Painting the House Exterior: How Often Should You Do It?
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Whether you want an appealing look and safety from weather damage, dust, and pests, painting your house’s exterior can be quite tedious. Nonetheless, before painting your house’s exterior, you should thoroughly examine the previous craftsmanship, the paint quality, and the damage to the walls.
These are the main factors requiring some houses to be painted more frequently than others and vice versa. However, professionals usually state that you can recoat your house’s exterior every five to ten years.
In this article, you’ll find out how often should you paint your house exterior and which are the crucial signs you need to undertake this endeavor.
How Often Should You Paint Your House Exterior?
There isn’t a single answer to this question, but rather many signs that will tell you when to paint house exterior. Unquestionably, you can paint your house’s exterior in early summer or fall to take advantage of the weather conditions, but how often?
Specialists and professionals advise house owners to paint their houses every five to ten years. Nevertheless, some of them state that – depending on the materials, paint’s life span, location, and weather – you can paint your house’s exterior anywhere between 3 and 20 years. Following are the different exterior materials and the frequency of their recoating:
- Brick siding – If the exterior of your house is made of bricks, you can repaint it every 15 to 20 years. You can assess the right time for repainting depending on the location of your house and the weather conditions.
- Cement fiberboard siding – The cement fiberboard siding’s paint lasts slightly less than the bricks’. You can repaint your cement fiberboard house exterior every 10 to 15 years.
- Aluminum siding – Aside from wooden sidings, paint applied on aluminum siding will last the least. You’d have to repaint your aluminum exterior every five years.
- Stucco siding – Stucco is regularly used for decoration and a visually appealing touch. However, you must repaint your stucco exterior anywhere between 5 and 6 years, depending on the location and the weather conditions.
- Wood siding – A wooden exterior is most prone to paint damage related to weather and climate conditions. If your house’s exterior is made of wooden sidings, make sure you repaint it every five years on average.
Many signs and factors determine how often should you repaint your house exterior. The most common ones are fading, bubbling, chalking, peeling, or cracking paint. Other signs for repainting your house exterior are moisture and mold problems or damaged stucco and wood.
Signs It’s Time To Repaint the House Exterior
Numerous signs should prompt you to repaint the exterior of your house, and the most visible and indicative ones are the fading and bubbling of the paint. Furthermore, when you notice cracked caulking, you should also consider repainting the exterior.
There’re other reasons to repaint your house’s exterior, such as moisture and mold stains, damaged surfaces, preparing to sell the house, moving into a new one, etc.
Additionally, there can be causes for repainting which aren’t related to the condition of your house’s exterior. For example, the colors you’ve used may be outdated, or the surroundings may have changed completely. Now, let’s take a look at the numerous signs suggesting you might need a change.
Paint Fading
Fading of the paint is the first and most prominent sign your exterior needs recoating. Even though fading paint isn’t usually related to wall damage, it can significantly increase the chances of further damage and make your house a sore for the eyes. Nonetheless, faded paint can still protect your home.
Depending on the paint quality and the choice of painting technique, paints can fade more or less evenly. If you’ve used low-quality paints and chosen an inappropriate painting technique (depending on the materials), your exterior paint may fade in certain areas but not in others.
Fading can be caused and accelerated by several factors, including sun exposure, temperature fluctuations, severe weather changes, etc. That’s why, if your house is frequently and intensely exposed to sun, rain, wind, and storms, you should repaint its exterior more often.
Peeling, Cracked, or Bubbling Paint
These are all signs that you should consider a new coat for your house exterior. The following are the main factors that can significantly hasten the peeling, cracking, and bubbling of your paint:
- The paint quality
- The painting technique
- The location of your house
- The climate factors and
- The weather
A poor combination of these factors can accelerate the degradation of your house’s exterior paint. Depending on the type of material, especially wooden sidings, these can lead to mildew, mold, and sometimes even rotting.
That’s why, once you see the walls showing signs of peeling and bubbling, take action immediately and repaint your house’s exterior.
Caulking Problems
Cracked caulking can be another sign that you should recoat the outside of your house. Caulking is a material put around your windows and doors to seal and tighten them. Over time, the caulking may begin to crack.
Sometimes, you can solve this problem just by filling the cracks with fresh new caulking. However, when the cracking is more severe, you’d have to repaint the whole exterior to prevent moisture from sipping in and causing a lot of damage.
If they’re larger cracks around your doors and windows, you’d have to a new coat and thus protect the exterior of your house.
Moisture and Mold
Moisture and mold stains are additional clues to your question about how often to repaint house exterior. Moisture and mold can be devastating and cause rot when your house is made of wooden siding. What’s even more alarming is that mold stains aren’t only threatening to wooden sidings but also houses with brick, stucco, and cement fiberboard sidings.
Moisture and mold stains can also be signs of more serious damage within the wall. Noy yo mention that they are a serious health hazard as well. If you can’t remove a mold stain from your wall, it’s probably time to consult professionals to inspect the problem. Nevertheless, moisture and mold stains are a sign of immediate recoating!
Selling The House
If you’re determined to sell the house, recoating the exterior should be your number one priority. A fresh, clean, and appealing look will only increase the value and attract potential buyers. What’s more, you should try to use the right colors, finishing, and painting techniques to add to the charm.
It’s always a good idea to consult professionals on how to repaint your house’s exterior before listing it on the market. The experts will tell you whether it’s a smart investment to recoat it and whether the costs outweigh the potential profits.
You Fell Out of Love with The Old Paint
Sometimes it’s only enough to get fed up with the old paint to recoat the whole house’s exterior. For example, if the last time you painted it, you kept in mind the trendy colors and decorations – over the years – it may look a little bit outdated.
Another reason you’re no longer in love with the coat may be the new lifestyle or changes in the surroundings. We know how rapidly vicinities can change and adopt a completely new look. Be it as it may, once you’re out of love with the old paint, it’s time to add a fresh new coat!
Deciding When to Paint House Exterior
Don’t wonder how often should you paint the exterior of your house – it’s simple and easy – just notice the signs we’ve mentioned and take action! Once you see that the paint starts to fade or cracks, bubbles, and peels appear, it’s time to plan how and when to recoat. This will protect your house’s exterior from further damage and save you a lot of money.
Nevertheless, recoating the outside of your house can be very challenging. You’d have to choose the right color, finishing, and painting technique, while considering a range of factors, such as weather, location, materials, etc.
So, the easiest way to cope with recoating problems is to contact and hire a high-quality professional painting service. Our exterior painting services are fast, professional, and unbelievably affordable. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
FAQ:
How long will exterior paint last outside?
There’s no definite time for the paint’s lifespan as it all depends on the materials, location, weather, paint quality, and painting techniques. Usually, on houses with brick and cement fiberboard sidings, the paint can last between 10 and 15 years, while on aluminum and stucco sidings about six years.
Is it worth it to paint the outside of your house?
Yes, it’s worth painting the outside of your house. It will protect it from damage and save you money, time, and energy for repairs.
How can I make my exterior paint last longer?
There’re many ways to make your exterior paint last longer. You can start by consulting professionals and choosing a high-quality color, applying thicker coats, working in appropriate weather conditions, choosing proper painting techniques, etc.