How Often Should You Paint the Exterior of Your Home?

Back view of man and woman painter working

Without a doubt, keeping the outside of your home looking beautiful is a necessity, and there are many ways to do this upkeep. You can either redesign the external ornamentation or put additional decorative pieces to give it more depth and appeal. However, one easy and inexpensive way of regaining the elegance of your home is by repainting its exterior. But how do you know when it’s time to do a repaint?

There are subtle to obvious signs that tell you your house needs a repaint. Deciding when to do this depends on various factors as well. For one, you should look at the location of your house. Desert weather, for example, has extreme temperatures. Temperatures may rise so high during the day and drop too low at night. With this adverse change, your house also suffers. But what are other factors to look for?

Fading

Although fading is not an alarming sign that your house needs a repaint, this can still change the overall impression of your exterior. It makes your house look dirty, which for most people, would say so much about what else they can expect from the rest of the property.

Wear and Tear

When you notice cracking, peeling, or bubbling in the surface of your exterior, it’s presumably time to do a house repaint. These signs show that moisture has seeped through the walls and has already damaged the coating.

Cracking or Formation of Gaps

Cracking or formation of gaps happen more commonly to wood surfaces and cement due to movement. These gaps cause problems not only in terms of look but also with issues like water dripping. Thus, this needs to be fixed by caulking, and the repair work has to be covered with paint thereafter.

Selling 

Improving the curb appeal of your house can be done by a thorough house repaint. Before posting your property for a resale, find a professional house painter to do the job, as this can make or break the future sale of your home. A professional house painter would know what the necessary steps are to be done.

Aside from these signs, there are other indications that repainting is necessary that only a professional can see.

Previous Paint Job

There are things that may have been done during a prior paint job that affect when it’s time to repaint, including:

  • Kind of paint used
  • Temperature at the time of the last painting
  • Technique used to apply the paint
  • Number of coatings

These require a certain level of expertise, and you cannot do this on your own. Having a set of professional eyes to look at this one ensures that your house is in good hands.

Surface or Materials Used 

Different materials need a repaint in varying numbers of years. Here are some guidelines to help you know when you should consider repainting, based on the building materials used:

  • Wood surfaces – every five to seven years
  • Aluminum siding – every five years
  • Stucco – every five to six years
  • Cement fiberboard – ten to fifteen years
  • Brick – fifteen to twenty years

Exposure to Different Elements

As mentioned, the durability of the previous paint job is still under all circumstances that the house endures weather-wise. Exposure to sunlight may cause the paint to fade or crack. Harsh winters may cause the paint to lose its strength more quickly.

Therefore, just like any other house, yours is always a special case because of all these factors. It is best not to decide on this on your own but to call a professional house painter to check the house. From there, you can both agree on what the house needs.

Are you looking for a company obsessed with quality painting? Santa Fe Painters is the answer to that. We value the memories that your households, and we guarantee you that we will transform them back to their former glory through superior exterior painting. Book a free consultation call now, and together, let’s refresh your home’s exterior.