While it may be wise to leave exterior home painting to professionals, some people need to tackle the job themselves. If you find yourself faced with this daunting task, follow these tips for success:

• First of all, make sure you're qualified. Exterior painting is physically demanding and requires a great deal of time and effort. Don't waste resources planning to do it yourself if you may not be able to complete the job.
• Remember that exterior paint must withstand harsh weather conditions. Using the highest quality primers and paints available is worth it when you consider the wear and tear your paint job will need to endure. In fact, a poor paint job can lead to deeper damages to your siding.
• When choosing a color or color scheme, remember there are many factors to consider. The age and style of the home, location, neighborhood guidelines, surroundings, and condition of the property should all play a role in your decision.
• Consider getting practice with a paint sprayer. For a large job such as this, the extra effort needed to polish your paint spraying skills beforehand could mean a huge time savings in the end.
• Inspect your home's condition and research the best ways to prep various surfaces for painting to ensure the best and most durable outcome.
• Staining versus painting requires the same amount of research and care. Choose the proper stain for your particular wood and climate, and make sure to remove all previous stain before reapplying. The wood surface must be clean and porous for the stain to set properly. Also, different types and colors of stain require different application techniques.
• Get answers to all your questions ahead of time. You have many resources available to you-take advantage. The Internet, hardware and home improvement store employees, and books or guides are all excellent ways to research and educate yourself beforehand to prevent roadblocks and problems.
• Plan on doing it right the first time. This is a big job that everyone will see, so the last thing you want is a big mistake or worse-needing to redo the whole thing. Take your time and don't skimp in any way.

If you take the time to research and plan sufficiently, and follow the other guidelines above, you can succeed in repainting the exterior of your home without hiring a professional. Just keep in mind that doing so is one of the most difficult and important home improvement projects you can decide to tackle on your own.