Exterior Painting Tips: How to Protect Your Plants and Landscape when Painting

Identify and Study your Work Area

Don’t just dive into painting your exterior walls, take some time to study its conditions first. Make a plan by being guided with questions such as 

• What walls will you be painting? 
• Is there direct sunlight on it? 
• Are there plants nearby? 

Among others, these basic questions should help, in terms of scheduling, actual painting and the preparations needed. For your plants, establishing and studying your work area answers whether your greens are safe and away from the walls that need painting, or not. 

Move Pots and Planters Around

Are there plants near your work area, it would be best to remove them and put them in a location with a safe distance away from paint spillage. If you can, create a route around your work area and clear anything on that path. With clutter-free access to the walls, creating a route allows for uninterrupted painting, plus you won’t have to worry too much about getting  paint on your plants or other objects such as benches, garden racks and the like. 

Do a Little Gardening

Relocating pots and plants away from your work area forces you to check on your green babies. If you have the time, why not do a little gardening? Clean up dead leaves, cut off damaged parts and clear branches or stems that may be blocking the passageways on your lawn or garden. Doing this adds extra safety when you’re working on your exterior painting project.

Cover ‘em Up

For extra protection, you may also choose cover up plants, shrubs and other greens. But be careful with using thick tarps or drop cloths on fragile and delicate plants! Best to save those for grass and soil, and go with plastic sheets for your plants. Plastic sheets are better for trees, as well. When wrapping, start from the bottom and make your way up onto the trunk.

Keep in mind that the sheets will have to stay on during the whole exterior painting project, so watering the ground before covering them up should prevent problems with plant dehydration. 

Limit Usage of Chemicals

Chemicals are never out of the picture when it comes to painting. But remember to use products, only if necessary. In usual painting procedures such as cleaning your work area for surface prep, water works well for rinsing off dust, dirt and grime.