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The two most important things when it comes to house painting are preparation and the quality of the house paint. Understanding the different types of exterior house paint will help you choose the best paint for your house.

Exterior house paint is made up of three main components: Medium, binders and pigments. In addition, paint manufacturers add various ingredients to enhance their paints fade-resistance, mildew and mold resistance, pest-resistance, and longevity. The pigment gives the paint its color; the binders, bind the paint to the surface it is applied to and the medium is what the pigment and binders are mixed with to form a liquid.

Types of Exterior House Paint

There are two main types of exterior house paint, classified by the medium used: water-base and oil-base. Water base exterior house paint uses water to mix with the binders and pigments. Water base binders include latex, acrylic and other synthetics such as urethane or vinyl. Oil base exterior house paint is really more of a traditional term rather than a current description. Today, the medium for oil base paint is mineral spirits and is called alkyd.

With exterior house paint, the rule is you get what you pay for. More expensive paint has more pigment and better quality binders. It will last longer and be easier to work with than the lower priced spreads.

A Note About Priming

Priming really deserves its own article (and it will get it). Suffice it to say you should never use a water base paint over oil base paint without priming first and all raw wood should be primed before painting the top coat. (Rule of Thumb: You can apply an oil base paint over a water base paint, but never the other way around.)

Water Base or Oil Base: Which Is Better?

There are excellent water base exterior house paints and excellent oil base exterior house paints. To make matters even more confusing, either may be used successfully for most applications. (see rule of thumb above) Never the less, there are some differences.

Water Base Paint compared to Oil Base:

Easier to clean up

Almost odorless

Cannot be applied in cold weather

Faster drying

Tendency to show brush marks

More flexible, so that it will be able to withstand expansion and contraction better

Better resistance to UV fading

Oil Base Paint compared to Water Base:

Harder to clean up

Strong odor

Can be applied in colder weather

Slower drying

Shows brush marks less

Less flexible

UV exposure will cause it to fade faster

Keep in mind: Just as location is important in real estate, it is also important when choosing an exterior paint. Local weather conditions are a major factor when choosing house paint. A knowledgeable salesperson at the local paint store should be able to explain why certain paint has properties that are better for your locale.

Anyone who has ever had a hand in art-related work, color manipulation, and even rudimentary design is quite familiar with the term RGB, or literally, red, green, and blue color model. The traditional purpose of this color model was primarily for sensing and representing display images projected by electronic systems, like those seen on computer and television screens. It has also been used as standard in measuring the actual presence of a particular color in the spectrum, especially when dealing in art and design.

This standard is quite well accepted and widely used, so much so that almost anything that has anything to do with color refers to the RGB color model. This is one standard that will also do quite well for people trying to determine what house paint color would do well for their dwellings. Each specific color will understandably have their particular compliment when it comes to the location of the house, for example:

Red

Houses painted with shades of red, such as pink, coral, or even rose can have a playful and feminine touch to it, although deeper shades can have a rather theatric effect to it. Shades of red are often combined with other colors, such as off-whites and white, shades of yellow, gray, and some green. Red gives a house a bold presentation, often making it stand out against most surroundings. So if you want your house to stand out and really be noticed, shades of red will do it for your house.

Green

Shades of green have a tendency to give a house an earthy feel, and look attributing to the color green being associated with nature and the environment. Houses that are situated near wooded areas or are surrounded with lush vegetation will look quite like it belongs right where it is. Houses to be painted green often look best if also trimmed or highlighted with other shades of green. Houses painted green hints at a certain vibrancy and organic feel to it.

Blue

The color blue has often been associated with a lot of things, including peace, contemplation, coziness, the deep ocean, and the wide open sky. With these in mind, houses colored with shades of blue often depict the same atmosphere, looking like peaceful and contemplative dwellings. Darker shades of blue can give a house a surprising richness and depth. Unlike shades of green, however, different shades of blue will not readily go together, often giving an awkward contrast to each other. Colors that readily go with shades of blue for houses include white, gray, and some shades of red.

