Painting Tips: Removing Old Loose Paint Correctly

Before painting the exterior of your home you will need to visually inspect the surfaces you intend to paint for loose and or peeling paint. Walk around your home and take notice of areas where the old paint is chipped and peeling away from the surface. Any paint that is loose and or peeling away from the surface will need to be removed before you paint. If you neglect to do this the new paint that is applied will end up flaking off with the old paint and thus your paint job will be for not.
There are a few ways to remove the old loose paint properly. One of the easiest and fastest ways of doing this is to pressure wash the exterior of your home. Before you paint you will want to pressure wash the exterior of your home anyway to remove any built up debris. You can rent a pressure washer and have this accomplished in a few hours. When using a pressure washer you need to be careful not to have the end of the nozzle too close to the surface as you can easily remove too much paint exposing raw wood that you will then need to seal with primer before painting. The idea is to remove just the old paint that is loose and chipping away from the surface. When pressure washing start with the nozzle of 3-4 feet away from the surface and gauge how much paint if any is coming off. Again you only want the loose old paint to come off, not paint that is adhering to the surface. Another method is to use a putty knife/Scrapper to remove the loose paint. First start out lightly with the scrapper to make sure you are only removing that paint which is loose. Use your hand to check the area you just went over for any excess paint. If there is not a lot of loose paint to remove this can be done quite fast. If there is a lot of loose paint it will take a little longer but is well worth it as removing the loose paint makes for a more professional and longer lasting paint job. Again, you will want to use primer to seal any areas where raw wood is exposed.
I hope this tip was useful and helps you produce a beautiful and professional finish on your home. Remember, a fresh coat of paint on the exterior of your home adds a great deal to the curb appeal and value of your home. Save money with our Instructional House Painting DVD at www.paintyourhouseandsave.com