Painting the exterior of your home will make it look beautiful, but this project can be damaging, or even deadly to the plants that grow around your home. Below, you will find a few tips that can help you protect the plants as you work to repaint the exterior of your home.

Protection During Preparation

When painting the exterior of your home, you should clean the surface before applying the paint. The most efficient method of cleaning the exterior of your home is using a pressure washer. Some people make the mistake of applying bleach to the home and then spraying it off. The bleach contains chlorine which will kill many of the plants that you may have around your home.

Using straight water and a pressure washer will help eliminate the need for harsh chemicals. If the existing paint is peeling or chalky, it would be best to cover the plants with plastic to ensure the residue doesn't stick to the plants and cause them to look terrible when you are done.

Note: If the paint is peeling badly, you may need to manually scrape the paint off of the home. If this is the case, you should lay tarps or drop cloths over the area directly below where you are working. This will make it easier for you to clean up the paint chips when you are done.

Protection During the Paint Process

Exterior paint can be applied by hand or sprayed on using a pressurized paint gun. Both of these methods can drip and spray your plants and trees during the painting process. You can protect the plants and trees from overspray and splatters by:

• Wrapping large plants and trees with plastic wrap. You can purchase large rolls of plastic wrap at your local home improvement store. The wrap will cling to itself, making wrapping your plants and trees quite easy. Once the paint is dried, you can simply cut one side of the wrap and quickly remove it and throw it in the trash.
• Covering small plants with plastic totes or buckets. One-gallon ice cream buckets are perfect for covering very small plants, while larger plants can easily be covered with plastic storage totes picked up from your local home improvement store.

Note: Storage bins can be reused to cover your plants during frost season. This is a much easier option for covering your plants when frost threatens their health, making the totes a good long-term investment.

Protecting your plants during the preparation and painting process may seem like a lot of work, but it will help to keep the plants alive and looking great against your freshly painted home. For more tips on preparing for an external painting project, contact a company like Mylroie Painting Inc.