Nothing makes a New Jersey home for sale look better than a new coat of paint. Many people are
intimidated by the thought of painting the exterior of their home, and hire someone else to do it.
But, you can do it yourself, with these easy steps:
Getting Your House Ready to Paint
The first thing
that you’ll need to do is inspect the house. Look at all the walls, under the eaves and around the
doorframe and windows. Check for peeling paint, mildew and rough surfaces.
You’ll
need to gather a few tools before getting to the repairs and putting your New Jersey home up for sale:
- Power-washer
- 2-3” inch putty knife
- 2-3” inch pull scraper
- Wire
brush
- Sander
- Chlorine bleach
Preparing the Surface
Power-wash the walls so you'll have a clean surface. You don’t need to
use detergents; plain ol’ water works the best.
The putty knife
and the wire brush remove problems where paint has peeled, blistered or wrinkled. Avoid gouging the surface
by holding the putty knife perpendicular to the wall and using moderate force.
The
pull scraper is for areas that won’t easily come clean. It’s used the same way as the putty
knife, but it has a sharp blade attached that quickly gets through old paint. The walls will need to be
sanded smooth after you finish this step.
For small spots, a piece of sandpaper wrapped
around a sanding block works just fine. An electric sander is best for large areas; it'll save you
time and energy.
Removing Mildew
Mildew
is a dark patch of fungus, like a dirty spot, often found on a damp, shady spot in your house. If you aren’t
sure it's mildew, put a few drops of chlorine bleach on it. If the spot fades away, you know you have
a mildew problem.
Mildew shows through new paint, so you’ll
need to get rid of it before you start painting. A simple mix of chlorine bleach will kill it quickly.
All
you have to do now is pick out a paint color and wait for the right weather to paint. Soon you’ll
be ready to put up your New Jersey home for sale.
If you're
thinking of selling your home, I can help. Call me today at 609-865-0484 or email me at freddie@freddiemoorer.com
for more information.
Links:
Painting
the exterior of their home:
http://www.house-painting-info.com/exterior-painting.html
Mildew
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infroo.html
Power-wash:
http://www.hometips.com/diy-how-to/house-siding-power-pressure-wash.html
