A fresh coat of paint on the exterior of your home will refresh the appearance, but if the job isn't done right, the paint-job that was supposed to make your home look better will do just the opposite. Here, you'll learn a few things that you must to do ensure the paint-job lasts years before needing your attention again.

Do the Prep Work

Nobody enjoys doing all of the prep work that goes into preparing for an exterior paint-job. Unfortunately, if you skip the work, the paint-job will look terrible.

Depending on the condition of the paint and siding on your home, the amount of prep work could be limited to a simple pressure cleaning. If the paint is peeling off of the siding or trim, you'll need to not only pressure wash, but also scrape the peeling paint away and sand the surface smooth.

When washing the siding, make sure to use a small amount of cleaning solution. If you attempt to clean it without any cleaning solution, a lot of the dirt and grime that would have come off will remain and could cause the paint to peel eventually.

Invest in Quality Paint

After putting all of the time and effort into prepping the siding and painting the house, you'll want the new paint to last quite a while before you need to go through it all again. This is where the quality of the product that you're using comes into play. If you skimp on the paint that is used, you'll find yourself going through the prep and painting process again.

If there are many flaws in the siding, choose paint with a flat finish. Flat finish paint is more difficult to keep clean, but it will not show all of the flaws in the siding.

Cover the Ground Below

Another issue that you don't want to have to address later is the damage that was done to the plants along the side of your home. Instead of having to pick paint chips and having to clean the paint drips off of flowers, cover everything around the sides of your home.

Put buckets or bins over the plants that you don't want trampled. Wrap rope around the branches of trees to keep them from brushing up against the wet paint, and cover mulch and stones with tarps or plastic.

If all of these seems to be too much for you to take on, talk with your local exterior home painter for assistance.