If your home’s exterior looks less than great, then paint could be the perfect pick-me-up!

A fresh coat of exterior paint can make your home look brand new. Consider these items when deciding if this is a good DIY project, or if you need to contact a professional.

Weather

Pick the right time to start. No matter how much time you invest in the prep, it might rain on your parade. As paint adheres best to dry surfaces, try to choose a time of year with minimal rain and humidity.

Size of Your Home

The size of your home will inevitably contribute to the project’s completion time. An average-size house will take an average of three to four days to paint with a team of two to three people. In this case, we’ll define “average” as a home with one to two stories and four or fewer bedrooms. A large house, such as a three-story or five-plus-bedroom home, will take five to six days.

Size of Your Crew

Depending on your home size, you can typically expect to spend more than a week on exterior painting. The more helping hands you have access to, the faster you’ll move. Our Neighborly pros typically assign more than one person for exterior painting, especially if it means completing work on a tighter deadline.

Washing

An important piece of the prep work will be power washing your siding. This step is crucial because it provides the best base for fresh paint to adhere. Clean siding will also extend the life of your paint job. A lot of homeowners prefer to do this on their own. However, if you think you’ll need help, you can leave this part of the process to the experts!

Woodwork

Speaking of siding, cleaning rotten wood won’t do much good in the long run. If it’s not fixed, it will continue to rot, and your paint job will go to waste. You’ll want to replace rotting wood, or for small spots, use a wood filler.

You might be painting your home exterior as part of a larger project to spruce up the rest of the space. Here are a few other ideas to get you started!

• Install landscape lighting to illuminate your outdoor pathways and living areas.
• Add outdoor wall sconces to showcase your new paint job at night.
• Clean up your trees, shrubs and flower beds to compliment your home’s new look.

Painting your home’s exterior is faster and less painless with a crew of experts. At Neighborly, we can connect you with local pros, right in your backyard. Visit our homepage to schedule service today!