9 Tips to Paint Garden Building

Garden buildings are a welcome addition to any home. They offer an additional space in the surroundings of your garden. Many people use a garden building as a home office or work space. Allowing an element of separation from the busy home a garden building is a good way to enable a healthy work life balance.

Alternatively, a garden building, such as those offered from Quick Garden, is a great way to embrace the outdoors all year round. Many people usually put a lot of focus and thought into the interior of their garden building, but don’t think too much about the exterior. Beautifying the exterior is also important because it leaves it looking great. Giving the outdoor building a fresh lick of paint is a great way to beautify it. The great thing about this is you can easily paint it yourself with little advice from the pros. Below are some great garden building painting tips that will help you whether it is a simple garden shed or the grandest outdoor building.

1. Checking the Weather

You need to think about the weather when it comes to painting a wooden building. The best time to pain is when it is dry and not too cold. When the temperatures are low, the drying and performance of that paint is going to be affected. With high temperature, the paint to the wood is going to blister and will also flake after some time. Before painting the walls, make sure they are dry because high humidity, water droplets, and leaks can lead to bubbles filled with water on paint. Choose a day that is not too windy because you want the newly painted wall to dry properly.

2. Protecting Your Garden

The last thing you want is your favorite plants getting covered with bright paint. Your neighbours will not be happy if they have to deal with your paint. Make sure the surrounding walls, fences, and ground are protected using dust sheets. This is even more important when you are painting using a paint sprayer. You also need to cover the building’s locks, handles, and windows using masking tape and newspaper so that paint touches the desired area only. You also need to ensure your kids and pets are out of harm’s way. You need to have a smaller brusher that you are going to use for details. Have a towel or rags with you so you can clean any spills fast.

3. Cleaning the Exterior before you Start

If you want to paint on a garden building that has been around for some time, then you should not do it without cleaning it first. Thoroughly clean the surface you want to paint. A good option for doing this is scrubbing all dirt and mud using water and bleach, then rinsing it off after.

4. Smoothing Down the Surface

Before you paint the building, make sure you have smoothed down every part of the exterior surface. Check whether there are loose or rusted nails so you can change and seal them first. If there are cracks or nail holes, then fill them up before painting. This will ensure the paint sticks. The best and most long-lasting option is elastomeric and paintable caulk. Leave the surface to glaze for a day or two before you paint it.

5. Mixing Multiple Cans of Paint

You should mix all the cans of paint if you have more than one. The shades vary from can to can because the amount of pigment added to the batch is not perfectly equal. When you mix all the cans, you can be sure the paint is going to be the exact same shade. When you paint on the wooden surface, the color is going to be consistent. Estimating the exact amount of paint needed for the project is hard, but more paint is always better than less.

6. Customizing the Paint Mixer

If you use a stick or wood to stir the paint, then make sure you drill holes into it first. When stirring the paint, the paint is going to run through the holes, which will evenly mix the paint. Another option is getting a mixer from your local hardware store.

7. Applying Proper Painting Techniques

There are some techniques you need to know when it comes to painting timber surfaces. The first is to start by painting a test area to see whether you are happy with the color or not. It also lets you know whether the product works well for that specific surface. Another technique is to start painting from the edges and windows first, then follow it with vertical uprights. Once you are done with that, you can the pain the building sections starting from the top to the bottom. Make sure you are painting along the grain of the wooden surface. Pay more attention to exposed areas of end grain timber because this is where rot usually starts. To create an even surface, avoid overloading the brush. If you want a deeper color for the surface, then consider a second coat of paint. If the weather is normal, you will just need two to four hours before you add another coat.

8. Preventing Paint from Drying Out

Paint is not cheap, which is why you don’t want to waste any of it. One common mistake people make is leaving the paint to dry up to a point where it can’t be used again. The good thing is you can prevent paint from drying by preventing air from coming into contact with its surface. This is how paint dries out. A good way of doing this is to use golf balls to fill the gap between the lid and the paint. Another option is putting some plastic wrap under the lid then storing the can upside-down.

9. Don’t Wash Paint Rollers or Brushes

You can be tempted to wash the paint rollers and brushes after you are done. Doing this is not a good idea because it makes it harder to use them the next time. If you have been using latex paint and you can’t finish the job in one day, wrap your tools using plastic or tin foil. Put it inside a fridge because the cold prevents drying out. Keep in mind that you have to warm the tools before you can use them. You can transform the look of your wooden building and restore its beauty through paint. A high-quality building is not going to disappoint you, so you need to ensure you have chosen the right design for your situation.