Cleaning & Preparing Exterior Surfaces
Painting Exterior Surfaces
Decks & Fences
Roofs
Exterior Walls
Handy Tips For Painting Your Exterior

Introduction

Painting your home’s exterior is a great opportunity to add colour and give your home a new lease on life. And it can add real dollar value to one of your most important assets.
But it requires a bit of planning, preparation, good weather, and old-fashioned hard work!

So how do you start?
Well, you’ll need stuff to clean, prepare and paint the surface. So the first thing you need to do is make sure you’ve got the right paint, tools and materials.
The type of tools, materials and paints you’ll need depends on the type of surface you’ll be painting. Most exterior surfaces in New Zealand are either -

Cement based (brick, fibrolite, concrete, stucco etc), or
Timber (weatherboard, plywood, hardboard or decking etc).

Paint

Be sure to buy quality, long lasting paints to get the most out of your investment and effort! Ask your paint store salesperson for advice. And if you need an estimate of how much paint you’re going to need, start with about a litre for every 15 square metres of surface area.

Here’s a good general guide for the types of paint suited to various exterior surfaces.

Surface	Paint Type	Advantages/Disadvantages
Weatherboard	Water-based - Gloss Acrylic	Easy application; rapid drying; easy to clean up (in water)
Brick, cement render, fences and concrete	Water-based - Low Sheen Acrylic	Easy application; rapid drying; easy to clean up (in water)
Doors, and door frames, windows and high wear areas	Solvent-based - Enamel	Hard-wearing; easy to wipe clean More labour intensive to apply
Roofs	Special galvanised water-based roof paint	Hard wearing; especially designed for roofs
See the PAL® Roller System for more tips on matching the paint type to a surface.

Tools & Materials

A good exterior finish means investing in good tools and materials that help you get the job done right.

The Basics

· Paint tray and pot · Roller handle and extension pole (recommended for painting walls and ceilings) · Drop cloth· Masking tape · Clean cloth for wiping away small drips · Sugar soap · Fillers (Use an exterior filler for brick and concrete, and a flexible filler for timber) · Primer · Sandpaper, all grades · Caulking gun · Chemical paint stripper · Ladder or trestles · Turpentine · Paint Stirrer · Paint Pail openers (Plastic/Metal)

For Stripping Exterior Surfaces

Stripping knives in a wide range of sizes from our Masterflow® range 25mm/38mm/50mm/63mm/75mm/100mm/125mm
Also available is a 5-in-1 Stripping Tool.

For Scraping Exterior Surfaces

For scraping surfaces choose from the Masterflow® shave hook – triangle or combo or the 75mm burn off scraper

For Cleaning Surfaces & Removing Flaking Paint

Masterflow® Wire Brushes are recommended. Available in 4 Row Plastic, 4 Row Wooden, 6 Row Arch.

For Sanding

The Masterflow® Sanding Sponge (Coarse), or Masterflow® Cork Sanding Block for wrapping your sandpaper around

For Filling Cracks, Holes & Gaps

Masterflow® Filling Knives are available in a wide variety of sizes : 38mm/50mm/63mm/75mm/100mm.

For Applying Putty Around Windows

Try the Masterflow Putty Knife.

For Applying Your Chosen Paint

You’ll need to match your applicators to your job. For general advice about choosing applicators, see
Selecting the Right Roller and Selecting the Right Brush.

Or go to Painting Exterior Surfaces (below) and find out which applicators are recommended for specific projects.

Cleaning & Preparing Exterior Surfaces

Preparation of the surface is key to a good quality result. It also makes for an easier and more rewarding paint job. Spend the time and make sure you have good tools. Depending on the surface, the following exterior cleaning and preparation tips may be useful.

PAL® Handy Tip: If your house was built before 1980 you might be dealing with lead based paint. You need to know what to do and what not to do. Start by visiting the Occupational Health and Safety site for a free do-it-yourself guide.

Water Blasting

Your first step is to water blast the surface. The aim is to remove any loose and flaky paint, and to wash off any mould and dirt. Make sure the surface is clean and dry prior to painting. However, if you’re painting rough, absorbent surfaces, leave the surface damp so the paint will go on more easily.

Stripping Paint

If the previous paintwork is in good condition, it may just need a good water blast and a fine sand. However, if paint comes of easily with light scrapes, you’ll need to strip it back to a smooth surface before painting. Scrape off, or wire brush away all peeling paint. You can use a heat gun on large areas to soften the paint, and then scrape off with a stripping knife. Don’t use a heat gun around windows though. They might crack the glass. Use a chemical stripper instead. Spot prime any bare timber.

Filling & Sanding

Use your filling knife to fill all cracks, holes and gaps. Then sand the filler back so it is level with the rest of the surface. Then sand the whole area that will be painted. Make the surface as even as possible.

Exposed Nail Heads

If exposed nail heads are not galvanised, hammer them below the surface. Then fill the holes and sand the filler smooth. This process will prevent rust stains showing up through your new paint.

Sugar Soap

Use a sugar soap to remove all grease, dirt and dust.

Sealing/Caulking

Use your caulking gun and a suitable sealant to seal gutter leaks and cracks around windows and doors. Make sure you choose a sealant that can be painted over or is invisible. Ask your paint store salesperson for advice.

Bare Surfaces

Bare Bricks, Concrete & Masonry

New concrete surfaces need to cure for at least 28 days before painting. During this time, wipe away salt and lime build-up.

After 28 days, use a wire brush to clean the surface. Then rub the surface down to wipe off any loose sand. Fill all cracks, gaps and holes with exterior filler. Sand it smooth and dust off. Apply a suitable primer if the surface is powdery, porous or highly glazed. Ask your paint store sales person for advice.

Bare timber

If bare timber has been exposed to the elements for more than a month, you’ll need to sand it back before you paint it. Replace all rotten and decayed timber.

All new timber should be primed first, then gaps, cracks and holes should be filled with exterior wood filler (flexible filler). Then sand smooth and dust down.

Painting Exterior Surfaces

Click on an area you’re interested in:

Handy Tips For Painting Your Exterior

Don’t paint a surface in direct sunlight. Yes a sunny day helps your paint dry, but direct sunlight can actually damage your paint finish by drying it TOO quickly. We recommend painting in the shade and following the sun around your house. Stay in shaded areas while applying fresh paint.
Here’s an easy D.I.Y moisture test for concrete surfaces after water blasting. Simply tape a square of clear plastic sheeting (around 50cm by 50cm) to the surface. Make sure you apply the tape securely so that it’s airtight. Wait at least 24 hours, then check underneath the sheet for any sign of condensation. Condensation will mean that the surface needs longer to dry before painting can start.
Tackle your exterior paint job one section at a time. That way you achieve lots of milestones and break down a large job into achievable tasks.