How Often Should You Paint Your Home Exterior?
Exterior painting is the final touch of decorating for your home. When your home is prepped and painted right it should last you for many years. Your home exterior says a lot about the condition of your home even before you or your guests get inside. It increases the aesthetic value of your home and boosts the curb appeal if you intend to sell your property soon. A freshly painted exterior gives your home that “like new” feeling that anyone with pride in ownership would understand.
As time passes by, the paint quality of a building deteriorates, thus necessitating a repaint, which raises the question, how often should you paint a house exterior? How many years is too many? Does your home even need to be painted?
Before answering that question, there are certain things too look for so that you’ll know when you need to do another paint job. For example, faded paint makes your property look dull and unappealing, and faded paint becomes flaking, peeling paint. It’s the end (as far as your paint is concerned). Painting your home with a new, modern, color scheme that blends in (or stands out) with your neighborhood will give it a bright, new, beautiful look.
If you notice exterior paint damage such as flaking or peeling paint, then it’s a good sign your paint was aged and worn down or it wasn’t painted properly to begin with. Either way, flaking and peeling paint usually means a repaint. The surfaces can be cleaned up, filled, sanded, and repainted for a brand new look.
Factors That Determine How Frequent You Should Paint a House Exterior
The type of surface
Different surfaces handle paint differently. One surface’s paint could last longer than another’s, thus causing a variation in how often you should repaint. For example, wood siding might need an additional re-coat or repaint after 3 years or 4 years if it is stained. On the other hand stucco should be repainted after 5-10 years. A cement fiberboard (like hardiplank) can be in good shape for up to 15 years or before requiring repaint.
A brick exterior that is not painted only needs occasional cleaning while a painted brick can look spectacular for 15-20 years before it needs painting. Therefore, how often you will be repainting your property depends on the kind of material used in building it.
Climate and weather
The climate also determines how long the painting on houses will last. If your home has no shade of any kind, it is likely that the paint will fade quickly. If it can be a really cold climate ( like Illinois), it can cause the paint to age quickly.
If you want to know when the best time to paint your home is then it’s usually spring or summer when the sun is shining and the surfaces are warm. The dry and warmer surfaces will help with the paint adhesion. However, you’re reading this article that was written in October, so usually by November outdoor painting weather is not ideal. The best time to book your painter is during the fall months as come spring time they’ll be ready to go on your project and because you booked early you’ll beat the spring rush.
Quality of previous paint job
Are you looking to buy a new home? As you explore new homes inside and outside the home, ask your realtor if they know anything about the previous paint job. That way, you can gauge how long it might be until you’ll be faced with the expense of painting your home.
Have you painted your home yourself and it didn’t work out? Did you paint your own home only to have flaking, peeling, paint after a few short years? This next statement isn’t to disparage homeowners who try and paint on their own (we think it’s awesome you’re caring for your home) it’s important to understand that:
- Most people who paint the exterior of their own home usually won’t do it again. Instead they let a professional do it and the paint looks better, lasts longer, and they didn’t have to lift a finger doing it!
There is an intense amount of work that goes into painting a home exterior. It only takes a few days of removing outdoor light fixtures, outdoor electrical outlets, masking trim, washing all the surfaces, sanding and filling the surfaces, priming all the surfaces, and painting all the surfaces, to discourage a homeowner from ever doing it again. The painting is the easiest part, it’s the eye for detail and attention to the fundamentals of surface preparation that sets apart “ok” looking paint from fantastic looking paint.
How your house was painted and maintained before
A good painter can determine whether a paint job was done the right way or not with a close inspection of the surface or any troubling areas. They will look at a wall and tell you whether the painter skipped a crucial step or not. Paint could flake, chip, or crack for many reasons and it’s a good idea to know why it failed so the same mistake isn’t repeated.
A house painting professional looks out for several things before painting your property. You must pay attention to details like wood rot, any dampness, wear and tear, chalkiness, mold, mildew, and insect and rodent infestation. When these issues are taken care of before painting, they improve paint adhesion and give you a more uniform surface, for a much cleaner look.
Preparing your house exterior for painting
We have already mentioned some of the things to do before applying paint. However, it is essential to emphasize proper preparation to prevent future costs. Without preparing the exterior for painting, you may have to redo the whole paint job sooner than you think.
As you look out for mold, mosses, and flaking or peeling paint, check for rotten wood as well. Fix the affected section first before painting. Fill the cracks and holes from light fixtures, old outlets, and nail holes, too before you even think of buying paint.
Make sure you paint your home in dry weather. In case it rains, wait for the surface to dry completely. A stretch of sunny days is the best time to complete a home exterior.
Keep in mind the look of the neighborhood you live in because you might want to paint your house in line with the appearance of the surrounding homes. You do not want your home to feel out of place or maybe you do, that’s the beauty of paint. The options are endless.
So How Often Should You Repaint Your Home?
As you can tell, there is no straight forward answer. If your home hasn’t been painted in the last 15-20 years and it looks rough, then it’s probably time. If your finish is newer (under 5 years), just keep watching it for signs of failure. Maybe you just want a radical new look for your home, in which case you can paint it as often as you like!
Signature Look Painting & Decorating Paints Home Exteriors
Has it been several years since you’ve had your home painted? Are you tired of your home looking like it came straight out of the 70’s or 80’s? If you want to splash your home with fresh new color the team at Signature Look Painting & Decorating can help. During one of our on-site consultations we can come to your project and inspect the surfaces, provide some color scheme ideas, and provide you with an accurate estimate for us to do the work for you.
If you’d like to schedule an exterior painting consultation for your home please give us a call at (708) 769-0233 or fill out our online request form and we’ll get right back to you.
