How Often You Need to Repaint the Exterior of Your Home
Nobody wants to have an old-looking, dilapidated home. As long as there’s no structural damage, a good repaint of your home’s exterior completely overhauls the look of your home. Hire a professional painting company and ensure that your home will look brand new, and lasts as long as it should.
Repainting depending on wall material
The length of time between exterior paint projects depends heavily on a number of factors. However, one of the most important things to consider is the type of material that the exterior of your home is made out of. How long your paint will last varies from every 3 to 4 years, or up to 20, all dependent on the underlying material.
Wood
First up, there’s your usual wood siding. This type of material needs the most upkeep when it comes to painting. For untreated, unstained wood, you should expect to have to repaint every 3 to 7 years. If your wood is stained, it will last a little longer at 4 to 7 years.
Aluminum
Moving along, the next material is paint on aluminum siding. Along with wood siding, it lasts the least amount of time before needing to be repainted. Roughly every five years, you’ll need to repaint aluminum siding.
Stucco walls
Next up, much more common in newer homes than other kinds of exteriors, we have exterior stucco walls. Some benefits to this type of siding is its natural resistance to fire, and relatively low maintenance cost.
Unfortunately, paint maintenance takes a little more attention on this kind of surface. You should repaint stucco exterior every 5 to 6 years. If you want a little more durability out of your exterior coat, consider using elastomeric paint.
Cement fiberboard
Also found in newer structures, cement fiberboard has better staying power than the surfaces mentioned above. As an added bonus, it’s a much more eco-friendly kind of siding! Typically, exterior paint jobs on cement fiberboard siding lasts between 10 to 15 years.
Brick
Last but not least, there’s brick. If taken care of properly, brick ends up being one of the most durable exterior materials. With unpainted brick, all you need to do is periodically clean. Keep your bricks clean and well maintained, and they last for 100 years or more. If you decide to paint your brick, you’ll need to repaint every 3 to 5 years.
Prepare all of these surfaces adequately to ensure your paint lasts on the longer end of all these estimates.
Signs that you need to repaint
Over time, you’ll notice the years starting to wear on the exterior of your house. Paint is the first layer of protection that your home has against the elements, dirt, and mildew. Additionally, your home is the first thing you see when you come home. It’s the first impression visitors make of your home before entering.
Visible wear and tear on the exterior
Possibly the most obvious sign of needing a repaint is when you visibly see wear and damage to the current coat. Peeling, flaking, or chipped paint needs to be addressed before anything worse happens. Mold, mildew, and dry rot are nothing you want to have to deal with.
You should also watch for cracking caulk. Professional repainting usually comes with caulking, as it’s an important part of keeping out moisture and securing paint. Cracked caulk happens over time, but is important to take care of.
Quality of the last paint
Consider the last exterior paint job your home received. What was the quality of the paint, and who applied it? If quality is questionable for both of those factors, you might need to paint again before you’d expect to.
Color choice of your current paint is another important sign. Darker colors absorb more sunlight, and therefore tend to fade much quicker than light ones. Choose a lighter color for your next repaint if you want it to last longer.
You plan on selling your home soon
Before you sell your house, a fresh coat of paint can increase your asking price. Especially so if your current exterior paint color isn’t something neutral. Of course, a bad paint job will have an adverse effect, so hire a professional to make sure your investment isn’t wasted.
What affects how long your paint job lasts
How can you ensure your paint lasts as long as it can? Keep these things in mind going forward, and after a repaint you guarantee that those beautiful colors last.
Climate and location
Paint is affected dramatically by climate, weather, and elevation. Hotter, more humid climates wear down and fade paint much quicker than elsewhere. This isn’t something that you necessarily control, but it is something you need to keep in mind.
Moisture and sun damage are two main enemies of paint. The more you can avoid them, the less often that you’ll have to repaint if you want your house looking its best.
Regular home maintenance
More than anything, regularly scheduled maintenance lengthens the amount of time your paint will last. Periodically clean the outside of your home, and if any small blemishes appear, take care of them straight away.
Proper, professional application
Not sure that your home needs a repaint? Contact professionals with plenty of experience to get a free estimate, or just good neighborly advice. There are many steps to repainting the exterior of a building, so contact experts to do it right. Pressure washing, priming, and a whole manner of other steps set the seal on durable paint.
Old Crow Painting based out of Tampa, FL provides high quality, professional painting services to all manner of homes and commercial businesses. Both interior and exterior painting projects are given the utmost attention and care. Contact us today for a free estimate on your home or business!