Painting maintenance is critical for the protection of your home. Curb appeal and aesthetics are important for HOAs, pride, and resale. However, the most important reason to maintain the exterior paint is to prevent very costly damage. A crucial piece to that puzzle is how to get more life out of your exterior paint job.
Find A Reputable Painter
Building a relationship with a reputable painter in your area is an important part of painting maintenance. Professional painters can assist you with every aspect of the exterior painting process to protect your home. The benefit of building a relationship with one in your area is to know you’ve got an expert in your corner whenever you need a painter. They can save you money and help you to get more life out of your exterior paint job over the years. Then, when it’s time to paint again, you already know who to call!
Your first step is to research and find a professional painter you trust. If you live in a HOA controlled neighborhood, you will need to get a copy of the HOA requirements. Next, have your painter come out and give you an estimate. You can then discuss the best choices for exterior paint in your area. Different parts of the country have different weather patterns and therefore very different needs in paint.
Once your paint and colors are selected, it’s time to schedule your project with your painter.
Preparing For Paint Is Critical
When researching your painter to hire, make sure they take the prep work very seriously. Appropriate prep work is key for you to get more life out of your exterior paint job.
It is also essential to select a high-quality paint that fits the climate and weather patterns where you live. Some areas get daily temperatures that are very hot and dry. Others get tons of rain without much sun. Yet other locations get snow with constant thaw and freeze patterns. To get more life out of your exterior paint job, it will be worth your time to research paints.
Select Quality Paint
There are many opinions on top-of-the-line exterior paints. Unfortunately, most come from the paint manufacturers themselves. Make sure you read information from unbiased sources that review exterior paints, such as Consumer Reports. You may even luck out and find a professional painting company that performs its own research on paints specific to your area.
Schedule Maintenance
Now, you’ve hired your painter and selected the best exterior paint for your home. Further, you’ve had quality prep work completed, and finally got your house painted. To get more life out of your exterior paint job, it’s time to plan for the annual maintenance.
Every year, make sure to do a thorough inspection of your home’s exterior. Check for signs of damage that might have resulted from hail hits, strong wind debris, rain, snow, or even failing caulking. Sometimes, less obvious culprits like a leaky roof, gutter, or a poorly ventilated interior room can create moisture problems that cause significant damage, even extending to your home’s exterior. Prompt repair of these damaged areas can prevent them from escalating into more severe problems.
Clean Exterior & Cut Back Landscaping
The last suggestions to get more life out of your exterior paint job are to keep the exterior clean and to keep landscape materials at a distance.
Trimming or removing landscape materials that come in contact with the exterior of your home is paramount. Landscaping materials in contact with your home’s exterior can cause mold, wood rot, abrasion, and other significant damage.
And finally, cleaning the exterior of your home annually is an inexpensive way to get more life out of your exterior paint job. Mildew, dirt, and other debris can cause major damage if not removed on a regular basis. The cleaning can be done with a pressure washer or hand washed. There are products on the market that are specifically designed to clean siding and remove mildew. These products can also be specific to surfaces like brick, vinyl, aluminum, and stucco.
It’s best to consult the manufacturer’s recommendations before embarking on some of the cleaning processes. Improper use of a pressure washer or cleaner can actually do damage to paint if not used properly.
The lifespan of exterior paint can range from 5-10 years depending on many factors, including the ones discussed in this article. However, following the recommendations listed above, you can get more life out of your exterior paint job and keep your home protected for many years.
