How do you paint the outside of a house?

Yes, you can paint the outside yourself, as high as you can safely reach

Painting your own exterior is a fair DIY job on a single-storey house, where most of the walls are within reach from the ground. The prep and the painting aren't hard. They're slow. The risk is the ladder, and it climbs fast once you go past the first storey.

Safe Work Australia calls working at heights a high risk activity and a leading cause of death and serious injury in Australia. For painters and builders, construction work with a risk of falling more than 2 metres counts as high risk construction work. Where possible, the work has to be done from the ground or a solid construction. Where it can't, the fix is fall prevention such as scaffolding or a work platform. In Queensland, the Managing the risk of falls at workplaces code of practice 2021 sets this out, and it applies to all workplaces.

If you do use a ladder for the low bits, the Queensland Government's ladder advice is plain. Set it at 4:1, so a 4 metre ladder sits 1 metre out from the wall. Have someone hold the base. Don't stand above the second step from the top of a step ladder, or above the third rung of an extension ladder. Check for power lines first, and never use a ladder in rain or wind.

Second-storey walls, high eaves and gables, and anything on the roof are a job for a professional with scaffolding or a work platform. Stop the DIY at the height you can reach safely from the ground or a short ladder, and get a quote for the rest.

The correct order: prep first, then top to bottom, trims last

The correct order for an exterior repaint is prep, then paint from the highest point down, then trims and windows last. Taubmans says to always paint from the top down, starting with gutters, then fascias and eaves. Here's the full exterior sequence, built from the Dulux and Taubmans instructions.

1. Clear and cover. Move pot plants, hoses and furniture away from the walls. Taubmans says to cover paths, decks and anything close to the house with drop cloths.
2. Wash. Soapy water, rinse and let it dry. Taubmans suggests a pressure washer for grimy spots.
3. Test the old paint. Do the tape test (below) in a few places.
4. Scrape, sand and fill. Loose paint off, rough or glossy spots sanded, holes and cracks filled with an exterior filler.
5. Prime bare spots, if the label says to. Dulux says primer needs vary by surface, and some exterior paints, like Taubmans All Weather, are self-priming.
6. Gutters, fascias and eaves. The top of the house goes first.
7. Walls. Work in sections and keep a wet edge.
8. Trims and window frames. Taubmans says to paint these last, with the windows open so they don't stick shut.
9. Second coat. Same order again, once the first coat has passed its recoat time.

Gutters and downpipes have their own prep, especially near the sea. Our guide to painting rusted metal and gutters covers it.

Prep comes first: wash, test, scrape, fill, then check the label for primer

Exterior prep comes before any paint goes on, and Dulux calls it the key to a great exterior finish. Dulux's data sheet for Weathershield says every surface must be clean and free of dirt, dust, grease and loose or flaking paint before you start.

The tape test. Dulux warns that old paint that looks sound can still lose its grip when you paint over it, more so when the new colour is darker. So test it. Cut an X through the old paint with a sharp knife, press tape firmly across the cut and rip it off. If paint comes away on the tape, that paint has to come off before you repaint.

Scrape, sand, fill. Dulux says to scrape off all loose and flaking paint, fill cracks and holes with an exterior filler, and sand to a flat finish, taking off any greyed timber. The Queensland Government says paints with high levels of lead were used in many Australian houses before 1970, so have old paint tested before you sand it.

Mould and salt. Treat any mould before you paint. Taubmans suggests a diluted bleach solution, rinsed off and left to dry. On brick or render, Dulux says white salt marks (efflorescence) must be treated too, with a wipe of 5% acetic acid, which is white vinegar.

Primer. Dulux says primer needs vary by surface, so always check the product label before painting. Its Weathershield data sheet says the paint can go straight onto most bare surfaces, and Taubmans calls All Weather self-priming.

Paint that's already peeling has a cause, and it's worth finding before you start. See why exterior paint peels. Render has its own prep steps in painting rendered walls, and timber boards get theirs in painting weatherboard houses.

Pick a dry day above 10°C, and follow the shade

The right day for exterior painting is dry, mild and calm, with no rain due before the paint dries. Dulux's Weathershield data sheet says not to paint when the air or the wall is below 10°C, or when it may drop below 10°C while the paint dries. Dulux also says to skip very cold or humid days, and days when rain is forecast. Rain or overnight dew on wet paint can damage it or wash it off.

Heat matters too. In summer, Dulux says to paint on the shady side of the house, so plan which wall you'll do at which time of day.

On the Sunshine Coast, Bureau of Meteorology records for Sunshine Coast Airport show September is the driest month on average, and February the wettest. Our guide to the best time to paint a house exterior goes through the weather month by month.

Roller, brush or sprayer: each one suits a different part of the house

For an exterior, a roller, a brush and a sprayer each suit a different part of the house. Taubmans says to use a brush on gutters and fascias for accuracy. Walls are where the roller or sprayer earns its keep. Here's what the makers say, surface by surface.

Whatever the tool, keep a wet edge. Dulux says to work from an unpainted area back into the paint that's still wet, so brush marks and lap marks don't show. Brick has a few extra steps of its own, covered in painting a brick house.

Low sheen for walls, semi gloss or gloss for trims

For most house walls, low sheen is Dulux's pick, with a glossier finish on the trims. Dulux Weathershield and Taubmans All Weather both come in matt, low sheen, semi gloss and gloss. Dulux's Weathershield page says which one goes where.

Sheen also changes how a colour looks. Dulux says glossier paint reflects more light and can make a colour look lighter than the same colour in low sheen or matt. Dulux recommends trying a sample pot on your own walls before you start.

Go carefully with dark colours, especially on lightweight cladding

Dark colours are the ones Dulux flags for exteriors. Dulux's Weathershield data sheet says to avoid dark colours, where possible, on lightweight or panellised building systems, because they run much hotter on the surface. Dulux says that heat can add thermal stress to the building. It also says to check the cladding maker's advice on colour.

Dark shades also take more of a beating from the sun. Dulux makes a separate version, Weathershield ColourGuard Low Sheen, for dark colours that face greater heat and fade stress. And going darker over old paint is when Dulux says a sound-looking old coat is most likely to lift, so the tape test matters more.

None of this rules out a dark house. It means checking the wall and the product first. For help picking a scheme, read choosing exterior house colours.

Two coats, and give each one time to dry

An exterior repaint gets two coats of topcoat. Dulux says to apply two coats of Weathershield Low Sheen to a clean, sound, prepared surface. The wait between them is short. Dulux lists Weathershield Low Sheen as touch dry in 20 minutes with a 2 hour recoat time. Taubmans says All Weather is touch dry in 30 minutes and ready to recoat in 2 hours.

Dry isn't the same as hard, though. Dulux's data sheet says the paint needs 7 days of curing in normal conditions to reach full hardness. Go easy on fresh paint that first week.

After that, regular washing keeps it looking fresh. Dulux recommends washing exterior paint every 6 months in coastal areas and once a year in sheltered or inland ones. Our guide to how long exterior paint lasts covers the rest of the upkeep.

What a painted exterior costs on the Sunshine Coast

A standard repaint of a full single-storey exterior is $9,000 to $22,000 in our instant estimate. The wall type moves it from there. These are guide ranges for the standard tier, walls in good condition, including GST, and single storey unless the row says otherwise.

Whoever you hire, check the licence. The QBCC says a contractor needs a QBCC licence for building work valued over $3,300. Ours is QBCC licence 1281728. For how wall type and condition change the price, see exterior house painting cost. Our exterior house painters work right across the Sunshine Coast, and we'll give you a firm price after a free site visit.