Painting the exterior of your house is no small endeavor. While you will need at least a few days -- and a lot of patience -- in order to tackle this task, there are ways to simplify the process and prevent mistakes along the way.

1. Choose the same type of paint that was previously used.

There are two types of paint that you can use to paint your home's exterior: vinyl paint and alkyd paint. If you use a different paint than the one currently on your home, you'll need to put a layer of primer down first. If you use the same type of paint, you can usually skip the primer as long as you're not painting a light color over a significantly darker one. 

If you're not sure whether the current paint on your home is latex or alkyd, take a few chips of it to the paint store; they can identify it for you.

2. Power wash the house first.

You must take the time to remove any loose paint, dust, and grime from the home's exterior before you apply the new paint. Otherwise, the paint won't stick well. You can simplify this process by power washing the home with the power washer on a high setting. This should clean the home and also loosen most of the chipping paint. You can then just go over the exterior quickly with a scraper to remove the last traces of chipping paint.

3. Use a brush and a roller.

What's better, a brush or a roller? The answer is actually "both." Use the roller to paint the wide, middle sections of the siding. Use a brush to paint along the edges and in the corners. Make sure you select a good-quality paintbrush so that the paint goes on evenly. When selecting a roller, choose it based on the texture of your siding. For very smooth siding, choose a roller with 1/4-inch nap. For siding with more texture, such as wood or composite siding, choose a roller with 1/2-inch nap.

4. Work your way down.

Start at the top of the house, and then work your way down. This way, you won't end up missing any paint drips. Plus, you won't damage the already painted areas when you move the ladder. Finish one side of the home completely before you move to another. And remember never to paint alone -- have a friend on-site whenever you're on the ladder.

You can hire a home exterior painting service to help you if you are feeling like the job is too big for DIY work.