27 Jul Painting Large Building Exteriors
The exterior of your building is subject to some pretty extensive damage. All year long, it bakes under the sun, freezes in snowstorms, and gets soaked under rain clouds. If you’re thinking about painting it, you might wonder how to do so without letting Mother Nature get in the way.
In most cases, it’s more difficult to paint an exterior than an interior. Here are a few things you’ll need to consider before you get started:
Wash The Surface
The dirt that builds up on an exterior will cause problems during your paint application. You want the surface to be as smooth and clean as possible before your project is underway. Use a pressure washer to remove any dirt, and repair any hairline cracks. This will give you a smooth canvas to work with as you paint.
Potential Challenges
A building exterior poses unique challenges for painters, like:
- Changing weather conditions. If it’s too sunny, the paint will dry too quickly, causing textural issues. If it’s too cold, the formula of the paint may become too thick. And if it rains, the surface will be ruined by streaks.
You can’t wait until conditions are perfect before you paint—there will always be something in the way, whether it’s too much humidity or cloudy skies. Try to find a series of days with favourable conditions whenever possible.
- Insufficient drying time. When you’re painting an interior room, it’s easy to block it off until the paint dries. But that’s not the case with an exterior surface. You may want to display a few wet paint signs to warn those nearby not to touch the exterior.
- Reaching high areas. If your building has multiple stories, you’ll have a tough time painting the topmost ones. You’ll need ladders to access hard-to-reach surfaces.
Selecting Your Colour Story
When you’re choosing colours for your next paint job, you have to think beyond your preferences—you also need to consider what surrounds your building. Since you’re working with an exterior, it’s important to factor in the colours of nearby buildings and landmarks.
A colour that looks good inside of a room may look entirely different outdoors. It could blend in too much with the background, causing the building to look bland. Or, it might stick out to the point of being an eyesore. Take the background into account before you purchase any paint.
Choosing Which Surfaces To Paint
When you’re selecting your paint colours, consider how many different ones you might need. Do you plan to paint just the exterior of the building, or do you want to include other details like:
- The doors?
- The window ledges?
- The trim?
If so, you’ll need to select an array of colours that work well together. Finer details can be tough to paint precisely. For clean lines, we recommend using painter’s tape.
Estimating How Much Paint You’ll Need
Once you’ve decided what you want to paint, the next step is purchasing enough product to cover it all. To calculate that, you need to know the surface area of the exterior. Here’s a handy tip: for every 100 square feet, you’ll need one gallon of paint.
We deal with challenging weather conditions in this city; the summers are hot while the winters are dry and chilly. You might not know when the best time to paint is in conditions like these. Exterior painting in Winnipeg isn’t easy—that’s why we’re here. Contact Pinnacle Painting today to book an estimate!