Exterior Home Painting for Beginners

Reader Contribution by Lindsey Siegele
Published on July 6, 2010

My parents are serious DIY-ers. They refuse to pay for any service they can provide for themselves. Their projects have been numerous. They built their deck by hand. They overhauled their kitchen and bathrooms, including laying new tiles (my dad installed a heated floor in the kitchen, just for fun) and installing cabinets. A couple of years ago, they found a bed that they liked in a catalog and decided they would figure out how to make one from scratch. My brother and I both got brand new, amazing beds out of that deal. Last month, they completely updated their house’s roofing. Suffice it to say that I am constantly in awe of what my parents can accomplish just because they were willing to give these projects a try.

It’s no surprise, then, that my childhood house has never been painted by professionals. If you were to flip through our old family photo albums, you would find dozens of pictures chronicling our many exterior home-painting adventures. My mom and dad always did the heavy-duty work — power washing the wood and nailing boards — but from an early age, my brother, sister and I were involved. Our participation sometimes resulted in slapstick comedy: One year, my sister and I accidentally dropped a full bucket of paint on that homemade deck, splashing gray in every direction. We learned to be more careful in the future, but today, we know that stories like this one are the reason why family projects make us smile when we look back on them.

Of course, not everyone has been painting houses for years, and although I’ve had some experience, I would need to do some reading before taking on this project by myself. How to Paint Your House (and why you may not want to paint your barn) contains all the information you need for your summer house-painting project. From prep work and wood care to paint types and paint brushes, read this article and you’ll be ready to beautify your abode. Just remember to keep a tight grip on that bucket.

After your house looks shiny and new, your yard may start to look a little bit shabby by comparison. If you’re ready to take on another fun project, you can try your hand at edible landscaping. Your yard will be beautiful and bountiful. Read Turn Your Yard Into a Luscious Landscape for more information.


Lindsey Siegele is the Senior Web Editor at Ogden Publications, the parent company of MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Find her on Google+.

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