DIY GUIDE

Exterior Repaint  (Weather Board Walls)

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 If you are planing to paint your home and thinking about doing it yourself, please have a look at our easy to follow Step by Step DIY Guide. In the following example we are going to show you how to repaint your home, and what are the best products to work with.

We are going to use DULUX Products. Dulux is the best quality product available today in the painting industry. It is the leading brand in Australia. They have a huge range of products for exterior use. Dulux WeatherShield Exterior Low Sheen is one of the best Paint to apply on the exterior weather board walls. It will last longer then any other materials.

Exterior Repaint:
  Step 1:
Clean the surface of the Gutters, Fascias, Eaves, Exterior Ceilings and Weather Board Walls. Simply use a broom, an old paint brush and a cloth.
  Step 2:
High Pressure Clean all the Exterior Surfaces using at least 3000 psi cleaner. The best to use is the petrol pressure cleaner. If you have a two story house use a ladder to reach the high parts. Sometimes scaffolding is required to reach all parts of the building. More about scaffold building and hiring, please go to your local store. Depending on the height there are variable scaffolds available to complete the project. (Scaffold Building License required for some scaffolds.) When you are washing the exterior surfaces try to be careful around the doors, windows and on the weather board walls as the pressure cleaner could cause you some flooding. It can also damage the boards depending on the condition of the boards.
  Step 3:
Once it is all washed, cover the floor with drop sheets and use masking tape, plastic drop sheets on other surfaces that you do not wish to paint. Make sure the whole area is covered, you don't need any accident.
  Step 4:
Repair any damages on the the Gutters, Fascias, Eaves, Exterior Ceilings and Weather Board Walls:

Scrape off any loose, pealing paint if there is any (including water damaged areas). 

Use Exterior Flexible Gap Sealant (Polyfilla) to fix any gaps you may have on the Eaves, Exterior Ceilings and Weather Board Walls. Use the same material to fill any gaps around the Windows and Door Frames. This product can be used to fill all the horizontal lines (gaps) between the boards. It may take some time to fill all the gaps but you will get a much better product once the final coat is applied on the weather boards.

Replace any part of the Gutters and Fascias if it is required. If they have minor damages try to sand it with a 120 sandpaper. Do the same thing on the down pipes (Metal only).

Use Exterior Filler on the holes, nail holes and any other damages on the Eaves and Exterior Ceilings. Use Corner Cement on the bigger damages. The Filler can be applied by Filling Blades. You may also need to re-tape some bigger cracks on the surfaces. It is also an easy process. Just stick the plastering tape onto the damaged surface and apply the Corner Cement on it using your blades. Sometimes it also required to apply a second coat of filler to create a smooth surface. The second coat of filler is usually Exterior Filler (Smooth Filler). Use the same filler on the holes, nail holes and any other damages on the Weather Board Walls. 

  Step 5:
If you had any water damaged area on any Eaves or Exterior Ceilings, it is time to take care of it. Use Zinsser B.I.N Primer Sealer (Stain Killer) on the previously water damaged areas. Give it some time to dry. It is always better to apply 2 separate coats if the surface is badly damaged.

Sometimes you need to fix the damage by using Exterior Filler or Corner Cement depending on the surface.

  Step 6:
If you moved / removed any lights, fans or other items, use the same method explained in "Step 4" to fix their place. Depending on the size of the whole it might need taping or rendering.
  Step 7:
Once you have all the surfaces prepared, the place is ready for painting. The first thing to paint is the Eaves, Exterior Ceilings! Always start with those! It will make your job a lot easier later on. Pick a good paint brush and roller from the local paint store. Never pick the cheapest because you won't be able to do quality job with cheap materials. Purdy is the best quality brand all over the world. Stick to it! Even if it would cost you more you will get a much better end product. Ok, now it is time to start painting:

PAINT THE EAVES, EXTERIOR CEILINGS:

DULUX Professional Exterior (Flat) Paint

Paint the two sides of the eaves with your brush. Do the same thing around the lights, fans and things you may have on the eaves and exterior ceilings. Once you are done, roll the eaves, exterior ceilings using a roller. Check the surface for any missed spots! If you missed, just simply go over again with your roller. Once you have done one coat make sure that you are happy with everything. Check for any missed spots and damages. There shouldn't be any as you have done the preparation work before. If you still find anything, go back and fix it. Preparation is the most important thing in painting. If you do not fix the problem now, you will have problems later on. Also you want to have a quality job done. When you are happy with everything apply the second coat of paint. Use the same method and finish the whole house. Usually two separate coats of paint is enough to apply but it is also depending on the chosen colour and the previous colour.

