At the end of the day, he stood back, admiring his excellent job, when he noticed storm clouds rolling in from the east. Then, almost immediately, thunder crackled and rain began showering the church. He watched in horror as all of his hard day's work was washed off the church. As the rain subsided, he stepped back to survey the damage: the entire church would have to be repainted!
The man fell to his knees, looked up to the heavens and shouted, "Lord, WHY? All of this hard work I did all day for nothing? What am I going to do now?"
Immediately the clouds rolled back, a light shown down from heaven, and a voice from heaven boomed in reply, "REPAINT, AND THIN NO MORE!"
I always chuckle when I hear that one! But seriously, do you paint your home? If so, how often? Do you take the proper precautions to extend the life of your paint? Do you ensure that all the exterior surfaces of your home are protected from the elements? If you answered No to even one of these questions, keep reading. I hope that by reading this article I can help you to better maintain your home and protect your investment and hard work at the same time.
Most homeowners believe that they only need to paint the home when the paint starts chipping, and flaking away. I inspect many homes where the paint on the wood siding and trim has begun to flake away, leaving exposed bare wood.
The image above shows this common condition. The problem with this is that the bare wood surface becomes exposed to water and moisture, allowing many types of fungi to grow in the wood, and not only can cause dry rot, but may be an ideal condition for a termite nest. The truth is, waiting until the surface looks like this, is well past the optimum time for painting. Not only that, but if you wait this long, you are actually causing more work than necessary.
So what signs do you need to look for to know when it is time to paint? Well, the best answer I can give is this:
1) Once when you move into the home,
2) Once every 3-5 years thereafter (although the sun facing side may need it more frequently)
If you have just purchased a home, and you do not know when the last time it was painted, go ahead and plan to paint it in the Spring, when you know you will have a few days of warm weather. Do not plan to paint your home when there is bad weather in the forecast(April Showers), or if there is too much heat(Summer) or too much cold(Fall/Winter). So what do you do first?
Step One: Prepare Surface
You will need to prepare the surface before you can apply the paint. This often requires sanding or stripping the surface of loose paint and debris. Paint will not stick to debris. If you skip this part, you will find yourself doing touch-up a couple months later. Just remember, the more time you spend here, the longer your paint will last. If you experience rain between sanding and painting, just make sure to let the surface dry completely and wipe clean again before applying the primer or paint.
Step Two: Patch all holes and cracks.
I like to use outdoor caulking(not silicone) because it is flexible, bonds well, and will move with the structure.
Step Three: Determine Prior Paint Type
Determine what kind of paint was used the last time the house was painted. If you are not sure, you can check this using denatured alcohol. In an inconspicuous area, rub some denatured alcohol against the painted surface with a rag, if the paint balls up and begins to come off, or colors the rag, it is a latex based paint, if not it is oil based. You do not want to paint latex paint over oil based, it will simply come off after a couple months, unless an oil based primer is used.
Step Four: Primer
Once the original paint type has been determined, you will need to apply a primer to the surface. I know there are paint manufacturers out there that have primer/paint blends, but this is something that you do not want to take a shortcut with. A good primer will seal the surface and continue to protect it well after the paint begins to fail.
Step Five: Choose your paint
I do not recommend just going to the store and buying a paint because of its color. These days, computer color matching machines can match just about any color you can imagine, just bring the color sample with you when you buy the paint. Select a high-quality paint. High quality does not always mean high costing either. Talk with Neighbors, and Custom Home Contractors in the area, see what they have been using and recommend. Personally, I like Behr, or if you are on a tight budget, Glidden works as well. The type of sheen(Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, Flat) Depends on the type of surface. I do not recommend Flat paint on any exterior surface, as it does not repel moisture very well, and the moisture will remain on the surface, inviting Mold or Mildew. For wood surfaces, I recommend using a Semi-Gloss, you can use Gloss, but it will look shiny and most homeowners do not like this look. For Stucco, Vinyl or Masonry, use Satin because it has a low sheen, but repels moisture well.
Okay, so you have painted your home, now what? I always tell my clients, if you celebrate an annual holiday, such as Christmas, and you decorate the exterior of your home, why not check it out while you are there. If you are up on the ladder hanging lights, take a moment to inspect the painted surfaces: Are they chipping? Is there bubbling? Has it been more than three years since it was painted properly? If the answer to any of these is yes, it is time to repaint.
Some may ask, "I painted it correctly, and it's been three years and it still looks great? Do I need to do anything?" That depends on the type of paint that you used. A good exterior paint will last three to five, and even up to ten years, barring weather conditions. I would read the your paint manufacturers recommendations for reapplying, and mark your calendar to keep it up. As far as preparation, just remember clean and smooth. If the surface is clean and smooth, and you are using the correct paint, you can repaint without having to resand the surface.
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