Painting a wooden house’s exterior is more than just a style choice. It’s an essential step in defending the wood against pests, moisture, and weathering. Your home’s lifespan can be increased and its appearance improved with a well-applied coat of paint.
Achieving long-lasting results requires selecting the proper paint type and being aware of the painting procedure. With the right strategy, you can steer clear of common problems like fading, peeling, and cracking.
In order to ensure that your home stays attractive and well-protected for many years to come, we’ll go over the essential procedures and factors to consider when painting wooden houses outside in this guide.
Step | Description |
1. Surface Preparation | Clean the wood and remove any old paint or dirt. Sand the surface to ensure it"s smooth. |
2. Primer Application | Apply a primer to seal the wood and help the paint adhere better. |
3. Choosing the Paint | Select a paint that"s suitable for exterior wood and the climate in your area. |
4. Painting | Apply the paint evenly with a brush or roller. Consider using two coats for durability. |
5. Finishing Touches | Inspect the surface for any missed spots and touch them up. Allow the paint to dry completely. |
- Reasons for wood aging
- Choosing paint for a new wooden house
- Preparatory stage
- What to choose for painting wood
- How to prepare the facade of a wooden house
- How to paint new wood
- How to paint an old wooden house
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Reasons for wood aging
A wooden house can have its exterior painted on both a freshly painted surface and one that has already been coated. To perform this task accurately, you must first comprehend the factors that cause the dye to age and the steps that must be taken to increase the coating’s service life.
- First of all, it is important to understand that any living material is subject to aging. Wood changes over the years, as does any person. However, we have the opportunity to take care of our appearance and health with the help of medicines, vitamins and cosmetics. It is easy to guess that wood cannot do all this, so caring for it also falls on human shoulders.
- There is another reason for the withering of wood – various external factors. Wood is affected by precipitation, solar heat and temperature fluctuations.
- Numerous pests also cannot remain indifferent to aromatic wood. Do not forget about mold. All this leads to the aging of the tree, the destruction of its fibers and the loss of natural color. Wood ceases to be a strong and reliable material, no matter how surprising it may sound. And even a new wooden structure that has stood for only a few weeks begins to suffer from the above phenomena. Its beauty disappears quite quickly.
- Under the influence of moisture, wood swells, and after it dries, the opposite reaction occurs. Due to such changes, cracks form on the surface of the material, inside which annoying fungus loves to form. And if blue stain fungus and mold are not a significant threat to wood (but only spoil its aesthetic appearance), then rot fungus destroys the material insidiously and imperceptibly, hiding inside.
- Another significant threat to wood is bark beetles. These creatures can sleep peacefully in a wooden house for many years, when the owners do not even suspect such uninvited guests. When bark beetles wake up, you will understand the whole essence of their nasty nature, because they can cause a lot of trouble.
Be advised that a distant building shielded by a forest or park is less vulnerable to atmospheric loads than a wooden house next to a body of water. This also quickens the building material’s deterioration process.
In conclusion, there are numerous reasons why wood ages and deforms. But do not give up; appropriate painting is a surefire way to keep it in its original state.
For wooden houses, painting the outside is a must for both weatherproofing the wood and improving the aesthetics of the building. To achieve long-lasting results, this process entails meticulous preparation, selecting the appropriate paint type, and applying it correctly. In addition to being resistant to weather damage, properly painted wooden surfaces raise the aesthetic value of the house and make it seem more appealing and long-lasting.
Choosing paint for a new wooden house
You’ve finished building a new wooden house, and now you want to paint it. So how can one paint a house’s exterior? What kind of paint is appropriate to buy for this use? Let’s examine each item one by one.
Preparatory stage
Since any living material requires careful attention to detail, it is necessary to take care of the wood’s preparation for painting before beginning work. Preparing the wood beforehand increases the likelihood of a high-quality painting outcome.
- Use a spray bottle and a medium-hard brush to remove debris and dust from the surface of the wood. The so-called "wet cleaning" has a number of advantages over regular dry wiping, because water absorbs dust much better.
- If you notice fungus or mold on the wood, be sure to remove them with special products (note, a very effective and proven product is offered by the Tikkurila trademark).
- The heads of metal fasteners (nails, screws and self-tapping screws) should be carefully treated with a metal primer.
- It is necessary to remove all the resin from the tree (for this you can use a spatula or any other convenient tool). It is better to treat the areas where it was with varnish for knots. Varnish will allow you to create the most even surface of the material. This is an important point, the advantages of which you will definitely appreciate when working with wood in the future.
- After completing the preparatory work, you need to give the wood a short rest (2 weeks is enough), covering it with a protective film. In warm, dry weather, the "covering" can be removed.
- If it is not possible to completely dry the wood, use a tinted antiseptic primer. It can be applied even to wet wood. However, you cannot start painting the house until it is completely dry.
What to choose for painting wood
There are three kinds of coatings for these uses:
- Antiseptics are divided into two types: glazing and covering. The first have a transparent base, due to which they provide not only a protective function for wood, but also give it a delightful natural shade.
- Coating antiseptics mask the texture of the material, but preserve its relief.
- For a long time, they please the eye with their richness and shine.
- Acrylic paint covers wood in such a way that it retains the ability to "breathe".
- Acrylate, which is part of the paint, adds elasticity to it, which means that it is insured against cracks and similar deformations.
- They have weather resistance in common with the first, and excellent penetrating properties with the second.
