Importance of Power Washing Your Home Before Painting

A fresh coat of paint on your home can do more than freshen it up, it can completely transform the way your home looks!  If you are hiring a handyman or contractor to paint your home’s exterior there is a lot more involved than simply choosing a paint color, grabbing a roller or sprayer, and putting the paint up.

A fresh coat of paint on your home can do more than freshen it up, it can completely transform the way your home looks!  If you are hiring a handyman or contractor to paint your home’s exterior there is a lot more involved than simply choosing a paint color, grabbing a roller or sprayer, and putting the paint up.  To make the most of repainting your home it is important that you properly prepare the surface on which you are painting.  Your home’s exterior walls are exposed to a lot – dirt, debris, rain, and more.  Even if they don’t look it, your home’s exterior walls are probably dirtier than you realize.  If dirt is left on the walls before painting, paint will not be able to be applied properly and the paint job will not last as long or look as good as it could.  Spraying it down with a hose will not adequately clean your home’s walls either; this is a job for power washing.

Most homeowners do not own a professional power washing machine.  And, that is not to say that they should rush out and buy one to try and save money.  Professional power washers are incredibly strong and it requires knowledge and experience to operate one safely.  Without that experience, you could actually do more damage than good to your home’s exterior.  When hiring your painting contractor it is a good idea to hire a contractor that can power wash your home as well.  By power washing your exterior, you create the most ideal surface for which paint to adhere which means you will maximize your investment because your paint job will last longer.  A professional will know how to perfectly power wash your home so that your home’s siding, light fixtures, or other features are not damaged in the process.  Power washing will remove all dirt and debris as well as any failed coatings that may already be on there.  Just imagine if you didn’t power wash those failed coatings off and you left things like peeling or flaking paint on there and then sprayed new paint on.  It wouldn’t look very good and soon your new paint would be peeling or flaking off as well. Additionally, if you enlist your contractor to power wash your home’s exterior, it is a great time to have them power wash your deck and/or fences as well.  By doing so, you maximize the life of your home’s architectural features and with this kind of clean, they will look like you just installed them!