Painting your two-story house can be difficult, but a fresh coat of paint will transform it into brand new. You can employ an expert, but depending on the size of your home, this will be prohibitively expensive. As a result, the best thing is doing it yourself with some precautions and guidelines.
Get all the tools you’ll need, clean the surface, and then paint your house like an expert. Consider factors such as ladder selection, weather conditions, and a paint hook or extension to provide the optimum support.
With these fantastic tools, you can complete this task at a near-professional pace without spending much time and money. If the process of painting your home is still daunting, read on for all the helpful advice.
Tips for Painting Your Two-Story House
If you have never painted a two-story building before and are searching for the proper ways to run the projects, this is for you.
● Necessary Equipment:
While you decide to paint your exterior house, you will require some tools. Before starting anything, you have to gather all these things together-
- Paint Brush
- Rollers
- Paint Scrapers
- Drop Cloths
- Extended Ladder
● Prepare the Space to Be Painted
The essential part of painting the exterior is the surface preparation. If you don’t clean the surface properly, the paint will peel prematurely from the wall.
- Commit sure that the surface is clean and dry.
- Wash if there is any chalk, dirt, or mildew.
- The solution of Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) can be used together with water to wash.
- Make a detergent mixture with mildewcide or 1 quart of household bleach in 3 quarts of water to wipe out mildew.
- Rinse the surface after finishing the cleaning.
- Before doing any cleaning procedure, use eye protection.
● Scraping Loose Paint
You’ll need a stout unhandled scraper with a curved blade, a small scraper, a 1-inch putty knife, and a five-way tool with a hammer point.
- First scrape in the direction of the grain, using a lot of force.
- Scratch lightly against the grain to get any remaining edges if necessary.
- Cracks and corners can be reached using a small scraper and putty knife.
- Repeat the procedure until the whole house is scraped.
● Use a Ladder
A good quality ladder is the best thing you’ll need while painting a 2-story house. Ladderlover CEO Joseph Stevens said you should choose an aluminum ladder that is best because of the price and portability. Select a ladder more than twenty feet long to reach the walls of the second story.
Before starting to paint, confirm if the ladder’s stability is firm enough to hold your weight. After completing the painting in small portions, move the ladder to the other parts without resetting it. You can also put all the essential tools in a bucket along with hanging them on a hook in your ladder.
● Operate Your Ladder
You have to consider several things while painting your two-story house with a ladder. But the essential thing is adjusting the ladder according to your need-
○ Find a Solid Surface
Before you’re at the top of the ladder, always make sure that it’s set on a level and solid ground. Dig the feet of the ladder in the soft ground if possible to avoid slippage.
○ Adjust the Tilt
There is a rule of setting a ladder which is, for every single foot you have to rise the ladder three to four feet. While you want to place your ladder against a wall, and you’re going to 20 feet up, then set it 5-6 feet from the wall.
● Tips for Working on Ladders
Here are some basic tips that you can follow while painting the exterior of your two-story house on the ladder-
○ Work Within Comfortable Reach
Always try to work within a comfortable reach while you’re at the top of the ladder. Set it at the exact height below the point you have to paint. Though it’s hard, remember you have to keep one hand on the ladder and use the other hand to paint or scrape.
○ Use a Paint Can Hook
Try to use a paint can hook while painting at height. You can put all the essential tools and paint on that.
○ Choose the Right Day
Weather is another important thing you need to consider before going to start the paint. Ensure it’s not too windy when you go for painting. Too much wind can knock you down, or you can lose your balance.
○ Use Stand-Off Arms
It’s a ladder stabilizer tool known as stand-off arms. These are metal loops which slide into the topmost rungs of your ladder. Your ladder will be stable in one place with these arms. This tool will be recommended if enough space is available in your home.
● Pro Painting Tips
Here we’ve described two pro painting tips-
○ Choose Paint
You can select latex and water-based paint as they emit fewer fumes and dry quickly. You can clean these paintings easily as well.
○ Prime When You Need To
To cover stains, you have to use primer on the walls. These primer coats will help you to reduce the number of coats of paints, remove the stains as well as improve paint adhesion.
● Possible Hazards
You may face some hazards while painting the exterior part of your two-story house; here are they-
- Trees
- Telephone Wires
- Electric Wires
● Use Extensions
You can use an extension that will add up to 10′ to your paint roller or pad if you need. This little thing will work like a charm as with it, you can paint those areas where you’re frightened to go.
● Find a Handyman Who Does Exterior House Painting
Suppose you’re not making this painting possible; a handyman can help you finish painting your home. Some of them rate hourly, and some of them take flat fees. Find a professional hand to complete your exterior house painting accurately.
Wrapping Up
Painting your two-story house can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a scary project if you don’t do it right. Time and money are two important factors, so it can be even more serious concerns. As a result, you must follow some important guidelines while doing so. This article will be of great use to you in this regard. These points will assist you in ensuring that your painting is done correctly and in the most efficient manner possible. Following these steps will extend the time it takes to re-paint your home.