How Often Should You Paint Your House Exterior

Most homeowners will wait until the paint on their house looks terrible before considering repainting it. But how often is too often when it comes to painting your house exterior? 

Just like the rest of your home, exterior paint requires some maintenance to continue offering protection to the wood and your home. How often is dependent on various variables like climate and location.

Generally speaking, though, you should expect to repaint your home’s exterior siding at least every ten years. Also, bear in mind that every surface will be a bit different. For example: 

• Brick – Does not need to be painted, an occasional cleaning usually suffices. But if you do decide to paint it, then you can expect it to last up to two decades.  

• Stucco – This one usually lasts between five and six years.

• Aluminium siding – This usually lasts about five years. 

• Wood siding – Usually about six years, or at least every four years if it is stained.

Factors Affecting the Durability of Your Home’s Exterior Paint 

Before painting the outdoor siding, prep work is critical. You must get rid of any debris, remove chipped paint, and apply the fresh paint on a dry surface. If you fail to do the prep work properly, the paint won’t last as it should.

Other important factors to consider when painting a home are climate, temperature, and humidity. The type of paint, the number of coats applied, and even the color type can also affect your paint durability.

Darker colors, in particular, don’t last as long. This is because they tend to absorb more sunlight and heat.

Other things that affect the durability of your exterior paint job include: 

• Exterior house maintenance: This is all about preventative maintenance and spotting issues before they become serious and costly. As you regularly look at your house, there are specific things you want to pay more attention to. These include mold, rodent or critter infestation, chalkiness, rot, and dampness.  

• In addition, keeping up with your home’s maintenance will help you prolong the life of your paint. This is also important for landlords, says Uptown Dallas Properties, as maintaining your property’s exterior will attract more potential tenants or keep the current ones happier. Wash off dirt and vegetation growths off your home and property’s surface before it breaks down the paint.

• Damage from the elements: Weather can also dictate how long your paint continues to look great. So, if you live in an area with inclement weather conditions, like high humidity, intense storms, or harsh winters, don’t get surprised when your paint doesn’t last long.

• Previous paint job: Just bought a house? If so, it’d be best to find out details about the previous paint job. For example, how many coats were applied, the quality of paint used, and the type of paint used.

• As far as paint goes, 100 percent acrylic paint tends to outlive other types of paints in regards to durability and fade-resistance. Overall, though, high-quality paint applied in two or more coats tends to last longer.

• Type of wood: Softwoods like pine or cedar are generally more susceptible to damage than hardwoods like pine or oak. Yes, hardwoods don’t come cheap. However, they do not need as much maintenance and can be resistance to rot.   

Signs Your Home Needs a Paint Job 

Sign #1: Lack of appeal

Does the current color appeal to you? If not, consider redoing your paint. The purpose of paint is to offer aesthetic appeal.

Sign #2: Rotting wood 

Paint helps protect your home’s walls. So, when the wood begins to rot away, it’s a sure sign that your home needs a fresh coat of paint lest more damage continues.

Sign #3: Morphing

Morphing is when paint fades and changes color entirely on in patches. The transformation can be beautiful or ugly. In the latter case, repainting may be inevitable.

Sign #4: Age

Life expectancies vary across different paint brands. Poor-quality paints usually have an average life expectancy of about 5 years, while high-quality paints have a life expectancy of about ten years.

Sign #5: Chalking

Is paint leaving chalk residue when you run your hands over the surface? If so, it’s a sign of chalking. It’s as a result of years of exposure to harsh weather conditions.

Sign #6: Peeling

When paint begins to peel off, it makes your house look archaic and dilapidated. It’s perhaps the ultimate sign of the need to repaint.

Sign #7: Cracking and Bubbling

This is often caused by extreme weather conditions such as harsh winters, sandy wind, strong sunlight, and storms. They are ugly and are a sure sign your home needs a paint job.

Sign #8: Fading

This is perhaps the most obvious sign your house needs repainting. Water intrusion and sun bleaching are some of the factors that contribute to fading of the paint.

If you are like most Americans, buying a home is the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make in your lifetime. As such, it only makes sense to protect it. Use these tips to help you protect its aesthetic appeal.