Blog

6 Common Exterior Painting Mistakes to Avoid

6 Common Exterior Painting Mistakes to Avoid

There’s a huge difference between painting, and painting well.

It’s a little like saying that because you can safely drive to the store and pick up groceries, you’re basically ready to be a master mechanic.

Expert level painting involves extensive knowledge of products, surfaces, how those products and surfaces will interact, having the proper tools, training, safety equipment, and more. And, the benefit of this kind of knowledge and experience is that your paint will look better and last much, much longer. That’s why we recommend hiring a professional painter rather than taking on a potentially large, expensive, and stressful project yourself.

With that said, we wanted to offer a few tips and insights into common exterior painting mistakes that we often see being made. These are definitely easy to make, but they’re also easy to avoid!

Avoid These Rookie Mistakes During Your Exterior Painting Project


  • Skipping/Minimizing Surface Prep - Yikes! Preparing the surface isn’t fun, but it’s absolutely essential. Cleaning, repairs, sanding, scraping, and more will all help create a healthy, receptive profile, allowing your paint to latch on more effectively and last longer. Believe it or not, these early steps will literally make or break the process.
  • Using Cheap Paint - Finding a good deal is always fun, but don’t cut corners when it comes to paint quality. For all the reasons why, take a closer look at this article.
  • Painting Bare Wood - Primer is almost always a good idea, but it becomes a 100% necessity when you paint over bare wood. A coat of primer builds a secure foundation for your paint, and ensures solid coverage, too.
  • Painting Over Split or Cracked Wood - This kind of damage can be indicative of a moisture issue seeping through behind the surface. If you look the other way while you paint (hopefully not literally), you’re only applying a band-aid over what will soon be an open wound.
  • Painting in the Wrong Weather - Today’s paint formulas can be fairly forgiving of colder temperatures. Your real enemies are hot, hot summer days, and moisture. Never squeeze coats of paint in between rain storms, or paint in the direct sunlight on a blistering day. Not only will you be miserable, but the integrity of the paint film will be compromised (making it weaker).
  • Poor Ladder Safety - The worst way to end a painting project is on your back... in the bushes. Reaching too far, standing on the top rung, not securing the base of the ladder, and other common safety mistakes can spell disaster.

Do You Need Exterior House Painting Services in Northern Virginia?

Hand Williams Professional Painting your to-do list, and then go enjoy your summer. If you have any questions or would like to talk painting, contact us today!

Any Size/Type Project

Flexible Scheduling

Expert Project Management

Safety Trained & Fully Insured

Get an Estimate