What’s involvedOutside walls
Repaint or restain the outside trim: what's involved
What to look for from the ground, what a painter does, what to have ready, and when to call. No hands-on steps: it's ladder work, and old paint is tested first.
- 10 to 20 min
- 6 parts
- Every step animated
What’s involved
No hands-on steps here: what the job is, what a pro does, and what to have ready.
Paint and stain keep the trim's wood from soaking up water and rotting. Once it peels or wears through, water gets in.
Walk round and look at the trim on windows, doors and corners: peeling paint, bare grey wood, open joints, and soft spots near the bottom.
Photograph each side of the house, close enough to show the worst spots, so a painter can quote from them.
They scrape and sand off loose paint, replace soft wood, prime bare wood, and put on two coats in dry, mild weather.
Old paint may hold lead, so it's tested before anyone scrapes or sands it.Clear plants, furniture and the barbecue back from the walls, and choose your colours.
Bare wood, soft spots or paint coming off in sheets: call before more water gets in. Ask Handyman for a painter.
What you need
- Photos of each side of the house
- A list of the trim that's peeling or soft
- Clear space along the walls
Call a pro if
- Paint is peeling, flaking or worn to bare wood
- Trim feels soft, or a joint has opened
- The house is older and its paint has never been tested
Handyman says: I'll find a painter who tests old paint first.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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Rather have
a pro do it?