At this moment, you’re planning to paint your 2-story home’s exterior. Also, you decided that you’re going to use spray paint. But how are you going to go through with this task? We researched this concern for your convenience and here’s what we found.
First, plan the upcoming 2-story exterior paint job and put the ideas into writing. Next, ensure that the job site is going to be safe for everyone in the vicinity. Follow these steps after completing the preparations:
- Strip the exterior paint
- Seal imperfections
- Clean the surfaces
- Mask surfaces that don’t need paint
- Prime the exterior
- Apply the first coat
- Apply the second coat
- Finish
You might think that it’s a fairly straightforward job. But you need to be mindful of important details to prevent accidents and costly mistakes. So continue reading as we talk about the steps to spray paint a 2-story house exterior in greater detail.
How Do You Spray Paint The Outside Of A 2-Story House?
Before initiating this task, it’s important to set your expectations about the upcoming job. Some of the things to think about are:
- Effort and time: Since you're going to paint a 2-story house, it's going to be more laborious and time-consuming than painting a single-story dwelling.
- Cleanliness: Remove dirt and debris on the exterior’s surface before applying paint.
- Tidiness: Keep the work area as clean as possible to prevent accidents and injuries.
- Assistance: An extra pair of eyes, ears, and hands can make the job site much safer.
- Costs: Prepare your budget beforehand to avoid going overboard with the expenses.
Also, it’s essential to practice proper safety measures before, during, and after the spray painting job. These safety protocols may include:
- Ensure that the stepladder is stable before attempting to climb it.
- Always wear protective gear, such as goggles, a respirator, and long-sleeved clothing.
- Dispose of leftover paint properly.
Be mindful of those guidelines to ensure the safe and proper completion of your exterior spray-painting operation. If you're ready, follow these steps to go about painting the two stories of your house:
What You’ll Need
- Putty knife
- Pressure washer
- Cleaning sponge
- Mild liquid detergent
- Water
- Bucket
- Stucco
- Stepladder
- Silicone sealant
- Paintbrush
- Painter’s tape
- Spray gun
- Primer
- Paint thinner
- Plastic sheets
- Cloths, rags, or towels
- Preferred paint
Step-by-Step Guide
Step #1: Strip The Exterior Paint
Remove the old paint covering your home’s exteriors. You can complete this step by using a putty knife on the exterior walls and other surfaces. Scrape those areas with the putty knife, but don’t apply more pressure than needed. Otherwise, you might scratch or bring other types of harm to the exterior’s material.
Step #2: Seal Imperfections
You might find some cracks, gaps, and holes in your home’s siding and other exterior surfaces after removing the old paint job. If so, seal these imperfections first.
You can typically use stucco for this step. However, the best sealant to use generally depends on the exterior’s material. You can use a soft paintbrush to spread the sealant if necessary.
Step #3: Clean The Surfaces
Use a pressure washer to make quick work of the dirt and debris latching onto your home’s exterior walls. Then, remove leftover gunk from corners and crevices with the help of a sponge dipped in a mild and soapy cleaning solution. Wipe the surfaces dry with cloths, rags, or towels before continuing to the next step.
Step #4: Mask Surfaces That Don’t Need Paint
Cover the areas that you don’t want to paint with painter’s tape. Use plastic sheets to cover large surface areas, such as doors and windows.
Step #5: Prime The Exterior
Pour primer into the spray gun’s paint receptacle. Then, spray the house’s exterior with primer. Let the primer dry before you start applying the first coat of paint. Take note that it takes anywhere from 1 to 24 hours for the primer dry.
Step #6: Apply The First Coat
Dispose of the leftover primer in the spray gun’s paint container. Clean the reservoir by pouring a light coat of paint thinner into it. Swirl the thinner in the receptacle and dispose of it properly.
Next, pour your preferred paint into the spray gun’s paint container. Climb the stepladder and start spraying paint from the top.
Step #7: Apply The Second Coat
Let the first coat dry. Then, spray paint the 2-story exterior with a second coat of paint. If you want to apply more coats after the second application, allow the layer to dry before spraying it with another coating.
Step #8: Finish
With the paint layers dry, remove the painter’s tape and plastic sheets carefully. Don’t tug on these items. Otherwise, the surrounding paint job may chip.
Check out this paint spray gun on Amazon.
Watch the video below to gain additional insights into this spray-painting job:
You might also be wondering about which paint to use, especially if you’re thinking about using latex paint. Read our post on the difference between interior and exterior latex paint to help with your decision-making process.
Is It Better To Roll Or Spray Exterior House Paint?
Using either a paint roller or spray gun to put color on a house’s exterior often has distinct pros and cons.
For instance, using a paint roller applies a relatively thick coat for each layer. With this tool, painting exterior surfaces can be quicker than using a spray gun. However, it also means that it might be quite easy to apply more paint than necessary.
On the other hand, using a spray gun usually provides better control in handling the paint. But the paint sprayed on exterior surfaces is usually in light coats, making paint-spraying a longer job to complete than using a paint roller.
Also, you may read our post on how to paint the outside of a house without using scaffolding, particularly if you want to use a paint roller.
Do I Need To Prime Before Painting the Exterior?
It’s not always necessary to use a primer before applying paint to a home's exterior. But you should always use a primer if you're going to paint an unpainted surface. You may not need to go through that preparatory step if you only need to retouch some areas on your house’s outside surfaces.
How Long Does It Take To Spray Paint A House Exterior?
It should take about 4 to 5 days to spray paint the exterior of a single-story house. So it may take longer than that period to spray paint a home with multiple stories.
Also, the length of time to spray paint a house’s exterior can depend on factors like:
- Current weather
- The house’s dimensions
- Number of people working on the project
- Additional tasks (e.g., sealing cracks and finishing wooden surfaces)
How Much Does It Cost To Paint A 2-Story House Exterior?
Homeowners of 2-story houses should prepare to spend about $3,000 or more to paint their dwellings’ exteriors. Take note that the final costs may increase or decrease based on certain factors like:
- Number of coats
- Type of paint
- The difficulty of the task
- Property’s location
Final Words
Remember, spray painting a 2-story house exterior begins with proper planning. Don’t forget to take into account the safety measures that should always be in place before, during, and after the spray-painting job.
Finally, follow the steps correctly, and you can admire your newly-painted home without worrying about dealing with expensive mistakes.
