When you paint your home is a wonderful way to change your aesthetic, increase curb appeal, or simply express yourself. Of course, you can’t just go outside and start painting. There are several steps to take care of first.

How to Get Ready to Paint Your Home a New Color: Clean It Up

When you paint your home, you’re getting a fresh start. You wouldn’t want that fresh start to be applied over a dirty surface. Mold, algae, and other debris can build up on your home’s surface over time. Not only can some of this debris be hazardous, but it can also interfere with the painting process. Before you even put on that first coat you need to clean the exterior of your home. The best option for cleaning is to use a pressure washer that will thoroughly clean the surface. As you do this, start at the top of your house and work your way down.

Remove Old Paint

Before painting, you want to have a smooth surface. You want to start fresh and remove any old paint. There are many methods for removing paint and you can apply these methods to different situations. One common method is to sand paint away. Electric sanders are very useful for this, but be careful that you don’t gouge your wood. You can also use chemical strippers. These will cause the paint to bubble and soften which will make it easier to scrape off. Lastly, you can consider using a heat gun. This option works similar to chemical strippers as the applied heat softens the paint and makes it easy to remove. Keep in mind there are hazards with many paint removal options. Make yourself aware of these before moving forward.

How to Get Ready to Paint Your Home a New Color: Repair Any Damage

As mentioned, you want a smooth surface to work with when painting. Now is the perfect time to make repairs around the exterior of your home. Look out for cracks and holes. These are easily filled and then sanded down to create an even surface. You should also take this time to re-caulk or re-seal around doors, windows, and trim. Making these repairs gives you a smooth surface to start with, but it also addresses other structural problems you may not have noticed. For example, you might be saving yourself from potential leaks. Once you’ve repaired the damage, you can figure out what color would best match your floors and furniture.

A lot of work goes into painting your house a new color. To have the best experience, you need to do extensive prep work on all exterior surfaces. All that work will hopefully lead to a stunning new look for your home.

Read this next: Big Mistakes That Are Easy to Make Before a Home Remodel

See you at a meeting soon!

The Southwest Florida Real Estate Investment Association is the leading source of SWFL real estate investing events that provide investment education and networking in southwest Florida. We analyze the housing market and foreclosures and provide information, education and networking events in order to build a network and knowledge base for investors and potential investors. Our members include real estate agent, brokers, investors, hedge fund managers, rehabbers, wholesalers and more.

Our SWFL REIA General Meeting is held in Fort Myers where we provide education on hot topics in investing and an opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow investors. You’ll get a chance to ask for advice from successful real estate professionals and even make a few deals on your latest projects.

To become a member, anyone can register as an individual, a couple, or a corporation. Being a member opens the doors for endless networking opportunities, advice from members with decades of experience, new ideas from entrepreneurs, camaraderie with those just beginning, and deals and contracts done in the meeting room. For those interested in Cape Coral rental property investment and/or Fort Myers rental property investment, SWFL REIA will be able to provide a network to help launch a successful investment career.

The SWFL REIA is known and respected as a source of current, actionable and useful information about the housing market in the area that we meet.

We meet twice a month.

Click here for information about the monthly luncheon.  

Click here for information about our nighttime general meeting. 

One of the premier sources for real estate investing networking and education is the SWFL REIA. In the real estate world, the SWFL REIA is different in that they do not do information product sales. Their meetings are focusing on the best ways of investing in real estate by collaborating with other property investors who are sharing their experiences.

We look forward to meeting you at a meeting soon!
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