Should I Pressure Wash my Home Before Getting the Exterior Painted?

Should I Pressure Wash my Home Before Getting the Exterior Painted?

Pressure washing is an excellent way to clean the exterior of a home. It is best left to professionals since the equipment required needs to be used properly to avoid damaging the property. For a professional, pressure washing a home is easy and a regular part of their job. Before having the exterior of your home painted, many painting companies will recommend that pressure washing should be done prior to painting the exterior. This leaves homeowners wondering if they need to have their home pressure washed when the house already looks clean. The answer is that no matter how clean your home looks, the outside should be pressure washed just before painting and a few reasons for this rule are listed below. Always remember to ask your painting company if pressure washing is something that you need for your home.  

Adhesion

It is very important that the surface be clean and free of debris prior to applying paint to the exterior of your home. Paint cannot stick to dust, dirt, mold or any buildup caused by rain and pollutants that inevitably build up, even over a very short period of time. If the surface is not cleaned and these elements are painted over, then the paint might look nice at first, but it will definitely crack or peel over time since the paint is not really attached to the surface of your home. Once the paint cracks or peels of, even just a little bit, the whole section may need to be pressure washed and painted again. Not only is redoing the work an additional cost, but it is also a waste of your time and can be very inconvenient and disappointing. Having your home painted properly the first time really saves a lot of hassle and allows you to enjoy your newly painted home for many years.    

Step One

Pressure washing is not meant to remove old paint from your home, as stripping paint is a completely different step of painting that is performed on its own. Never have someone use a pressure washer to remove old paint since the pressure required to do this will definitely be more than most siding can handle. If the paint is already very flaky, some small pieces might break off and get washed away, but this will not be able to remove all the paint. The first step to pressure washing the outside of a house is to remove any large debris, such as patches of mold, insect nests, leaves, dirt, or small plants that may be growing at the base of the house and onto the siding.  This step is done with pure water and an appropriate pressure.

Step Two

Once all of the larger debris has been washed away, the house will look very clean and ready for paint, however there mat still be grease from pollution and dirt built up that may require a cleaning solution. The cleaning solution makes sure that any pollutants that are able to stick to the side of the home, especially common for humid and wet climates such as Florida, are removed so that they don’t inhibit the adhesion of the paint. This step is often skipped, but it can extend the life of the paint by a few years because the paint will be so firmly adhered to the surface. The cleaning solution is rinsed off with pure water and the house is ready for paint as soon as it is thoroughly dry.

Pressure washing your home is not only a great way to keep your exterior paint looking its finest, but it is also a great way to make sure that your new paint job looks great as well for many years. Proper preparation is what sets an amazing paint job apart from the average and pressure washing is a small investment that allows you to enjoy a clean and beautiful house for as long as possible. So to answer the question, yes, you should get your home pressure washed before getting the exterior painted.

If you have any questions regarding pressure washing or painting, our professional painters are here to help. If you would like an estimate for painting or have any questions, you can contact us here or call us directly at 239.600.1418.