  Step 8:
PAINT THE GUTTERS, FASCIAS:

DULUX WeatherShield Exterior Low Sheen

WeatherShield is a really good quality product. It is a 40 years old product and has been deigned for weather condition such as rain, sun, wind and snow. It comes in High Gloss, Semi Gloss, Low Sheen and Matt finish. At Gold Coast Master Painters we prefer using Low Sheen on the Gutters and Fascias. It is much easier to work with and also creates a smooth finish. It still has the shiny look but of course not as shiny as semi gloss or high gloss finish. It is your personal choice which one you prefer. There is no major differences in the products. Apply it with a brush, but be careful not to leave any brush marks. Always try to work in a shade. If the weather is too hot and the sun hits the surface it is harder to apply and even the paint. Paint all gutters and fascias around your home. It can also be applied on any other metal poles (previously painted). If the surface is you would like to paint is bare metal, you need to apply a metal primer on it first. DULUX Quit Rust All Metal Primer is a perfect choice. Once it is done apply the WeatherShield paint on the poles. Once you have one coat on everything, start the second coat. Even if you apply the same colour two coats can always create a much better result. Especially if you use high gloss finish two separate coats recommended.

  Step 9:
PAINT THE WATHER BOARD WALLS:

DULUX WeatherShield (Low Sheen) Paint

It is time to paint the weather board walls. We usually use Exterior Low Sheen for the walls but it is also available in Flat, Semi Gloss and High Gloss. Low Sheen has a bit of shine and also easy to maintain. It is your choice which one you apply on the walls. Flat finish is also recommended. Start in one spot and use your brush to paint around the windows, door frames, power boxes, down pipes and around other items you may have on the walls. Try to make a nice straight line on the tops (Eaves, Exterior Ceilings). Use masking tape if necessary to mask the ceilings to avoid any splashes. Masking the Ceiling's bottom edge can be used as a "guide" to create a straight line. Always use a good quality of masking tape (Blue) because cheaper tapes could cause damage to your freshly painted ceilings. Even if the ceilings are dry,  cheaper tapes could cause damage and rip the paint off when you are trying to remove the tape. It is also important that you never leave your masking tape on the surface for a long time. Do not wait weeks to remove it! Always remove the tape as soon as possible to avoid any damages. Once you have one section painted, use a brush or small roller to roll the weather board walls. If you use a brush, be careful that you do not leave any brush marks. Keep going until you have one coat on every wall. Sometimes you have to use an even small roller or brush to paint the walls where the bigger roller cannot fit. That is normal. Once you have done one coat make sure that you are happy with everything. Check for any missed spots and damages. There shouldn't be any as you have done the preparation work before. If you still find anything, go back and fix it. Again! Preparation is the most important thing in painting. If you do not fix the problem now, you will have problems later on. Also you want to have a quality job done. When you are happy with everything, apply the second coat of paint. Use the same method and apply the second coat until you have finished the whole house. Sometimes the walls needs three separate coats of paint depending on the chosen colour and also on the previous colour. (Darker colours have better coverage then lighter colours.) Always try to work in small sections! It is recommended to apply the paint "wet on wet" which means do not let the brush work dry. Try to brush the tops, bottoms and around the windows in a small section and brush the boards or roll them straight away while it is still wet. You will get a much better result by doing that. If you roll the walls when the "cutting" is dry you may see a line "colour difference" between the brush work and roller work. Also try to work in the shade. Do not paint any surface on direct sunlight! 

  Step 10:
PAINT DOWN PIPES, POWER BOX:

DULUX WeatherShield (Low Sheen) Paint

Use the same method explained in "Step 9" and paint the Down pipes, Power Boxes and any other items you have. You can paint these items at the same time when you are doing the walls, depending on the colour you picked. 

  Step 11:
Remove all the drop sheets and plastic drop sheets. Now you have a fully painted home.

DULUX WeatherShield Exterior - Product Data Sheet

DULUX Professional Exterior (Matt) - Product Data Sheet

  Useful Links:

Where to buy and how to choose the Right Products?

How to choose the Right Colours for your Home?

Exterior Repaint  (Render Walls)

Roof Restoration (Tile Roof) - (Re-Spray)

Deck Restoration

Always read the Safety Instructions before

using a product!

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