An old barn with faded red siding and green fields looks great. But you can’t imagine how good and breathtakingly charming it will look with a fresh coat of red paint. If you paint your old barn, it will not only look great, but it will also increase the lifespan of your barn to at least 10 more years.
Remember that painting an old barn is not just enough, you should first prepare it for the painting as well. If you are good at DIY painting, then you should follow these steps to paint your barn.
Evaluate the Barn’s Condition
Before your start your work with the paintbrush in your hand, you need to evaluate the barn’s condition. Checking the roof for any signs of water leaks is a good idea. Also, it is important to evaluate the siding carefully for any signs of wet or dry rot.
Inspecting the bottom of the doors along with any signs of damage to the hinges is crucial. In short, you need to do the barn inspection carefully for the damages that need repairing to keep the barn in good condition.
DIY Minor Repairs
You should do the minor repairs yourself to cut down on the cost. For example, you can fix any missing nails yourself and you can caulk the joints of the windows, doors, or other joints that you clearly see.
Caulking is necessary but most of the barn owners overlook this minor issue. The life of wooden doors and windows increases if it is properly caulked, as it will prevent water damage.
Structural and Foundational Repairs
During the barn inspection, if you find issues in the structure and foundation, you need to repair those as well. But remember that it is good to always contact the professional barn repairers near you.
Don’t try to fix these major issues yourself. This is the most important task that you should never overlook when doing preparation for barn painting.
Prepare Surface for Painting
Before you can start painting your barn, you should first prepare the surface for painting. During the barn inspection, if you find that the barn is in good condition and the wood is not too old, you can use the power washing option to thoroughly clean the exterior.
Contrary to this, if your barn is too old then power washing can be dangerous for the barn. In that case, you can wash it by hand using warm water. The pressure washer can damage the barn if its condition is not good.
Remove Old Loose Paint
After cleaning the exterior, you need to remove the old loose paint. Sanding and scraping the surface is important as it prepares the surface for a new coat of paint.
When you sand the surface, it increases its roughness and as a result, it also increases the adhesiveness. The new coat of the paint will set up properly on a surface that is properly sanded and which is adhesive.
Apply Undercoat or Primer
You can apply the primer as an undercoat before you paint your barn. But before you apply the primer, you need to wait for a couple of days after washing the exterior so that the surface gets dry properly.
When you are sure that the surface is dry now and it is ready for an undercoat, apply primer. It will increase the adhesiveness of the surface and the layer of paint will be set up properly.
Primer will help in preventing any stains or bubbles. It will also resist the flaking for the topcoat and give a longer-lasting finish.
Paint Your Barn
Wait for 24 hours or more after you apply the primer. When primer drys properly, you can paint your barn to restore its original beauty. Don’t forget to use these safety gears during your DIY painting job.
If you follow these steps carefully and prepare the barn for painting properly, then you will be able to get a long-lasting coat of paint and an increased lifespan of your barn.