Painting a wood-sided home exterior requires special prep work. If it is time for you to paint the outside of your home, take a moment to examine the surfaces and troubleshoot them before doing anything.
If you notice that the sides of your house are green, red or brown on certain areas, this is a sign of algae growth. Algae creep up on your exterior when there is excess moisture on the surface and the discoloration occurs when it is continually exposed to sunlight. Mildew also sprouts up on the siding so you might want to watch for it too.
To remove this, wash the exterior with a 3:1 bleach and water solution. Use a brush if necessary. If this isn’t the first time you’ve encountered this problem, clean your house’s exterior on a regular basis. Additionally, make sure that your garden sprinkler doesn’t wet your exterior and all plants are trimmed back to allow sunlight to pass through.
If upon inspecting your home’s exterior you notice blistering, alligatoring, checking, or crazing, you will need to scrape and sand the affected areas before applying a primer.
Remember that all your scrutinizing is for your own benefit, so make sure to go through all the surfaces. Once you’ve done these, you’ll be able to paint your home’s exterior easily without worrying about disastrous results.