How Often Should You Paint Your House Exterior? The paint on the outside of a home is very important. It matters not just for its visual impact on the property but as protection from wear and tear.
Paint is your home exterior’s first line of defense against rain, snow, moisture, dust, and the sun’s UV rays. When it’s time, painting the house should be a part of your strategy to protect and improve the home’s value, advises Blue Mountain Real Estate.
Exterior Painting
So how often should you paint the home’s exterior?
The answer depends on the materials that make up your home’s exterior. Different surfaces need to be repainted within different timeframes.
- Wood siding needs to be repainted every 3-7 years.
- Stained wood siding will need the stain to be reapplied every 4 years.
- Aluminum siding should be repainted in intervals of 5 years.
- Stucco will last 5-6 years before it needs to be redone.
- Brick, if unpainted, requires only occasional cleaning. Painted brick will last 15-20 years.
- Cement fiberboard can last 10-15 years without needing repainting.
The above are only general guidelines. Surfaces may need repainting sooner than indicated, depending on several factors.
Three factors that impact paint durability
Exterior Painter
1. A previous paint job
A previous paint job will last depending on the type/quality of paint used, how many coats were applied, the color of paint, and how well the paint dried. High-quality paint in lighter shades, applied in two to three coats, tends to last longer.
Whether a house was painted on a sunny or cloudy day also affects how well the paint dries and how long it lasts. 100% acrylic paint is more resistant to fading and more durable.
2. Impact of harsh climate
Harsh climate and weather shorten the lifespan of paint on your building’s exterior. If the property is in an area with hot and sunny summers and it’s not shielded by trees, the sun’s heat can cause the paint to bubble and fade at a faster rate.
This is particularly true for paints with darker hues, synthetic pigments, and oil-based paints. Harsh winters, extreme humidity, salty sea breeze, and wind-blown sand can damage an exterior paint job. Additionally, the weather on the day that a house was last painted plays a huge role in how well paint lasts.
3. Exterior house maintenance
Good preventative care and maintenance will help paint last longer. The opposite will accelerate the decay of paint on the property’s exterior. Perhaps the most important danger to watch out for is moisture. Other dangers to be aware of include dampness, rot, mold, rodent infestation, and chalkiness. The paint will last longer if problems are treated promptly, especially issues involving moisture infiltration.
5 signs that your home needs repainting
The following are signs you should watch out for to know when your home’s exterior needs repainting.
Bubbling, cracked, or peeling paint
Cracked & Peeling Paint
Once the paint starts to bubble and crack, it will soon peel off. The parts of your home where the paint has peeled are more exposed to the elements – the direct effects of sunlight, rain, and snow. This can lead to long-term damage such as mold and mildew, and rot can easily set in.
Hardened caulk
Caulk should expand and contract, along with the house. Caulk that has been exposed to extreme weather cycles loses this ability. If caulking is hardened, the home is not properly sealed and becomes vulnerable to moisture. After replacing the caulking, the house should also be repainted.
Fading paint colors
Fading paint can result from sun bleaching or problems with the vapor barrier. It is normal for paint to fade after prolonged exposure to the elements. As paint fades, it becomes less effective at protecting a home. Fading paint on the shady side of a property is a sign of deeper issues.
Damaged stucco and wood
Painting Stucco or Old Surfaces
From time to time, cracks will appear in stucco, or there will be signs of rot in wood. These problems are not hard to fix; all that’s needed is to patch stucco cracks or repair the wood. Afterward, the whole house should be repainted to ensure uniform protection for the entire structure and avoid a patchy appearance.
Moisture stains and mold
Moisture stains can be a sign of serious damage, especially if stains are difficult to remove. Such stains may be the result of serious damage, rather than dripping on the external surface. Mold and moisture stains should be investigated and surfaces repainted after the main problem is dealt with.
Conclusion
Ultimately, how often you repaint your house’s exterior will depend, to a large extent, on how well you maintain the property. It will also depend on the age of the paint on various surfaces.
You may be tempted to put off exterior painting in a bid to save money. But delaying to paint will not save you money. Instead, it will only make the prep work more challenging, and the paint job more expensive. Moreover, delaying to paint will expose the property to avoidable damage.
Do you need a professional estimate for repainting the exterior of your home or business? Reach out to us for a free estimate today.