Perhaps you think that painting the interior of your house is something that you can do yourself, while the exterior would require the services of a professional. Of course, there is some degree of truth in that, as the exterior typically requires much more finishing in order to give the best looks, whereas interior walls are likely already smooth enough for repainting. Also, exterior paint needs to stand up to the daily wear and tear of the weather. But with the proper time and effort spent for painting the exterior of your house, you can still achieve the looks of a professional paint job. Remember, preparing the surfaces properly means that the paint will last longer, and the overall look will also be visibly better. Surely, it will take you longer to prepare the different surfaces compared to someone who is experienced with it, but if you are up for the fun, about 2-5 hours can be allocated for the various pre-paint tasks.


Step 1. There are a variety of pre-paint tasks depending on the house. These generally include the following things for you to do: first, remove the shutters if you prefer; fill up holes in the eaves or wood trim using wood fillers; sand the rough and weathered paint off from existing eaves and trim; cover all air conditioning units that protrude out the exterior wall; go through the whole exterior to get rid of all wasps’ nests or spider webs; glaze the windows; clean the surfaces you will be painting; and clear shrubs or dirt away from the base of your house.

Step 2. After you clean the wooden surfaces, sand the wood eaves, trim and moldings with rough-grit 40- to 60-grit sandpaper. If you have access to a disc sander, this will make the task go faster. When you remove the old paint, be sure to remove all the rough edges, even if you cannot get rid of all the paint. This will ensure that the new coat of paint will stick properly. If you require paint removal for some areas, use paint thinner to dissolve the old paint and then wipe or wash it off, making sure you wear safety gloves as you do so.

Step 3. With an old paintbrush, sweep the wood particles and dust away from the sanded surfaces. This will ensure that the wood surfaces are all smooth and allow the paint to adhere properly. Apply primer to the wood surfaces for optimum results; semi-enamel exterior latex paint will then be a good choice for the final coat, as this resists weather.

Step 4. Make sure that you properly prepare all the exterior surfaces of your house. This includes the body, the trim, the windows, and the doors. Apply the same sanding technique to all these components, and subsequently clean off the dust and wood particles.