be poor unless a primer is used first. This is a lot of work for a paint layer that won't hold up to the outside elements for any length of time.
If you're painting an old shed, you'll need to sand it to remove old and flaky paint. Wrap some sandpaper around a block and start sanding in the direction of the woodgrain to ensure you cover every bit of your shed and remove all the old paint. Treating your shed is essential if you want it to last a long time.
The main differences between interior and exterior paints are resins and additives. The binding resins for interior paints are rigid. They allow interior paint to be cleaned easily and are stain resistant.To withstand extreme weather conditions, exterior paints are designed to endure.
Another best practice is to prime stucco before painting, as primer functions as an intermediary between the stucco and coating. It also stops stucco from drawing moisture from the coating and discoloring it. A good, alkali-resistant primer will help your coating provide greater coverage and better performance.