Having seen that the RGB color model is also quite applicable when it comes to deciding a color scheme for your house, you may now find it a bit easier to pick out a house paint color that will suite your dwelling, and give it that character you may have wanted it to have.

The new trend with homeowners is to do as much as possible yourself, and with the rising costs of food, adjustable rate mortgages and gasoline, consumers are doing everything they can to save money. So, it should be no surprise the folks are looking into DIY (do-it-yourself) options.

One way to add value to your home and to brighten things up for Spring Cleaning is to put on a new paint job. For anyone who has ever painted their own home, well we know it is easier said than done. This of course, does not mean it is impossible, it can be done, if you take it seriously and follow the proper steps.

Most folks spend a good amount of time picking out that perfect shade of color to give their home a personal tough and a home type feeling. When professional painters or home supply stores call their paints “house paint” it can be a real turn off. After all, it is the person’s home, not just any old house. Let me give you a bit of advice about painting; the painting is the easy part. That may sound funny, but it’s true. The preparation, well that’s the key to a perfect paint job.

If you are going to paint your own home, you would be much better off buying a decent pressure washer to assist in the prepping than trying to do it all with a brush and garden hose nozzle. Still, pressure washing 101 tells us that you have to be careful with high pressure while cleaning all the spider webs from the eaves, or dirt and debris from the rain gutters.

You must do a perfect job there, plus, if you are painting on stucco or wood you need to flush out completely all the crevices. To prevent chipping of wood or stucco you must remain 1 foot back while pressure washing and you should plan on cleaning each surface 3-times. Clean it once, brush, rinse and let it dry. Do this 3-step process three times, along with any sanding, re-surfacing or repairs. Then you are ready to paint.

When one talks of indoor house painting, what usually comes to mind is how difficult it can be. What some people don’t know is that painting can actually be fun and easy. Here are some tips on how to do it.

Choose the Right Paint

There are many kinds of paint that are available in the market today. There are two basic types – latex and alkyd. Latex is water-based, while alkyd is that which is solvent-thinned. Then you would have to choose between gloss, semi-gloss, satin and flat finishes.

When you’ve decided on the kind of paint, the next question shall be the paint color. Choose a color that would blend well with the theme of the room and would best accentuate the furniture and other room details.

Paint it!

There are ways to apply paint. You can use a brush, roller or spray. Rollers and sprays are advised for large areas. For smaller areas like windows, use a brush. For trims, a trim guide is advised. Remember to mix the paint thoroughly prior to application, as it tends to separate when left unmoved. It is important that the paint be of the same consistency when used.

If you are to paint an entire room, paint the ceiling first. For rollers with short handles, you might need a step ladder. Otherwise, the roller handle should be long enough to reach the ceiling. Work from the edge moving in towards the center. If you wish to use a sprayer, wear protective gear like goggles and hat. Make sure that you cover areas that are not to be included.

When you are done with the ceiling, the next areas to work on are the walls. But if there is a trim between the ceiling and wall, paint the trim first before the wall. Move the roller in one direction for a smooth finish. If you want to finish faster, you can spray paint the wall. But the spray may be a bit difficult to control.

Once the walls are done, paint the windows and door. For flat doors, you can use a roller. For paneled doors, start with the panels first, then with the horizontals, and finally with the verticals.

Indoor house painting is not difficult to do. Just make sure to have all the necessary tools and observe all precautionary measures before starting any painting project. So if you are thinking of repainting your walls, why not do it yourself. Not only have you saved a lot of money. You also had a lot of fun!

Welcome back to “What interior house paint goes where and why” for painting walls the second part, painting plasterboard walls. Well let us get straight into what interior house paint to use for our second type of walls, remember they were the most common walls, plasterboard or gyprock plasterboard.

Now when interior wall painting these types, they need to be sealed also, using an… acrylic sealer undercoat…Unlike the oil based type we used for wet set plaster the water based product also penetrates the plasterboard.? It seals its cardboard like fibres back preparing it ready for its top coats. The best finish or coats of paint to apply again is a good quality interior low sheen acrylic. There are some great low sheen’s on the market. You can also purchase it in eco friendly or low VOC paints that are really good for the environment and have very low emissions. Very easy on your snout so if your interested in going down that path ask for it when buying your paint.

