How to Finish an Exterior for a Home

Once the inside of a home is completed, finishing a home exterior can be done by a homeowner with the right tools and some basic construction skills. Finishing an exterior includes adding the siding or stucco and trim to the windows and doors. After theses are added, the exterior can be painted to protect all the surfaces that would require it. Using wood siding will require painting. Vinyl siding or stucco usually doesn't require paint.

• 1

  Measure and cut the trim pieces for around the outside of the windows, doors and garage. The trim size is up to you. Use the saw horses to make the cuts easier. The trim can be cut at each corner at a 45 degree angle to be joined together or straight cut with the top and bottom pieces cut longer than the measurement for the side trim to be attached underneath.

• 2

  Nail or screw all the trim to the outside. Caulk all the corners, nail holes and around both the inside and outside where the trim meets the house.

• 3

  Measure and cut all the siding per manufacturers instructions. Siding is generally added from top to bottom. Attach with screws or nails as directed. Make sure you have it level before it is permanently attached. If you are going to use stucco, apply the stucco now and allow to cure.

• 4

  Caulk in cracks and where the siding meets the trim, filling all cracks completely.

• 5

  Primer all surfaces that require it with exterior primer, preferably tinted to match the final exterior paint color.

• 6

  Allow the primer to dry, then apply two coats of quality exterior house paint over the primer.