Are you considering to refresh your house exterior?
Home exterior paint jobs require some time and money. These are considerably more demanding projects compared to refreshing your bathroom countertops or kitchen cabinets.
This is exactly the reason why most homeowners want to plan everything. The key question is always this: is it now really the right time to tackle the exterior paint job?
In this article, Sterling Property Solutions in collaboration with Genesis Pro Painting explores various signs that suggest the need for a home exterior update. Additionally, you’ll get to know all the crucial factors which determine how long your exterior paint will last.
How can you spot a tired exterior?
Let’s start with the major signs of an outdated home exterior:
You can see cracked, flaking, or peeling paint
The colors have faded or lost depth over time
It has been more than 10 years since the last exterior paint job
Your home’s exterior surface has a chalky appearance
These are clear signs that your house’s exterior could use a fresh coat of paint. But there are other potential reasons for repainting the exterior. When you patch stucco or replace your wood boards, it makes sense to refresh the exterior paint.
Some homeowners have the goal of increasing their home’s curb appeal. Their house may not have all the major signs of an outdated exterior, but painting their home could still boost the overall appearance.
How often should you paint your house exterior, then?
The first step is assessing what sort of building material is used for your exterior. Some materials need to be painted more frequently than others. These are the average times for your exterior paint to start noticeably wearing off:
Aluminum: Around 5 years.
Wood siding: 4-6 years. Unstained wood siding may even hold paint for only three years.
Painted brick: 15-20 years.
Modern materials like cement fiberboard: Over 10 years.
Stucco: 5-7 years.
But the building material is only one of the variables in the equation. These averages will determine nothing if you face unique circumstances that affect the durability of your exterior paint.
What is your home exterior’s position to the sun?
The UV rays contained in the sunlight break down the particles in house paint. As a result, direct and continuous sunlight exposure ages your exterior, making it look more worn and dull as the years pass. The important thing here is that only one side of your home could be getting significant sunlight exposure. Should that be the case, you need to paint these areas more often.
What are the climate conditions in your area? The weather patterns and general climate conditions in your region dictate the durability of your exterior paint job. The crucial factors include high humidity, extreme temperatures, and swings between hot and cold temperatures. When your local climate is on the severe side, you have to paint your exterior more often.
Are you located near the seaside?
When your home is close to the ocean or sea, it’s much more likely that your house’s exterior wears down more quickly. That’s because the salty winds are rough against the painted surfaces. The constant breezes throughout the year together with periodic sunny days carry detrimental effects.
Do you have a wood exterior?
Keep in mind that some types of wood are more resilient than others. Generally, you’ll see hardwoods acquiring less damage over the years compared to softwoods. Similarly, hardwoods will be more resistant to rot and mold. That’s why the bigger upfront costs of hardwood exteriors may be evened out by fewer long-term demands.
How to keep your house exterior looking great?
There are practical steps you can take to extend your home exterior’s lifetime. While you can’t change the regional climate, you can follow these suggestions:
Opt for lighter shades of paint. The darker shades acquire damage more readily.
Apply at least two coats of paint. A single coat of paint isn’t substantial enough for keeping long-term good looks.
Properly seal and caulk your house exterior. This is the best way to decrease moisture from building up inside the exterior. The less humid micro-conditions will preserve the paint for longer.
Use high-quality paint. When you purchase cheaper paint, you are more than likely to get inferior results in terms of durability.
Regular upkeep is essential. When you spot rotting, pests, or mold growth, take care to immediately fix the issues. Ignoring or delaying these common exterior problems will cut the paint’s lifetime much shorter. It’s possible to add years for your house exterior by carrying through with an upkeep schedule.
In a nutshell: How Often Should You Paint Your House Exterior?
Determine the need for a house exterior paint project by relying on these major factors:
The material used to build your house exterior.
The unique climate conditions in your region.
The position of your house exterior relative to the sun.
