Tips for repainting wooden house exterior

Wooden houses need attention and care from time to time. Exterior paint might last years and even more than a decade, but even good paintwork won’t last forever. It is good to plan a repainting project already before the paint surface is in condition to crack, flake or look worn and faded.

Before starting your wood siding repainting project, make some critical checks and decisions. These include choosing an optimal paint quality for your house. Your preparation work and paint choice can save time, money and the environment.

If you are hesitant about how to prepare and which exterior paint to choose, use our planning checklist for painting a wooden house.

Opaque exterior wood paints Ultra Matt and Ultra Classic provide excellent durability and weather resistance for wood sidings. Both are safe choices whether the previous paint is waterborne or oil-based. Elastic and durable Ultra paints don’t flake.

Vinha is an opaque and semi-matt structural cover. This paint is also suitable for wood facades previously treated with acrylic paint, oil paint or translucent wood finish. Durable Vinha is excellent for maintenance painting. Despite an opaque finish, it leaves the grain of the wood beautifully visible.

Consider buying the whole amount of paint in one go to avoid mistakes in tinting the paint. Try our paint calculator which can help you in evaluating the paint consumption.

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. Start the wooden house painting project by protecting the surroundings. Cover also surfaces which should not get paint droplets: window frames, socles and other surfaces you want to protect.
2. Next, wash the walls using a mold-removing detergent Tikkurila Homeenpoisto. This product cleans and roughens the surface, helping the new layer of paint absorb thoroughly into the wood. A brush with an extension pole is a handy tool when washing big surfaces. Make sure to get all the dirt and dust off. 
3. Let the walls dry thoroughly.

4. Take a good look at the walls: are there any spots of paint flaking or detaching? Use a scraper to remove the flaky paint and sand the walls with sandpaper.

   Primer and topcoat painting tips

5. Choose a cloudy day for painting. The best painting weather is not too cold nor too hot. Avoid painting in the rain and direct sunlight.
6. If your paint requires a primer, use Valtti Pohjuste as a primer to treat the surfaces where you sanded off the old paint. It will be absorbed in wood, slowing down the effects of humidity and blocking the spread of bluestain. Remember to stir the product before use.
7. Let the primer dry for 24 hours.
8. Stir the topcoat paint in the beginning and during painting. Apply with a brush or a sprayer, one or more cladding boards at a time. Paint also the ends of the boards.
9. Let the first topcoat paint layer dry according to the manufacturer's instructions.
10. Apply the second paint layer on the facade.
11. Paint the weatherboards and window and door sills. 
12. Clean tools, remove protection and enjoy your new-looking house!