The most important step in exterior house painting does not involve a paintbrush but rather paint scraping tools. Preparing the surface you want to paint prior to painting your home will make or break your paint job. It is rarely the paint film itself that fails but rather the adhesion of the paint to the surface below (often called “substrate” in painting lingo). The reason paint fails to adhere is because the surface to which it was applied was dirty, wet or was loose itself. So making sure your paint surface is clean, dry, free from grease, oils and flaking or loose paint will give your primer and paint a good surface from which to bond. Painting the exterior of your house over a dirty or poorly prepared surface is like building a house on a bad foundation, and that’s never been a good idea.