If you’re planning to have your house repainted, remember to power wash it before painting. It may seem unnecessary if your house currently looks clean, but keep in mind that a lot of dirt does not show up that easily. If you don’t power wash, you could end up with a ruined paint job, or possibly worse.
Paint Will Stick to the Wrong Stuff
If you don’t power wash the outside of your home before adding a new coat of paint, you’ll have a layer of dirt and debris on your house. When you paint, you won’t be painting the house; in that case, you’ll be painting the dirt and debris.
While the paint may trap some of the dirt and debris against the house’s walls, a lot of that dirt will start to separate from the house’s walls over time, dragging paint with it. You may see paint bubbles or peel or look otherwise in bad shape. You may have to repaint after a couple of years, which is expensive.
Mold and Mildew Won’t Stop Growing
If you try to cover mildew and mold with a new coat of paint, you’re not doing yourself or your house any favors. Because the paint won’t adhere well, air and moisture will likely still get through to the fungi, leading to more growth. Power washing removes all that, including algae that might be growing on surfaces, too. Don’t allow fungi and algae to grow stronger; wash them off.
Light-Colored Paint Won’t Look so Hot
If the house is really dirty or covered with mildew, light-colored paint will not effectively cover it. It will look dingy even with a few coats. Power wash the house first so that light-colored paint looks like it should.
You’ll Hide Damage That Could Get Worse
The dirt on the outside of your home does more than make the old paint look dingy. It also hides minor damage. Power washing before repainting lets you see what damage is there and get it fixed before adding a new coat of paint. You could find pest damage, damage from storms, and more. You don’t want things like that hidden, even small ones.
No Smooth Exterior Coat for You(r House)
Power washing helps remove the old paint from the exterior of the home. Without power washing, the new paint that goes on won’t dry in a smooth coat; you’ll likely see the outlines of cracks and chips from the old paint underneath. Power washing gives you and the painters a smoother surface to work with.
Just Power Wash the House a Couple of Weeks Ahead of Time
So, now that you know you need to power wash the house before having it painted, you can just have a company come by the day before the painters arrive, right? No. You need to power wash the house at least a couple of weeks beforehand so that the house is dry when the painters get there. And the walls need to be really dry, not just appearing dry. Power washing at least a couple of weeks ahead of time allows the water that’s soaked into the walls to evaporate. First Place Painting can make your house look wonderful in a reasonable amount of time. If you want to contact painters in Bucks County or need to know who the best commercial painters in Bucks County are, First Place Painting can help. Contact us with any questions about how to prepare your house for exterior painting.
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