Prepping Procedure for Painting the Exteriors Walls of Commercial Buildings
When it comes to paint jobs, commercial building owners have two options: to do the painting job on their own, or to hire a professional painter to do the job on their behalf. Usually, DIY painting of commercial buildings is a viable option when the painter is skilled and experienced at the job, and the size and scope of the job is small. But that does not necessarily mean you cannot paint your commercial building's external walls by yourself. You just need to have a basic understanding of how to go about the painting job.
Any successful paint job starts with proper prep work. Here are a run-through of the prep work needed to ensure you achieve desirable results when you are painting the external walls of your commercial building.
Cleaning the walls
Before deciding to give your external walls a new paint job, you must have noticed that they no longer look visually appealing. This may be due to the presence of dirt, grime, and bacterial elements, such as mould, mildew and algae. The first thing you should do is to remove any unwanted buildup from the surface of your exterior walls. Use a stiff brush and cleaning detergents to clean the walls, and hose them down to rinse off the cleaners. Some of the dirt may be somewhat hard to remove, but with a little more scrubbing and a bit of patience, they will eventually get cleaned out. Once you have thoroughly cleaned your walls, allow them enough time to dry.
Scraping out old paint
When your walls become dry, you will need to scrape out old paint that may have peeled off due to constant exposure to rain, direct sunlight and other harsh weather elements. You can do this using a wire brush or a power drill that is equipped with a paint stripper.
Smoothening the surface of the wall
Once you have taken off all the old paint, sand the surface of the wall with sandpaper to make it smooth. The smooth surface will help ensure uniform application of the paint when you are ready to grab the paint brush.
Fixing cracks on the wall
If there are any cracks around window and exterior door frames, or on any other part of your walls, they will have to be sealed before painting. Cracks around window and exterior doors can be caulked, whereas those on other sections of the wall may need to be filled up with exterior-grade putty. The caulking and putty should be given time to dry and then sanded to make them smooth.
A fresh stroke of paint applied onto the exterior walls of your commercial building can work magic, transforming the walls into a display of beauty and adding kerb appeal to your exterior environment. Well-prepped exteriors translate into well-painted surfaces, so make sure to do your prep work as required.