How to Paint the Outside of Your House | DIY Megastore

How to Paint the Outside of Your House (Without Expensive Scaffolding)

Side view of professional painter on ladder painting the side of a house.

Painting your house is a big job but, when done right, can leave a tremendous impression. Not only making it stand out from the rest of the buildings on your road but also adding a surprising amount of value. After all, covering up years of built-up dirt and grime will immediately transform to match the modern aesthetic of any new build home.

Typically, scaffolding would be essential for this kind of job, with it offering a stable platform so you can focus on covering your walls evenly. We don’t need to tell you though, there are plenty of downsides to scaffolding not least of which is the cost.

£650 plus on average per week, if you are keeping score.

So, is there a way to paint your house without spending a fortune? Yes. Of course, there is, and we are going to explain how.

What Do We Have Against Scaffolding?
Should I Hire an Access Platform?
Home Painting Tips

What Do We Have Against Scaffolding?

First off, we should say that scaffolding is an important bit of kit. Essential, even for many jobs builders have to take on. Replacing second-story windows and the like. However, painting isn’t necessarily one of them.

But if you don’t use scaffolding then what should you use, I hear you ask. Well, the answer is one you’ve likely already come up with. A ladder. Yep, as simple as that, though not just any ladder will do.

Proffesional painter on a ladder painting fascia.

What is the Best Ladder for Painting Your Home?

Ladders are not only much cheaper than scaffolding but also far more versatile. Better yet, you get to keep them after you’re finished painting. The type of ladder you’ll need will vary depending on the size of your house though in pretty much all circumstances you’ll want a tripod ladder.

This will provide the added stability that is essential when working at height – particularly on uneven ground.

Next up, your ladder will have to be able to extend. Not necessarily the top of your roof but high enough that you can comfortably reach the top of the wall. Make sure the ladder also features locking auto-clamps so that it will never retract by accident.

Finally, let’s talk about your ladder's feet. Seeing as it will be resting on either dirt, grass or stone you’ll want to invest a little extra in rubber grips for that added traction. The last thing that you want is for your ladder to slip, after all.

Should I Hire an Access Platform?

You may be asking yourself, what exactly is an access platform? Well, they sit almost perfectly between scaffolding and ladders. Designed with a stable platform normally atop of scissor lift. With these, you won’t have to worry about stability or a strong gust of wind knocking you off balance.

The question of whether to rent or buy really depends on how high you need the platform to go with many different makes and models available – some more suited to lower-level action.

If your house is more than two stories, if you are uncomfortable working at height or if you don’t have anyone on hand to spot you whilst you are up on your ladder an access platform is probably the direction to go.

Home Painting Tips

With the issue of scaffolding neatly tucked away, we can move swiftly on to what is (hopefully) the fun part of this whole project. The actual painting.

Now while you may be keen to get the brushed out and get started, there are just a few bits of admin that we’ll need to address first. The first, as you might expect, is when NOT to paint your house.

Proffesional painter standing on roof to paint high wall.

Paint is not a substitute for proper repair work. So, if your render is cracked, if you’re missing pebble dash or if the brickwork is broken make sure to get this filled in/replaced first. Simply painting over the problem may well obscure it, but that will only make it more difficult to tackle down the road when the damage will inevitably become more extensive.

The next thing to ask yourself is whether or not your home is in a listed area. These are typically areas of protected historical heritage with certain restrictions on the external work that can be done on them – including changing the colour. Once you’ve confirmed that you can paint your house and that it is in good condition, you can start working down the list of what you’ll need to get the job done.

What Do I Need When Painting My House?

Suitable exterior paint (enough to cover your external walls in multiple coats)
Brushes, rollers & paint trays
Dustsheets & masking tape (to cover windows & doors)
Heavy-duty gloves, hard hat & other PPE
Access equipment (ladder and/or access platform)

Prepping your Work Area

As of right now, your home is now your canvas. Take to act like it and clear away all of the old tools, lawnmowers and other bits and bobs that may cause an obstruction (this includes pets which may be better off locked inside or moved to a friend's house until the paint is dry).

When you think you are ready to start painting, just take a second to double-check that your surfaces are sound. This means no hollowing rendering, rotting wood or flaking paint. Even if you have none of these problems, you may well find that some moss has taken up residence. This will also need to be cleaned off before you begin.

Happy with your wall? Great, now it's time to do a test paint. Start on smaller (preferably out of sight lower section) of your wall and make sure you are happy with the result. Most importantly, make sure that your brushes are leaving behind any bristles while you paint.

With this done you can cover your windows, doors and grounds with dustsheets to protect them from any stray paint caught in the breeze and get to the work proper.

Proffesional painter on stepledder painting chipboard blue.

Where to Start Painting Your House

If you are also taking this opportunity to paint your eaves, soffits and fascia we recommend starting there. It’s good practice to paint your walls top to bottom anyway (to avoid running painting drying in streaks what sections of your wall have already dried) so whilst you are up there it's best to get these done at the same time.

Top Tip: NEVER paint directly from the tin, always mix well and pour into a roller tray.

As you are working paint into your walls, take extra care around any natural divots and dents in brickwork that may need a brush to work the paint. Similarly, when painting edges around windows and doors remember to use a smaller brush.

Take your time applying the two coats that your house will need. There is nothing more frustrating than having to get all the paint out again just to cover a small patch that you’ve missed – particularly if that patch is on the first floor or higher.

With this done, rinse and repeat for the bottom half of your house and then get to work removing any masking tape and dustsheets that you put up. Pop this in a bin bag straight away to avoid any stray paint from touching your walls or grass. Dirty rollers and brushes can be cleaned with specialist cleaners and then stored away from the next job.

With that, you should be all done. Give the paint a day or two to dry, welcome back any pets and then have a nice garden party to admire your work.

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