Why pay someone else to paint the outside of your house when you can do it yourself and save lots and lots of money?

I've been painting ever since I was fifteen years old.  My dad got me started by painting the outside of our home on Miller road right here in Lansing.

All I remember my dad saying is nice and easy strokes.  Don't put too much paint on your brush and make sure you paint evenly and no more than two boards at a time.

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Since then I've painted several homes in the Greater Lansing area.  I remember painting an East Lansing rental home that was three stories high and needed a lot of work.  And when I finished with the job, it looked like new again.

Paint always makes thing look fresh and new and that's why I enjoy painting.  In fact I've painted just about anything and everything that you can imagine.

Here are the key elements for painting the exterior of your home:

1.  Use a power washer to clean off dirt and dust build up.  This works wonders and it helps the paint stick better to your siding or your wood exterior.  You can also use trisodium phosphate in very warm water to help clean off surfaces of aluminum siding.

2.  If you see any loose paint on your house, just take a scraper and scrape off all loose paint before you begin painting.  In fact, it's best to scrape off old paint before you use the power washer.

3.  Wait until the exterior of your home completely dries before you begin painting your home.  I usually wait a couple of days.

4.  Make sure you have enough paint to cover the entire exterior and the right equipment to do the job correctly.  You'll need ladders, masking tape, paint, caulk gun, and really good paint brushes.  I recommend brushing the paint directly onto the siding and all trim as well.

5.  You can spray the paint on by using a Wagner Paint Sprayer which can make things somewhat easier as long and you feel comfortable using one.  The most important thing to remember is to tape off all your exterior windows, doors, and trim.  Exterior windows, doors, and other trim areas are usually painted a different color and should be painted by brush after the rest of the house is dry from using the paint sprayer.

6.  Best paint to use on the exterior of your home is Acrylic Latex.  You will want to use either a flat paint color or an eggshell.  You don't want much sheen on the exterior of your home and it doesn't look very good either.

7.  If you plan on brushing on the paint, use a really good professional paint brush.  You can get those just about anywhere.  I get mine from O'leary paint company and Home Depot as well.  Always start from the top of your home and work your way down to the bottom and work from left to right and take your time.

If you would like to check out more on how to paint your home, hgtv.com

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