DIY Painting

In hot and humid climate, such as in Singapore, house paints are prone to wears and tears, too quickly. The paint fades away making a small but significant hole in the home’s first line of defense. Maintaining homes exterior is equally important as taking care of your rooms, alleys, bathrooms and kitchen.

Why? Here are few major reasons:

– Home exterior is meant to protect you from the harsh weather, monsoon rain, dust and other factors.
– A well-maintained home exterior is a sign of improved lifestyle. You can attract potential buyers and renters and charge handsome amount.
– Exterior paint protects your interior from water seepage that may enter through the walls, roofs and ground, and causes deterioration.
– A strong defense line in the shape of well-maintained home exterior is also meant to save energy and cut down utility expenses by keeping the internal environment at moderate temperature.

So, how can you maximize protection of your home exterior?

Identify the issue

If you observe these things, it’s time to think about repainting:

– Walls show cracks
– The paint starts to blister
– It peels off from different places

Leaving the paint as it is or delaying the repair works will only increase your problems. If you’re thinking that the job is only meant for professional painters, you’re wrong.

Other things, such as plumbing and electric wiring are also related to it, since exterior walls do carry electric wires, water pipes and drainage pipes. Therefore, it is better you let the Singapore handyman services take on the project that offers house painting, plumbing and electrical services in one package.
Right now, we’re focusing on professional painting tips you must know, whether you take on the project yourself or hire a pro.

1. Paint Type
There are two kinds of paint; Oil-based alkyds and Water-based latex paint.
Alkyd Paint: Most professional painters recommend you should paint your exterior with Alkyd paint, because of the following characteristics:

It’s stain-resistant,
It has a smooth flow
It lasts longer than latex paint, and

It dries with just a few strokes

With that said, strong smell and longer drying duration are the downsides of this paint.
Latex Paint: This kind of paint is more suited for interiors, however, it can also be applied on the exterior walls.

You can clean the walls with latex paint, by applying water and soap,
It dries faster than oil paint
It doesn’t smell too much, unlike alkyd paint.
It doesn’t develop cracks easily

Ensure that you buy latex paint with 100% acrylic resins.
You can apply latex paint on previously alkyd walls but you have to prime the surface thoroughly. It is to ensure that that new coat perfectly adheres with the base paint.

2. Preparing Surface
Follow these steps:

Remove dirt, grim, mildew and chalky residue from all the exterior surfaces. You can do it in two ways; either use a power spray, or hard bristle brush to hand-scrub all the surfaces.
You can apply the latex paint directly on surfaces that are in good condition or very few spots to work on. Scrap and sand those spots before applying the paint.
Bare wood needs to be primed before applying the paint.

3. Painting Brush vs. Roller
While both of the painting tools offer fast and impactful results, paint brush, with its sharp pointed end, can reach narrow surfaces, corners and small areas where rollers can’t go. For painting big plane surfaces, roller is a better option because it flows smoothly and the pressure is exerted equally to either end.

4. Best Way to Apply Paint
Follow these rules:

Apply the paint in the direction top-to-bottom.
Paint the bottom of the siding first then proceed to the broad surface.
Avoid leaving lap marks by brushing on wet surface to wet surface.
Start from few inches inside the already-painted surface to the other similar surface. Overlapping will vanish as the surface dries.

5. Painting High Walls Using the Ladder
Here are few tips for using the ladder:

Keep your hips in between the horizontal rails of the ladder.
Avoid stretching too far sideways. Instead, move the ladder to the spot and paint with ease.

Above mentioned pro tips will surely help you save a few bucks and paint the exterior of your home efficiently. If you need more DIY painting tips, further consultation or hire experts, you can call KiasuPlumber, one of the leading painting services in Singapore.