Exterior Painting Done Right
Painting your home is a big project that cannot be done any time of the year. Homeowners wanting to refresh their home's exterior paint have a lot of questions regarding the timing and process. The main questions Painterati receives about painting a home are:
When is the Best Time to Paint?
Generally, we suggest painting a home's exterior should be done in the warmer months. This allows for less risks of weather changes and higher temperatures to speed up the drying process. Living in Minnesota, we suggest beginning your exterior painting project between May and September.
However, this is not the case for everyone, as long as you have warm, steady temperatures and good weather you can paint any time. Just remember you will be needing multiple days of clear skies and warm weather to complete this project so plan accordingly!
How Long will it Take to Paint?
The time required to paint your homes exterior is depended on a lot of things. Including the size of your house, the state of the current paint, the replacement color chosen, and the houses structure. Average homes take about four to five days depending on the size and skill of the labor staff.
Also, if your current paint is darker than your replacement paint you may need to schedule more time as additional coats may be required. Houses with arcs or more complex spaces that need to be painted you should schedule more time.
How Does Weather Effect Painting?
In order for your painting project to turn out well, weather needs to cooperate as it effects the condition of the drying paint. Conditions like rain, wind, and snow all will alter your paint as you are applying or waiting for it to dry.
One thing that homeowners do not consider when beginning their project is that their exterior surface must be one hundred percent dry for best results. Our experts suggest waiting three days after it has rained before painting to ensure your surface is dry.
In addition, be aware of expected temperature fluctuations from day to night. A sudden extreme drop in temperatures can effect the way the paint curates. Leaving you with a less smooth surface that is prone to cracking and peeling down the road.
Overall, we suggest painting at a time where the weather is consistently warm with no storms.
How Much Does Exterior Painting Cost?
The cost of painting your home is dependent on the size of the space, difficulty of the painting, wages, and the paint you choose. Typically, a 2,400 square foot, two story home averages around $2,500 including paint and labor. In general is is safe to estimate that 100 square feet will cost around $60- 160 to paint.
For more information about average costs and for a more in depth estimations click here.
To schedule a Painterati home estimate click here or call us at 612-492-1888!
What Does a Good Painting Process Consist of?
Finally, Painterati has their own proven painting process that our team follows closely for superior results. While this article does not go into specifics surrounding that process we suggest making sure your painting process follows these steps:
1) Cleaning -We suggest you should power wash your home to remove any existing dirty and grime from the base layer before you begin painting. This typically takes a day or so and should be done a few days prior to painting to ensure the surface is fully dried.
2) Preparation- You will want to tape over any sections you do not want painted like window panels for example.
3) Painting- We suggest you set aside a couple days for your home to be painted depending on the size of your staff. This is the longest part of the process and may require additional time for priming and base coats.
4) Clean Up & Drying- After painting you will want to make sure your house has time to dry without weather interruptions and set time aside to clean up after the project.
5) Maintenance- This is a step that a lot of homeowners neglect that will save them a lot of money in the long run.
For information on Painterati's exterior painting click here.
To view examples of our work and our gallery click the blue highlighted word.