DIY tips for sprucing up a home exterior
I didn’t need my neighbours to tell me that the biggest, most public feature of my home — its exterior — looked shabby.
Aluminum siding added during an extension in the ’70s was dented and dingy. The decades-old, oft-painted front door was as drafty and drab as a November afternoon. Ugly grey concrete steps and rusting railings were obscured by overgrown bushes and unruly ivy threatened to choke the brick and windows.
Tidying up such a big area seemed a daunting task until I got both advice and practical help from Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault.
“Start any project, especially big ones, with a list that prioritizes what needs the most attention, applying a cost to each job, and then creating a timeline,” says the CityLine DIY expert.
“People underestimate either how much it will cost to overhaul a big space or how long it will take. Once you put it on paper, though, you can create a functional task list that can also generate a shopping list and a schedule,” says Allaire Perrault.
A large scale exterior refresh doesn’t necessarily require a huge investment of time or money, she insists.
“Determine what you have that you can work with. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For example, you might not love the colour of the brick or the roof, but if it’s functional, work with it and save your money for other elements.”
Top on my to-do list was the siding. Painting was not a DIY job I wanted to take on, so I enlisted SprayNet, which applies proprietary paint and coatings on aluminum and vinyl siding, stucco, aggregate and brick.
Founded in 2006 by then 19-yearold Carmelo Marsala, the Quebecbased company moved into the Ontario market earlier this year.
The finished product, which is permanent, solar-reflective, weatherproof and won’t peel, comes with a15 year warranty. SprayNet claims that its water-soluble, eco-friendly solution outperforms the factory paint on brand new siding.
The process was simple. After meeting with a representative about colours and scheduling, the house was power-washed.
A week later, a crew of strapping young men arrived on the doorstep before 8 a.m.
Holes were patched, and after covering and sealing all areas not being painted, including doors, windows and the roof, paint was meticulously sprayed on. It dried to a pristine, streak-free finish. There was no cleanup for us, and the project was finished by dinnertime.
The cost for an average house will be a few thousand dollars, far less than that of replacing siding, windows and doors.
Refreshing the porch by recoating rusty railings, peeling shutters, and worn steps was a more manageable DIY project, suggested Allaire Perrault.
“Many newer products are really geared to novice DIYers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and put in sweat equity to get really good, but very affordable, results.”
For the porch, she used Rustoleum’s Deck & Concrete Restore 10X resurfacer — a liquid coating that forms a non-slip, barefoot-friendly surface over wood and concrete. Railings were sprayed in glossy black spray paint from Tremclad, and shutters were covered in the same colour.
An application video at rustoleum.ca suggests applying Restore with a roller, but Allaire Perrault used a brush to get a finish that hid surface imperfections, but left beautifully textured stria that made it look more like freshly poured concrete.
Also added were new cast iron planters, plants and graceful grasses, and a new door with a beautiful leaded pane from Home Depot, where the Man of the House (MOTH) also got extensive — and much needed — DIY advice on all aspects of the door installation.
I, MOTH and, we suspect, those in the neighbouring well-groomed homes: couldn’t be happier. Vicky Sanderson is also the DIY editor for Reno and Decor magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @vickysanderson or email her at vswriter@sympatico.ca.
“Determine what you have that you can work with. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” LEIGH-ANN ALLAIRE PERRAULT CITYLINE DIY EXPERT