EXTERIOR
PREP PAINT

Exterior Set Up---Garages

• Cover any areas with dropcloths
• Starting with the "High Work", scrape off loose Paint and if the surface is very dirty, Wash it by hand using soap and water with a rag or a "Car Wash Brush" screwed onto your extension stick, then rinse with a garden hose, then allow ample time for drying or wipe it dry by hand using rags
• Power Washing should only be used for certain situations because it can DAMAGE surfaces, usually the plain old Garden Hose will do... even with dirty aluminum or vinyl siding, hand washing is best
• Spackle all cracks, holes or other areas that need it and do it as explained in Interior Spackling
• Caulk all cracks and edges around windows, door casings or wherever you find it's necessary and use the technique as instructed in Interior Caulking
• Sand any rough areas, but be ADVISED that Exterior Repairs will not be expected to be nearly as smooth as Interior Repairs, so don't even try to get them perfectly smooth
• TAPE (using 1 inch Masking Tape) where necessary around cement or trim that you cannot effectively Brush without getting Paint on it...
• Now PRIME (spot Prime if only some small areas require it) where necessary... Please see our Section on Priming ...if Grease or other stains are present, you need to seal them with an Oil-Base Sealer-Primer, otherwise use Exterior Oil-Base Wood Primer... SEE our Exterior Materials page
• Now start Painting, being careful to NOT drip Paint onto Brick, or Cement work... Do the Brushing and then do the Rolling using the same techniques you used for Interior Painting
• Use a 1/2 inch nap Roller Cover (Skin) for most work, but for Brick, Block or other Coarse surfaces... use a 3/4 inch Skin
• For Clapboard, Vinyl or Aluminum Siding... Brush the area underneath where the overlap exists, then Roll Sideways and Roll the rest of the siding... NOTE: Pros sometimes Roll the underside lip of the overlap, using the tip of the open end of the Roller, jamming it into the edge... then when Rolling Sideways over the face, they butt up to the underside edge as they Roll... then they check the underside edge for any "misses" and touch them up with a Brush... this technique eliminates lots of Brushing and saves lots of time, but requires a little PRACTICE... another technique is to position the full roller flush against the underside of the overlap edge, then SLIDE it (without rolling it) SIDEWAYS along the underside lip for a few feet to coat this edge area... this again requires PRACTICE to avoid building up too much paint and causing dripping...
• Do Doors and Window Trim LAST (see Tip below) after you do the Overhang, Soffits, Ceilings, Gutters and Downspouts, and Siding
• If you have perhaps two Colors, say White for almost all of the work, and maybe brown for the Gutters and Downspouts, then do the White first, then do the color last
• Exercise CAUTION when working outside...holes, bushes etc. can cause accidents, spilled Paint or injury
• If it looks like rain, cover any flat horizontal surfaces with plastic dropcloths... vertical surfaces and underhang will be OK after at least 1-2 hours drying time
• Finally, clean-up each time you quit for the day... square-up your shop, clean your tools and use Alcohol to help with Latex Paint clean-up

Exterior Set Up---Garages

When Painting Window Trim, be sure to remove old PUTTY and replace it before Brushing the Window Panes! [read all the tips]

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