Exterior Paint - this old house

 

From a distance, it may be ok. But look closely, the paint is peeling off on the second floor. The color of the exterior shutters are fading out. Some sections pop up and cracked. It's time to fix them.

Material needed:

Matching paint - have a gallon from last time and some white paint for the trimming.
Exterior sealant - DAP would do
Wood filler (ProBond) - optional
Siding panels - bought two 12x8 hardie siding boards, asked Home Depot to cut in half so I can fit in the car/truck.
Nails - a box of 2 and half inches galvanized

Tools:

Circular Saw (to cut the boards)

Multi-tool - bought Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit

Paint scraper

Paint brush

Paint roller

Plastic roller tray - (I have the 6pc painting set from last time)

Extender for roller - bought one from Home Depot
Work bench - I made one from scrap wood

Step 1: Preparation

remove shutters

scrap out the peeling paint, cut off the rotten sections, sand off the surface

wash off with jet stream (with my garden hose)

patch up and fill the gaps with filler

Step 2: Ready to paint

put the protective tape on the edge of the windows.

apply the 1st paint. This is light eggshell yellowish color matching the original one but lighter and brighter.

need at least 4 hours between two layers

Step 3: Final touch up

paint the frames and trims with pure white

check any missing spot

clean up

In summary, if you have the materials and the right tools, the effort is much less. DIY is not just saving, but also avoid the trouble dealing with the contractors, explaining what you want and dealing with any unexpected result. But I must admit, the job quality would not match up with the pros.