It’s that time of the year in Buffalo, NY, again: DIY project 
and home improvement time. There’s something about the weather getting warmer that inspires the home improvement task manager in all of us, and it even seems like the best time to paint your home.
When that happens, it seems everyone has a list of projects to complete that are about a mile long. High on that list is likely exterior house painting. But there’s a few things you need to know before you get started on your house painting project.
1.) Understand How Big the Project Is
A house is quite large, and so is the project required to paint it. The bigger your house, the bigger the project – especially if you have a second story home. Whether it’s a time constraint or safety concerns, it may be a good idea to leave your exterior house painting project to the exterior painting professionals.
2.) Do You Know if Your House has Lead?
Before 1978, lead was commonly used in paint. If your house was built before 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that your house be checked for lead.
If your house tests positive, the size of the project increases and it may be slightly dangerous. We recommend this is where you let the pro painters take over.
3.) Prep By Cleaning, Washing and Repairing
As you begin the project, surface prep is more important than ever. Paint doesn’t stick to dirt and it doesn’t cling to rotten boards. As you prepare, scrap off chipping wood, power wash away dirt and make any repairs to rotten or damaged boards. It’s a good time to do a thorough inspection of your house and get familiar with your home’s exterior.
Alternatively, this is when you can call the professional exterior painters to handle it. They’ll take over your exterior painting project here and handle the surface preparation for you.
4.) Keep Your Pets in Mind
If you have pets, specifically outdoor pets, they’ll be affected by the exterior painting project. With new materials introduced to their environment, not all of them healthy to be munched on, and people going around all sides of your house, any furry creatures you have ought to be considered. You may want to take them to a friend’s house during the day or keep them in the house. Whatever you do, it’s something to keep in mind.
5.) Protect, Protect, Protect the Environment
An important step with house painting is to cover the ground with drop clothes and just making sure the ground is protected. As you begin painting, you want to make sure that you have some kind of barrier in place – safely.
6.) Keep Your Eye on the Weather
On the best timeline, painting your house will take a couple of days between preparation, priming and painting. Because of that, it’s important to keep an eye on the weather. You want to make sure that it doesn’t get too cold (below 35 degrees) and that it doesn’t rain during the course of the project. You may need to take a pause in the middle of the exterior paint project if any rainy weather rolls it.
7.) Pick the Right Materials
From preparation to the actual paint, you want to get the right materials. High quality materials will make the project easier and have the results last longer.
In Conclusion
Before you start on your exterior house painting project, you want to be prepared from start to end. Get your game plan in order and your materials ready if you decide to tackle it yourself. But don’t be afraid to bow out.
Contact our professional exterior painters to get the project done on time with the results guaranteed. From surface preparation and high quality materials to safe painting practices and experience with lead paint, Paint of WNY is ready to help you with your exterior painting project.
Contact us for an estimate and for more information on why it's important, or learn more about our residential house painting here.