How to Paint Soffits and Replace Gutters

Detach your existing gutters from their brackets. Most gutter and bracket designs require you to tuck down the inner side of the gutter and lift up the side furthest from your house, popping the gutter loose. Remove any bent or damaged brackets. Leave the other brackets in place to use with your new guttering.

Scrape the old paint off your soffits with a paint scraper. Use a metal brush with stiff bristles on areas with cracking paint. Brush the cracked surfaces to dislodge the paint chips. Go over the area with your paint scraper to peel off loose portions of the surrounding paint.

Sand the scraped and brushed areas with a power sander. Use a medium-grade sandpaper to blend the edges of the chipped paint with the surrounding surfaces.

Wash your soffits with a solution that contains TSP, which stands for tri-sodium phosphate. Use a large sponge to scrub the surfaces of your soffits. Rinse the soffits with fresh water to remove the soap residue, paint dust, dirt and debris. Let the surface dry completely.

Apply a primer coat to the soffit panels and the soffit trim. Use a corner roller to get in close on the trim and a 4-inch paintbrush to cover the wide panels. Let your primer dry. Apply your first coat of exterior latex paint by starting with the horizontal surfaces first. Cover the soffit panels and the lower, horizontal surfaces of your soffit trim. Cover the vertical surfaces of trim last. Let the first coat of enamel dry before applying a second coat.

Replace the damaged gutter brackets with new ones, screwing them into the holes left by the previous, damaged brackets. This will keep the slope of your gutters accurate with the original installation. Cut a downspout hole about 18 inches from the end of one piece of guttering. Use a drill with a 4-inch diameter saw to cut your hole. Clip your first gutter in at the low end of your roofline, keeping the end with the drainage hole at the bottom of the slight grade. Attach your second piece of guttering, overlapping the first section by about 2 inches. Replace the remaining gutters in the same manner. Attach the end caps and the downspouts, following the manufacturer's instructions for assembly.