- However, oil paints differ from the rest in one significant drawback – they dry slowly.
- In addition, such a surface will quickly lose the richness of its color and its inherent gloss.
- For light-colored paints, this is not a significant disadvantage, which cannot be said about the rest.
Naturally, paint needs to be replaced on a regular basis—even the priciest, highest-quality paints are not guaranteed against this.
How to determine whether the coating needs to be refreshed:
- The glazing antiseptic will last on average about 5 years;
- Covering antiseptic – 7 years;
- Acrylic paint – 10 years;
- Oil paint – no more than 6 years.
As you can see, there are multiple stages involved in the loss of a wooden house’s original appearance, so only approximate numbers are provided. The owner alone is the only one who can truly determine when it’s time to update his comfortable nest.
How to prepare the facade of a wooden house
Using a brush or metal scraper, clean the tree’s entire surface of any dirt or leftover paint:
- With the help of a sprayer and a rag, the remaining dust and small debris are removed. You can wipe the wood with the addition of an alkaline detergent. Firstly, it will be much cleaner. Secondly, this will help the paint to adhere to the wood more firmly.
- To eliminate fungus and mold, you should purchase a special solution.
- All unusable and uneven boards must be replaced, since light cosmetic repairs will not be enough to create a beautiful picture.
- If the old paint still retains its tenacity and is not removable, you can leave it alone. Another option is to remove its remains with chemicals. This method is notable for the fact that the texture of the wood is completely preserved and looks like new. In the same mechanical way, you can cause various types of damage. If you are embarrassed by protruding wood fibers, carry out additional sanding of the surface.
Be careful to apply a primer to the surface before applying the dye. The paint will then cover evenly and last a lot longer.
How to paint new wood
It’s not hard work painting a new wooden house from the outside. After all, painting wood doesn’t call for any particular abilities or skills. This is a task even a beginner can handle.
Note: You can only paint a wooden house from the outside over old paint if the paint has simply faded. But surface preparation is still required here as well. After all, the substance will flake and not lay on the gloss evenly.
It suffices to pay attention to a few subtleties that determine the caliber of the work produced:
- Preliminary surface treatment. To protect wood from mold and mildew, it is very important to use a primer antiseptic. Never skimp on this product, otherwise you will have to regret it or pay twice. Antiseptic preserves the original state of the material for a long time.
- Paint application. Make sure that the wood is not damp, and only then start working. The paint should be applied in 2-3 layers, completely drying each of them.
- Periodically stir the paint so that its tone and structure remain uniform;
- For uniform painting of the wood, use a convenient and high-quality brush, but try to apply the same amount of paint to the surface;
- To create the perfect color, use a primer colorant;
- Do not paint wood in hot weather, as the scorching rays of the sun will cause the paint to dry too quickly (not recommended). The most suitable is considered to be warm and quiet weather, without gusts of wind and precipitation;
- Antiseptics and paints must be applied exclusively along the coating;
- The ends of logs absorb moisture very easily, so they should be treated with several layers of primer. Otherwise, the end parts will begin to quickly rot and deteriorate.
How to paint an old wooden house
Painting an old wooden house externally is a more challenging project than the one before it. It is advisable to give a wooden house new life if it has served you well for a long time and the paint on its facade is peeling off due to fungus.
New paint will obviously help with this. The exterior of the house will be changed right away, and the owners will have the chance to play around with color schemes and realize all of their dreams.
Note: Make sure the housing is intact before painting (any damaged areas should be fixed or replaced).
- Perhaps you will need to paint over only the most “worn out” areas of the wood, or you may have to start a major renovation.
- If you decide to radically change the color of a wooden house, use the same type of paint as before (or better yet, buy new paint from the previous manufacturer).
There are instances where the home’s owner is unaware of the products that were utilized during earlier painting projects. It’s possible that he only recently bought the house and neglected to ask the previous owners for such information. Not a huge concern! One can tell the type of paint by looking at it.
- Oil paint quickly loses its gloss and becomes matte. After touching it leaves a barely noticeable chalky mark on the fingers. Oil paint most often cracks in the form of cells, and sometimes across the grain.
- Acrylic paint looks like thin leather. Its cracks, if any, are usually located in the direction of the wood grain.
- The glazing antiseptic becomes thinner over time. If the wood is glossy, you can use exactly the same new antiseptic, or paint the surface with oil paint. Painting work using acrylic paint is possible only if there is almost no antiseptic left on the surface of the wood.
An alternative method of identifying paint and varnish products is to roll a small piece of leftover paint into a tube. The piece that crumbled was oil, and the roll that is rolled up is acrylic paint. With the help of this straightforward manipulation, you can draw clear conclusions.
Painting a wooden house’s exterior is not just a matter of taste; it’s an essential step in protecting the wood and guaranteeing the structure’s longevity. Homeowners can enhance the natural beauty of their investment while safeguarding it from the elements by carefully choosing and applying the paint type.
The secret is to prepare well. A finish that is both aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting is achieved by priming the wood, smoothing rough spots, and cleaning the surface. Skipping these steps can result in future peeling, cracking, and expensive repairs.
A more durable and appealing finish can be achieved by selecting an exterior wood paint and applying it in the appropriate weather. The correct painting technique can turn a wooden house into a gorgeous, weather-resistant home that will be cherished for years to come, regardless of whether you choose a traditional style or a more modern color scheme.