Painting the exterior of a home is always going to be a big process of careful preparation and time. Painting an OLD home can be an even bigger process. There are a few obstacles you may need to deal with on older homes then you might with newer models. Taking careful precautions and being prepared for anything when revamping the exterior of your home is key. Here are a few challenges you may face, and how to deal with them when painting an older home:

Lead: If your home was painted before 1980, there is a high possibility you will be facing lead exposure. This can be very damaging to your health, and those around, and should best be dealt with in the hands of professionals. To be said in simplest terms, wetting the area of lead-polluted paint when scraping off, will reduce dust particles making it less toxic.

Decay: It’s bound to happen…older homes means older building materials. Over time wood rots creating cracks, breakage and disintegration. Painting over these trouble spots can be tricky and should have proper maintenance before painting. Sanding the surface is the best option for creating a soft, smooth surface to paint on, or if too far gone, replacing any decayed materials.

Old Paint: It is very possible your home has been painted over many times before, and possibly not done to the best of abilities. If you find paint coat after paint coat when removing the top layer, you may be in for some extensive removal techniques. Removing layers of old paint can be done in multiple ways, from either chipping, burning or chemical stripping. Chipping is done by hand, and by all means the most time consuming. “Burning” is a tool that uses infrared heat to loosen the bond between the paint and the surface. Last, but not least, chemical stripping is a non-toxic spray that sits on the paint over night causing the bond to break and easily strip off the following day.

Old homes are always going to take some hard-earned elbow grease to keep up, but are totally worth it! Stay safe and get a job well done when repainting your home, with Flying Colours Paint, your paint experts.