How to paint a wooden house exterior

Whether you’re planning to maintenance paint your house or paint the wood panelling of a new house, all the instructions you need are right here. The guidelines are suitable for our exterior opaque paints: Ultra Classic, Ultra Matt, Pika-Teho, and Vinha.

It’s a good idea to check your wooden house exterior surfaces regularly and assess if a new coat of paint is needed. The sooner you act the easier it is, since a crackled surface always requires more preliminary work.

Aquire utensils for repainting a wooden house

Ensure you have all the necessary utensils, materials and paint products before starting the work. Include scaffolding or steady ladders for working safety and protection materials for covering the surroundings and those parts of the building that should not get dabs of paint.

Checklist for a wooden house painting project:

• scaffolding and/or step ladder
• plastic, kraft paper or cardboard for covering the surroundings
• protective working gloves and safety glasses
• scraper
• sandpaper
• washing brush with an extension pole
• cleaning agent
• masking tape
• brushes for painting exterior wood and/or a sprayer
• stick or mixer to stir the paint before applying
• exterior wood primer (if needed)
• exterior wood paint for the facade, weatherboards, window and door sills
• water or tool cleaner for cleaning the tools
   

1. Make the necessary preparations

• Check the previous treatment of the surface and choose your products accordingly. Waterborne acrylic paints are suitable for surfaces previously painted with acrylic paints and solvent-based oil paint.
• Gather all necessary tools and products.
• Plan your schedule to ensure a smooth workflow.
• Protect the surrounding surfaces carefully, including windows.

2. Clean and scrape the surface

• Wash the surfaces with Tikkurila Homeenpoisto diluted with water, 1 part cleaning agent to 3 parts water. Allow it to soak for half an hour, brush and rinse. Allow the surface to dry.
• Remove any flaking or greyed finish by using a scraper and sanding tools.  Sand a matt finish to shiny surfaces that are in good condition.

3. Treat the surfaces with a preservative and primer

• Impregnate new or untreated wooden surfaces with Valtti Pohjuste or Valtti Plus Pohjuste to protect the wood from moisture. Allow to dry for 24 hours.
• Choose a primer according to the surface. If the surface is in poor condition, use Teho Primer for priming or patching. For a surface in good condition, select the product according to the topcoat to be used: for instance, when painting with Ultra Classic, prime with Ultra Primer.
• Tint your primer to the same shade as the topcoat to ensure an even finish. Apply primer with a brush and leave to dry for 24 hours.

4. Apply the topcoat

1. Apply the topcoat once or twice by brushing with your choice of exterior house paint, such as Ultra Classic, Ultra Matt, Pika-Teho, or Vinha.
2. Apply the paint carefully, approximately two or three boards at a time, end to end, brushing evenly to avoid seams.
3. Leave to dry and enjoy your freshly painted house.

All done! Watch the video below to see painting in practice.

1. Preparations

• Gather all necessary tools and products. Plan your schedule in advance to ensure a smooth workflow.
• Protect the surrounding surfaces carefully, including windows. 

2. Washing surfaces

• Use a dust brush to remove dust and other loose particles.
• Wash surfaces with Tikkurila Homeenpoisto diluted with water, 1 part cleaning agent to 3 parts water. Allow it to soak for half an hour, brush and rinse. Allow the surface to dry.

3. Protect metal parts

• Clean metal parts such as nail heads from rust.
• Treat rusting metal parts with Rostex Super Akva.

4. Prime the surfaces with a primer

• Prime the surfaces with Ultra Primer.
• Tint your primer to the same shade as the topcoat to ensure an even finish. Brush and leave to dry for 24 hours.

5. Apply the topcoat

• Apply the topcoat once or twice by brushing with your choice of exterior house paint, such as Ultra Classic, Ultra Matt, Pika-Teho, or Vinha.
• Apply the paint carefully, approximately two or three boards at a time, end to end, brushing evenly to avoid seams.
• Leave to dry and enjoy your freshly painted house.