Tags: Home Improvement, Painting, General Construction, Remodeling
Ready to give your home a face lift with a fresh coat of exterior house paint? The exterior of your house is the last thing you see when you pull out of the driveway and the first things you see when you get home. Because of this it is important to make sure the your homes exterior is just as beautiful as the interior.
Once you have decided to paint, there are a few things you should know. The #1 most important thing is to ensure proper preparation prior to painting. Incidentally labor accounts for the largest share of the cost, while paint usually accounts for 15-20% of the total cost. When prepping your home for painting there are certain steps that shouldn't be overlooked:
The 2nd question many homeowners have is whether to spray or brush/roll the paint. Years ago, brushing/rolling the entire exterior of your home was feasable. Today, it might not be feasable or cost effective to find a painting contractor to hand brush/roll your entire exterior at a reasonable price. The best way to go is to have a professional spray job with plenty of backrolling and brushing to get good coverage, fill cracks and cover of rough edges. Ask your contractor about elastomeric or elastomeric/acrylic blend paint, which gives excellent coverage. Although the paint will be a bit more expensive, since paint is only 15-20% of the total cost, this is not an area worth skimping on.
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The 3rd consideration is paint color. Very dark paint can fade over time and unevenly due to different sun exposure. The main things to remember is to select colors that compliment your architecture and your interior style. Ask your contractor for help in color selection or go to a local hardware store and choose a few color swatches to narrow down your selection. Just remember to check out your color in different intensities of daylight as colors change depended on lighting.
Of course you should always make sure that any home improvement contractor you hire is licensed (where required) and insured to protect yourself from inadvertent damage that can occur anytime work is being done on your home.
Now that you know what to look for in a great paint job, give your house the facelift it needs with a fresh coat of exterior house paint!
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