Exterior and Interior Painting: Best 101

Photo of author
Written By Eva Stock

I love gardening, building, making and fixing things. 

 

 

 

 

Getting ready to doo your exterior and interior painting is not a small thing. There is a lot to take care of, and more to consider before you start to paint, including taking off the older paint, sanding and sealing as well as selecting a new color.

Interior Painting

Before you start painting your room you will need to remove any furniture or other items from the walls. You can use painter’s tape to mark out where everything goes so you don’t get paint all over anything when you’re done.

If there are holes in the wall then fill them with spackle first. This helps prevent water getting behind the plasterboard and cause mold problems later down the line.

Next up is removing old wallpaper if you have some. Use an electric razor blade to cut through paper without damaging the surface underneath.

Make sure you wear gloves because the glue residue left behind after ripping the paper may irritate your skin. After you finish ridding the area of wallpaper make sure you clean away any debris such as staples and torn bits of paper.

Once you have removed the wallpaper you’ll want to prepare the walls for primer. To do this apply two coats of primer onto the entire wall. Wait at least 24 hours between each coat.

When applying the second coat be careful not to miss areas like windowsills and door frames. These parts require extra attention since they tend to absorb moisture which causes peeling issues.

Once you have completed priming the walls you’ll want to prime the ceiling too. Apply one coat of primer directly onto the ceiling followed by another layer of primer once the job has dried.

Once everything is dry you are now ready to begin painting Start by filling in cracks around doors and window frames. Paint these surfaces white to give the illusion of having no trim at all.

Then move on to painting the rest of the walls. For best results choose colors that complement each other rather than going for something bold and bright.

To Paint and Prep an Interior Wall You Will Need:

  • A roller brush
  • Primer Paints
  • 2 base paints & 1 topcoat
  • Sandpaper
  • Clean cloths
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Masking Tape
  • Spray Sealant
  • Painting Exteriors

Exterior Painting

Taking the preparation for painting the outside of your home one step at a time and doing it all well in advance will make sure that the outside of your home looks as perfect as it can, and that it will not need to be redone for many years.

Exterior painting is a big job that takes many hours of work. Make sure that your work counts when you do it, so that the labor isn’t in vain.

Cleaning the surface of your exterior home must be taken care of before it can be painted.

Taking a few extra steps to make sure that you don’t leave a hundred pounds of loose paint on the ground is also important to the overall look of the house when the job is completed.

• The first step is going to be that you wash down your home using a mix of TSP and chlorine bleach to make sure that the mildew or mold is killed and that all dirt is gone.
Working from bottom to top will help you to prevent the house from staining.

• A high pressure washer may be useful to you in final rinsing if your home is very tall or has many stories.

• Use drop cloths on the shrubbery and flowers and plants to prevent them from being hit with loose paint or damaged by the bleach spray.

Take them off as soon as you’ve completed the job so that the plants don’t die in the heat.

• Wear eye protection and gloves whenever you are working with bleach. Rinse yourself off often to prevent chemical burns.

• Sand the high spots, seal cracks with wood filler and sand off any loose paint that you may find remaining.

• Sink and countersink the nails and fill all holes or cracks with wool filler.

• Apply at least one coat of primer so that the exterior paint has something to stick to.
Primer gives you a good surface for the paint, and will in most cases prevent it from peeling.

To Paint and Prep an External Wall You Will Need:

  • Sander or Sanding Blocks
  • High pressure washer (rentable from any equipment site)
  • Chlorine Bleach
  • Large sponges
  • Crack filler and wood putty
  • Putty knives
  • Exterior primer

Leave a Comment