Do not forget when painting walls always use two coats of paint and get a nice thick durable coat on, it makes cleaning a whole lot easier and it’s easier to put on as well. As long as you have prepared your walls and filled properly you’ll get a nice pro looking finish with low sheen.

Put time into prep work you will get good results remember this! Painting is 95% prep and 5% finish work. OK! I will have you painting like a pro in no time.

By the way if your walls have existing coats of paint and you’re looking to repaint as long as you have prepared your walls correctly, two good coats of low sheen will be fine to redecorate.

Well I still have a lot of interior painting tips to cover and I would love to share my knowledge of what has made me the tradesman I am today. So please keep your eyes cast on this spot and I will endeavor to share the secrets of the painting trade with YOU! and you will have a paint finish you’ll be proud of.

Remember a good quality low sheen when home painting is what you want when painting walls. Splash some paint around and colour your world he he! That is it for what interior house paint goes where and why when painting walls of the second types.

Catch ya and happy painting…Wayne the painter

The two most important things when it comes to house painting are preparation and the quality of the house paint. At least half your house painting time will be spent in the preparation. The upside of this is proper preparation means less time actually painting and the paint will last much longer.

1. Inspection time: Take a pad of paper and a pen for a walk around your house. Looking at the whole house while paying particular attention to potential problem areas such as windows, doors, fascia boards, eaves, and edges, make a note of loose, blistered and peeling paint, signs of mold, and missing or cracked caulking. Any problems in these areas need to be addressed before you can begin actually the house painting.

2. Power washing is the gold standard of exterior preparation. Power washing the exterior is a good first step to a great paint job. However there are potential dangers when using a power washer both to the siding and to you. Do not attempt to do any power washing from a ladder. I do not believe ladders are stable enough for this purpose. If you need to power wash are areas you cannot reach from the ground, it is best to use good quality scaffolding that is properly erected and stabilized on solid ground.

Always use eye protection when using a power washer.

Never point a power washer at a person or any body parts of yours or anyone else’s. (Do not aim it at your hand to see how it feels.)

Aim the nozzle downward, not up where the spray can get under the siding. Be careful around joints, edges, flashing, and caulked areas. The spray can wash away the caulk or get under the flashing.

3. Next comes scraping and sanding. Any peeling or blistered paint should be scraped off and the edges of the area sanded smooth. If your house has a rough texture, such as some rough-sawn cedar, you will need to use a wire brush to remove the peeling and blistered paint. You might have to use some sand paper to match up the surfaces.

4. Replace any rotted wood. If there is only minor damage, I clean out the rot and fill the space with wood filler.

5. Remove any problem caulk areas and recaulk with a good quality paintable caulk.

6. If you are going to be using a paint sprayer, this is the time to mask off the trim, windows, etc, that need to be protected.

7. Priming really deserves its own article. Suffice it to say you should never use a water base paint over an oil base paint without priming first and all raw wood should be primed before painting the top coat. (Rule of Thumb: You can apply an oil base paint over a water base paint, but never the other way around.)

Caveat: If you are uncomfortable climbing ladders, do not be a hero: hire a professional.

Lead Paint: Prior to 1978, the best house paint contained lead. Prepping the exterior surfaces of your house if it was painted prior to 1978 can be hazardous. The following is from the EPA website:

“Do not use a belt-sander, propane torch, heat gun, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper to remove lead-based paint. These actions create large amounts of lead dust and fumes.

Lead dust can remain in your home long after the work is done.

Temporarily move your family (especially children and pregnant women) out of the apartment or house until the work is done and the area is properly cleaned. If you can’t move your family, at least completely seal off the work area.

Follow other safety measures to reduce lead hazards. You can find out about other safety measures in the EPA brochure titled Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home (PDF) (26 pp, 933 KB, About PDF)”. This brochure explains what to do before, during, and after renovations.”