The exterior paint of your home plays a large part in conveying the first visual impression of you home, underlining the impact of architectural design to create a distinctive exterior with a personality all its own. The right exterior paint when applied perfectly should last for years depending on local climate conditions. It pays to know the various steps involved in getting your exterior paint job just right.

Painting the exterior of your home begins with well executed prep work to ensure a clean, smoothly finished, even work surface to apply the paint to. To achieve this, wash down exterior walls with a pressure sprayer to remove loose dirt and peeling old paint, kill persistent mildew with an application of chlorine bleach solution, caulk any cracks or gaps that may be visible in the walls and finally sand down uneven surfaces. Remember to cover and protect all features like doors, windows, exterior lights etc., from any paint damage at the prep stage itself.

The prep stage is followed by the application of primer, which usually has a high resin or latex content, to create a sealed surface coat that the paint can adhere to easily. Primer also helps in letting paint appear true to color by effectively masking the previous paint color on the exterior wall. Check for the advised drying time on the primer label before proceeding with the application of exterior paint.

Once you are ready for the paint itself, choose a quality exterior paint on the recommendation of a professional painting service. Most exterior paints available today are water based and consist of 3 main components - pigments and binders ( known as high volume solids) and solvents. Once the exterior paint is applied the solvent evaporates leaving behind a layer of color. Exterior paints in toned down, muted shades cover flaws better than bright, vibrant hues which may also need more than one application to get the color just right, making them a relatively expensive choice. Conducting a patch test on the exterior wall of your home with a few different shades of paint will enable you to see the paint colors at various times of the day in different light to get a clearer idea of how the finished paint will look on the exterior of your home.

Exterior paint application can be done either with a sprayer or paint brush followed with a roller for a neat finish. Professional painters recommend a second coat, if your budget allows for two coats, as this ensures a superb finish that will better cover flaws and also make the exterior paint last longer.