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Are You Thinking of Painting Your Own Home? Consider All the Steps Involved

Are You Thinking of Painting Your Own Home? Consider All the Steps Involved

Are You Thinking of Painting Your Own Home? Consider All the Steps Involved

If you wish that you had a bright, beautiful exterior on your home, but you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for someone else to fix it for you, then you may be considering painting it yourself. At Hydro Tek we are not experts in this process but we can tell you about the basic steps involved. Make sure that pressure cleaning your home is done before you start.

Preparation is the Most Important Step in the Pressure Washing Process

There is nothing more important than properly preparing your home for washing. This requires the right pressure washing equipment and accessories. Start by scarping any loose paint or using a wire brush to get the loose paint off. If you see chalking, which is just a normal part of paint getting older, it will need to be pressure washed off or sanded off. Just make sure that you are using the right pressure as pressure that’s too high can end up damaging the home.

If the old paint was a glossy finish, then you will need to sand it well enough that new paint can adhere to it. If you have oil paint, then you’ll need to sand it vigorously or repaint it with an oil paint – just be careful. Latex paint can just peel off in sheets if not properly prepped. If you’re nervous or not entirely sure about what to do, paint a small area and then check it in the morning.

You Must Re-Caulk

While you technically do not have to re-caulk the exterior of your home after painting it, we strongly recommend doing so. Go around and look for caulking that is shriveled and / or loosened. Do a nice job – it is more important than you may think. Too often homeowners skip this step and end up with bare wood that draws moisture out of the caulk – which can cause serious water damage in the future.

Protect the Landscaping

You do not want to get done with the hard work of painting your home, only to discover that there is a huge mess in your yard. From paint chips to trampled shrubs, to drips on the sidewalk, to painted trees, there are many ways you can accidently damage your landscaping. Of course, simply being careful is an essential part of protecting your landscaping, but you can also cover things with plastic and drop clothes, and tie back shrubs that are in the way.

If you end up with paint on cement or concrete, you can also use your pressure washer to get rid of it. If you have questions about which pressure washer to use, contact Hydro Tek at 800-274-9376 now and we will look forward to helping you.

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  • Hot Water Pressure Washers

    Hydro Tek hot water pressure washers are designed to tackle the toughest messes wherever they may occur. Our products feature high-quality stainless steel construction, simple controls, and an innovative Spiralast™ heating coil that improves efficiency and reduces your fuel costs. We manufacture the Spiralast™ coils right here in our facility using a proprietary cold rolled process and robotic welds for exceptional strength and unimpeded flow. Our Spiralast™ lifetime warranty is the ONLY lifetime heating coil warranty in the industry.

  • Advantages of a Hot Water Pressure Washer

    Simply by heating up the water, a hot water pressure washer delivers dramatically improved cleaning power compared to a cold water machine. Hot water pressure washers are especially useful for cleaning sticky, greasy, or oily surfaces, because they will loosen the dirt much faster without the large amounts of soap, detergent, or other cleaning chemicals that must be used with a cold water system.

  • Hot Water Pressure Washer Applications

    A hot water pressure washer is essential for any cleanup job involving a sticky, greasy, or oily mess, as well as for applications where a surface must be sanitized. With a variety of models available, including self-contained mobile units with gas, diesel, or electric power, Hydro Tek hot water pressure washers can go anywhere and clean anything. Some common applications include heavy equipment cleaning, vehicle cleaning, graffiti removal, restaurant hood vent cleaning, and livestock facility cleaning.

Quality & Innovation Since 1985

Hydro Tek

From simple beginnings in 1985, Hydro Tek has grown to become the most trusted name in the pressure washer manufacturing industry.

How did we do it? By continually focusing on quality and reliability as the key to customer satisfaction, and by incorporating the latest technologies into our design and manufacturing processes.

By 1991, we were using computer-aided drafting systems to refine our product designs and improve efficiency. In 1997, we brought the power of computers to the shop floor by incorporating laser-cutting and other CNC manufacturing machinery, and in 2001 we began focusing on improving efficiency through the latest manufacturing techniques. The end result has been superior products delivered at a superior value to our customers. Through the next decade, we look forward to fulfilling our vision of making our products the "obvious choice" for all your industrial and commercial cleaning needs.