Advice for painting house exterior

A

Ash

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Like a lot of people these days, I now have more time and less money for house maintenance.

The house exterior could really do with being freshly painted and I'm considering taking it on myself. I've painted interiors - a few years back now - but never taken on a project outdoors. It is a fairly large one storey but it would be a big project for me, fascias, walls including some high gables, windows, doors.

I know preparation is key, from having the right tools to getting the surface ready.

What I'm looking for if people care to share their thoughts and expertise is advice on
the essential tools to paint exteriors
the best paints to get
and,
where to get the best value in these supplies e.g. builders suppliers vs home improvement stores, etc. As I said, funds dont extend as far as they used to.

Any helpful advice, thoughts or observations on the project would be very welcome.
 
Make sure you prepare all surfaces properly or they'll just flake a few months after you paint them.
 
You may get some advice from previous threads.

Presumably you have a head for heights :)

I have a gra for Dulux Weathershield although its not cheap but I feel it pays off in the long run. You may find offers on B&Q, Woodies etc.
 
Painting House Exterior - Cost

Looking for advice re painting a house for the first time. We have a 2 storey 2100 square foot house and a large double garage all with a knapp plaster finish. We got a quote from a painter for €2150(labour only) to paint the house and garage, 3 coats. Is this a reasonable quote??
All advice greatly appreciated!!
 
Make sure your ladder is firmly in place and be extremely careful. Do not reach out left or right too much when painting as this can cause an accident. Dont want to frighten you but falls from ladders are usually very very serious so care is the word. Good luck
 
I've successfully painted my own house (2 storey) in the past; a very welcome loan of free scaffolding made all the difference for the gable end though.

I tried going up on a ladder on the gable and just couldn't do it, I've happily done rock climbing/abseiling so it wasn't heights, more the safety aspect and the worry about the consequences if I was injured

On your own it does take some time and allow for the fact that you're not a professional (no offence intended), but you won't be as fast as someone who does it for a living. I think I spent about two weeks at it (took holidays from work), but then again I had to stop painting to collect children from school, make dinner, supervise homework, stop sibling rows...all that sort of stuff!

Compare that to getting it painted this summer (thankfully I don't have to do it myself anymore!); 2 first-class painters took them 3 full days.

Having said all that, it is quite do-able (and if a middle-aged, not terribly fit woman can do it anyone can! :p); take your time, plan your work and you'll be fine.

Personally I'm a Colortrend fan; haven't used anything else for almost 20 years. Major, major plus when doing exteriors is how quickly it dries.
 
i can second what Sue Ellen says. dulux weathershield is fantastic. Top-tip. Move your car
 
Thirsty said:
Personally I'm a Colortrend fan; haven't used anything else for almost 20 years. Major, major plus when doing exteriors is how quickly it dries.
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I'm a colortrend fan also and am currently planning my first painting of our new house. I expect it will take me 3 days to do the first coat and 2 days for the second.
I don't want the hassle of putting up scaffolding so I am going with a cherry picker.
I'll get a pro in for the chimneys though. There's no way I am going up there...
 
About to tackle painting our house for the first time myself too (with a little helped roped in hopefully!) and will be using Colortrend, used it inside and it's brilliant paint, touches up and blends with existing which is great for maintaining. Is dearer but think it's worth it, as they say you get what you pay for!
Good luck
 
Have used both Colortrend and Dulux weathershield and found both very good. I think there is a better range of colours with Colortrend

My Tips.
Paint sample of colours to be sure it is to your expectations.
Protect ground and windows with old sheets or similar.
Bend heavy rigid wire in a hook and secure to ladder so that you can hang bucket when using brush to touch-in. Remove hanging bucket when moving ladder. Have someone at base of ladder when you are up high. Take your time and take care.
All the best and hope it goes well. Your satisfaction will be immense when the job is complete.
 
VOR said:
I'm a colortrend fan also and am currently planning my first painting of our new house. I expect it will take me 3 days to do the first coat and 2 days for the second.
Click to expand...

I use Sandtex masonary paint.

But it only gets one coat.

I never saw anyone giving a second coat externally.
 
We are planning on tackling this job too....infact my other half is out removing loose paint from the boundary walls at the moment. Colour Trend seems to be a popular choice but all of our neighbours have used Fleetwood and swear by it. Whats the general thought on this product.?
 
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