Title: Putting a Fresh Coat of Paint on Your Exterior - This Old House
Headings: Putting a Fresh Coat of Paint on Your Exterior
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Curb Appeal
Putting a Fresh Coat of Paint on Your Exterior
House Inspection
Touching Up
Stripping
Brush Work

Content: This first coat of primer makes small cracks, nail heads and other imperfections more visible, so you'll want to fill them with a latex caulk and exterior filler, such as a two-part epoxy or a light weight spackle and sand until level. Remember to always prime before caulking or filling. Then mop the house's surface with a damp cloth to remove any remaining dust and apply a second coat of primer. Stripping
If you are stripping the whole house down to bare wood, start with a vigorous hand-scraping. When you've scraped as much as you can, patch any gouges or gaps with a two-part wood epoxy. Then sand the entire surface until smooth. Even the most thorough scraping and sanding won't dislodge mold and mildew in old wood, but a cleaning solution containing a cup of bleach and a cup of trisodium phosphate in two gallons of water should do the trick. Spray the house's surface while scrubbing with a stiff-bristled brush. Let it sit for half an hour before gently rinsing with a garden hose. A power-washer may sound like a time saver but its streaming jets can damage old wood.