Exterior paint fails from the bottom up. The coat you see on top is usually only as good as the prep underneath it, which is why a real exterior job spends more time on prep than on painting. Here is exactly how we do it, and where you can help ahead of time.
Why prep matters
Paint bonds to the surface it touches. If that surface is dirty, chalky, loose, or damaged, the paint bonds to that, not to the siding. A premium paint on bad prep lasts three years. A mid-grade paint on great prep lasts ten.
The six-step exterior prep sequence
- Clear the work zone. Move patio furniture, grills, and anything stored against the house at least six feet out from the walls. Cut back bushes and vines that touch the siding. Coil hoses and relocate anything breakable.
- Pressure wash the siding. We soft-wash the entire exterior to remove dust, pollen, spider webs, mildew, and loose chalk. This has to happen first, because every later step depends on a clean, sound surface. The siding then dries for at least 24 hours before anything else touches it.
- Scrape and sand loose paint. Any paint that can be popped off with a scraper is coming off in the first year of the new job if we leave it. We scrape to sound material, then feather-sand the edges so the transition does not telegraph through the finish coat.
- Repair damaged siding and trim. Rotted trim gets replaced or epoxied depending on the extent. Loose boards get re-nailed or re-screwed. Holes bigger than a dime get filled with exterior-grade wood filler and sanded flush.
- Caulk every gap. Window trim, door trim, corner boards, anywhere two pieces of wood meet. We use a paintable exterior caulk that stays flexible through Spokane's freeze-thaw cycle. Old caulk that has split or pulled away gets cut out before new caulk goes down.
- Spot-prime bare wood and repairs. Any raw wood from scraping or filler gets a stain-blocking primer before topcoat. Skipping this step is how bleed-through and tannin stains ruin a paint job six months later.
What you can handle ahead of job day
You do not have to do any of this, but homeowners who want to trim the quote can knock out the easy wins:
- Trim back shrubs, vines, and anything touching the siding.
- Remove storm windows or screens you want cleaned separately.
- Park vehicles on the street or in the garage on painting days.
- Make sure we have access to water and a couple of outdoor outlets.
What we always handle
Pressure washing, scraping, sanding, repairs, caulk, and priming are ours. None of these steps are optional on an Apex Painting exterior job, even if the quote came in under a competitor. Skipping prep to hit a price point is not a path we offer.
If you are thinking about an exterior repaint this season, the prep walk is part of the free quote. Get in touch and we will walk the house, check the condition, and send a written bid.