Painting a house exterior is part of its maintenance and should not be neglected. Exterior paint goes far beyond colour trends and aesthetics, it helps to protect your house from the elements. Our homes here on the west coast are put through a beating as they experience anything from harsh sunlight to salty air, driving rain and winter storms.
There’s no definitive answer that can be given to the question of when to paint. What is clear is that putting it off for even a year or two can lead to damage. Extra preparation in the form of scraping and sanding will drastically increase the cost hiring a painter. Having to replace cracking or rotting wood can have it skyrocketing.
A general consensus in the paint industry is that a house will need repainting every 7 to 10 years. However, there are many variables that can affect the longevity of a paint job that could lead to an increase or decrease of that time frame.
The Quality Of The Previous Paint Job Will Can Influence How Soon Your House Will Need To Painted
A high quality paint is a must when it comes to exterior painting. Cheap paint simply won’t last. Inferior products will start to quickly break down and the product will not provide good protection for your home. However, even the highest quality paint will not make up for improper preparation or incorrectly applied paint. An inadequately prepared surface can fail within a year or sooner. All kinds of issues are possible if paint has been applied on a surface that had too high of a moisture content or if paint was applied in hot direct sunlight.
Over Time Paint Fades And Chalks And Colours Can Morph
Beyond fading your exterior paint may not show any signs of physical damage, but it can be quite unsightly. There are higher quality paints with improved UV resistance that can help your colour look its best over time, but certain colours are more susceptible to fading. Most notable are darker and vibrant colours.
Chalking is a light coloured, powdery residue that starts to appear on the paint surface. The paint will start to become duller and lose its luster. Some chalking is expected over time, it’s a normal process of paint wear. The main cause is exposure to sunlight and moisture. If you’re not sure if your paint surface has chalking you can wipe it with a dark rag and if a lighter version of the paint colour shows up, that’s chalking. Don’t mistake chalking for what might be dust, dirt or build up from air pollution. Chalking is not covered by paint manufacturer’s warranties as the causes of it are outside of their control.
The Degrading Effects Of Weather
Exposure to weather and UV rays start to break down paint. There may be areas or sides of your house that need painting sooner than others. Highly protected areas may be fine for a decade, while areas exposed to harsh sunlight and rain will need to be painted more frequently. South or southwest facing sides of a house and sides that face into prevailing winds are usually the first to show signs of degradation. Houses that sit near the ocean edge tend to deteriorate faster due to the higher humidity and salt in the air. The worst thing you can do is continuing to let one side of a house badly degrade because you’re waiting until the whole house needs addressing.
The caulking on the exterior of a house is another important part of its protection. Caulking has a shorter life span than most paint. The caulking starts to harden and lose its elasticity over time, it becomes brittle and can start to crack, crumble and separate.
Keep Up With House Maintenance
You should inspect your house exterior at least once a year and keep on top of the maintenance. If you see signs of chipping, cracking, flaking or bubbling paint this can start to allow moisture to penetrate to the surface underneath and cause further problems. Address issues as they arise and it will extend the life of your paint job and keep your house well protected.
Look for gaps, twisting, cupping or warping or If you start to see trim work or siding that is beginning to pull away from window or door frames, it’s time to paint before it worsens. Caulking may have deteriorated and surfaces may no longer have adequate protection from the paint.
Hopefully your house has not been left to the point of experiencing wood rot, but it can happen if neglected for too long. Are there areas of soft spots? Typical places are at the end fascia boards in the gables. The bottom section of corner trim boards, window sills and other horizontal surfaces. Areas in wood siding where there are knots, cracks or joints or any area that can wick up water on a regular basis.
Are You Ready For A Colour Change Or Want To Transform The Exterior Of Your House?
Perhaps it’s not quite time to paint yet, but you’re tired of the current colour or want better curb appeal. Did you see a colour an appealing colour combination on another house that you think might look good on yours? In comparison to doing an expensive remodelling, a new colour scheme can be a cheaper alternative to completely change the look your house exterior. You would be surprised at how different a house can look by highlighting different architectural details or making less attractive ones recede.
Painting Can Improve Your Resale Value
A fresh, quality paint job can go a long way towards improving the resale value of your home. Before selling your house consider if it would benefit from re-painting. A potential buyer may be turned off if the exterior of the house looks like it has not been well maintained. We’re often contacted by realtors for a cost to paint a house exterior. You can bet that they are using the amount as a tool to negotiate the price for their client.
Skimpy Paint Jobs Done On New Construction Don’t Last
Don’t assume just because you bought a newer house that the paint is good to go for the foreseeable future. Quite often there is only one quick coat of paint applied to a newly constructed house. We see new houses all the time that are clearly in need of a further coat of paint, especially on the trim work, particularly the fascia boards. You can see that the paint is barely providing coverage and it may show premature fade and wear. Even if it two coats of paint were applied it’s often a low quality builders grade paint that may not be providing proper protection to the wood. Caulking is another area that is often skimped on during new construction painting. It was either inadequately applied or missed in areas altogether.
Certain Exterior Substrates Require More Maintenance Than Others
Wood substrates will require more frequent maintenance and repainting in comparison to a substrates like stucco, brick or James Hardie siding and other cement fiber board products. That being said, the materials used are often only as good as the quality of their installation. Cement fiber products such as James Hardie have a manufacturer warranty. However, it is void if it the product was not installed correctly or maintained properly.
The Length Of Time May Be Your Indicator To Paint
There may not be obvious signs that you need to paint, but paint has a limited lifespan. The components of the paint film are continuously breaking down. Over time they will no longer have the same protective qualities they once had. One example is eventual break down of the additives that helps resist mold and mildew.
If you can’t recall the last time your house was painted, but your guess is it has been at least ten years, it’s probably time to paint even if there are not immediate signs. Stay ahead of the game and keep your house well protected.
The Most Common Mistake Is Waiting Too Long To Paint
Too often homeowners make the mistake of delaying the painting of their house exterior, somehow thinking it’s saving them money. You’re not going to come out ahead by doing this. Once the exterior siding and trim start to deteriorate it will continue to do so at an accelerated rate. Having to do excessive scraping or sanding or having to pay someone to do it will have you wishing you acted sooner.
If it it gets to the point where the paint, stain and/or caulking is no longer providing adequate protection it can lead to wood softening and decaying, water penetration, mildew, mold, rot and insect or critter infiltration in unattended gaps.
If you think it’s expensive to have your house painted, wait until you have to pay someone to replace just one of the wood fascia board in a second or third storey peak because it wasn’t protected and is beyond repair. Heaven forbid you put off maintenance long enough that you have structural damage.
A Summary Guide Of When To Paint Your House Exterior
