Having a weatherboard house provides your home with a classic and warm aesthetic that is welcoming to homeowners, renters and guests alike. But the problem is, unlike solid walls that are made of concrete, these weatherboards appear to season quite frequently. But with our help, you can learn the best way to paint weatherboards.

You have two choices to restore the shiny new look of the weatherboard.

1. Hire a painter to complete the job;
2. Take an all-in DIY approach.

Of course, we assume you’re a DIYer as you are reading this blog.

So stick with me till the end, and you can paint your own weatherboard home in only

seven (7) easy steps.

Step 1: Clean The Weatherboard

If your weatherboard isn’t newly built, instead your house has been standing for some years, you may notice dirt and loose paint adorning it. In cases like this, the first and foremost action is to clean it up properly before you move towards the other six (6) steps.

It’s important to do your best to clean the weatherboard with accuracy. You achieve this by using a pressure washer. If your weatherboards have glass made windows within them, you should be careful about the speed of the water jet that comes out of the pressure washer.

If you do not have a pressure washer, use a stiff brush and hand scrub the weatherboard with a bucket full of sugar soap and water or detergent and water solution. We do not recommend plain water as a cleaning medium.

Step 2: Prepare The Weatherboard

Now that we’ve got a clean, dirt-free weatherboard to paint, we have to prepare the surface for the painting.

Weatherboards can consist of numerous types of wood bases. As such, we’re provisioning a generic preparation formula before the painting can begin.

1. Use low-grit sandpaper to sand the loose debris, paint peels, and any rust spots.
2. Once the surface is smooth, there may be nail holes or cracks that you need to take care of. Using a filler is helpful here.
3. You can use gap sealants with caulking guns if there are even bigger nail holes, cracks or joints to fill.
4. Finally, cover the ground near the weatherboard with drop clothes or drop rolls. This will protect primers or paints from spilling on the ground, leaving an unsightly mess.

Step 3: Apply Exterior Primer

We’re entering the core painting part of the job. If you choose not to prime the surface, the result will look unfinished. Also, a good primer will prevent the weatherboard wood surface from soaking up the paint, thus costing you more monetary outlay in the long run.

When selecting your primer, our advice is to use oil-based primers on any bare hardwood to keep the weatherboard from splitting, cracking and sometimes bleeding. Water based primers are mainly used on pre-painted surfaces or on softer wood like pine. If money isn’t an issue, choose a quality primer, such as a latex-based primer for bare pine or oil based primer for hardwood. The result is impressive! This is your top-shelf, gold-quality product.

Step 4: Choose Your Colour

When choosing the right colour for your weatherboard, the choice is literally up to your personal preference. Today with such diversity, you can select traditional colours in light shades or go bold and bright with contrasting colours, like a navy house with rusty orange trim. Be diligent in making sure the colours are in the correct areas of your home, and the colours are used in ways that make your house flow. If you need help matching colours or have seen something that has inspired you, come and have a chat with our friendly team, and we can assist you. We even offer a  FREE in-home customer consultation.

Step 5: Start Painting From The Top Of The Weatherboard

Now, take the paint and mix it up with some water (optional) and start rolling the brush with splashes of paint on it. While beginning to paint, start your way from the top and move towards the bottom. At the top, paint under the edge of the weatherboard before you move to the face.

The direction of the coats of paint would be in a horizontal direction. This will ensure minimum cross-over of layers in paint. Hence, you can make the whole process quite efficient. Also, paint one (1) or two (2) boards simultaneously to maintain a wet paint edge. This helps to avoid brush marks and the overloading of paint as well.

Step 6: Don’t Stop Halfway

While you start to execute the previous step, a piece of crucial advice is to not stop halfway into the process; otherwise, it will be quite challenging to prevent the overlapping of paint coats. Also, any mistake made while painting will be near impossible to recover in this way.

Step 7: Let It Dry. What To Do With The Leftover Paint?

Once you apply as many coats of paint as the weatherboard requires, you can let it dry for an hour or two. Although, it might take up to a few days for the smell of the paint to go away. Meanwhile, if you have any paint left over, let it sit so it turns into a solid waste instead of throwing it away in a liquid state.

Well done! You have painted your weatherboard in seven steps. You can now stand back and admire your hard work and accomplishments. So come on into Earles, and brag to us. We’d love to see your work!

If you have any questions, please call us on 07 4121 5202 or shop in-store at Earle’s Paint Place, Maryborough.