What steps are necessary to prepare the exterior for painting?
Always clean surfaces by means of power washing with a biodegradable bleach solution or house wash. This will remove any surface mildew, chalkiness, loose or peeling paint, etc. Next, depending on the amount of time our customer is willing to pay for comes scraping loose, failing paint, hand sanding or electric sanding to get down to a smooth surface. Different surfaces or substrates will require different methods and a combination of approaches to achieve the best result. Ultimately, a very old surface, painted numerous times (that may be alligorating or peeling very badly) may be a candidate for using an exterior type of spackle sandwiched between two layers of oil primer. This may be the best way to achieve a smooth substrate again. Carpentry repairs need to be made at this time to replace rotted wood, fill in carpenter bee or woodpecker holes, etc. All open joints around windows, doors and exterior trim should also be recaulked.
