The elements are wild, unruly forces. They have a way of callously disrespecting all of your best efforts and reducing fine paint jobs into flaky nightmares. Don’t become another tormented victim of mother nature. Follow these steps and give your exterior paint job a fighting chance in its bout with time.

You’ll first want to remove your storm windows and screens so they stay the color you intended them to be.

Now you need to clear away the bruises and scars from your paint’s last battle. Dirt, mildew and chalky residue are all to be expected after a long hard fought spat. Luckily, Great Lakes Laboratories’ Extra Muscle Prepaint Cleaner makes quick work of all that. Add five ounces to a 3:1 mix of water and bleach and clean from the bottom up. Let the solution work for 15 minutes, then rinse everything down thoroughly and let it dry.

Once all the grime is taken care of, make sure all trim and siding is in good shape. Check that there is no dry rot, or stray nails compromising your surface.

If everything checks out, it’s time to get serious. Go through and scrape away old coats that may be coming off. Sand down tough areas with 36-80 grit, and sand the edges of the old paint smooth with 100 grit. Any area that is still glossy won’t hold a coat as well, so dull them down by scuff sanding.

Any caulk that has dried and split should be stripped with a utility knife and scraper. Tidy up the area with 100 grit sandpaper afterwards.

Before you start applying paint, a few drop cloths and masking tape go a long way towards ensuring clean, professional results.

Areas of bare wood, or anyplace you want caulk or spackle should be primed with Diamond Vogel’s Sure Grip Interior/Exterior Acrylic Latex Primer to help achieve a solid, durable bond.

Use Diamond Vogel’s Siliconized Acrylic Caulk to seal up all junctures around window frames, doors, chimneys, and any place where dissimilar materials meet. This will keep water and stray debris from compromising your finish.

Patch up any scared areas like dents or nail holes with spackle. Sand the area down flush with 100 grit sandpaper, and spot prime for a strong bond.

Make sure your coating is consistent and ready for its fight with the elements. Buy your paint from the same batch, and mix the buckets. Consistency is the mark of a true fighter. Apply the body coat one side at a time, and do not overspread. If the coating is thin and uneven, time will make quick work of your efforts. Applying the coating at the recommended thickness ensures long lasting results, and only paint clean, dry surfaces.

Rely on the experts at Diamond Vogel to assist you in selecting the right, quality Diamond Vogel coating for your project and provide valuable advice to save you time and money.

With these few simple steps achieved, you can paint in confidence that your work will stand up against the unrelenting forces of earth for years, and look good doing it.