Next time you pull into your driveway, take a good look at your home. More specifically, take a good look at the color of your home. Is your paint still vibrant and fresh? Or do you notice little chips and fade spots starting to appear? After all, we love living in the Willamette Valley but the rain can affect a house’s exterior. It’s normal to wonder when to start thinking about repainting your home. Knowing what signs to look for can help determine your need to repaint.
Cracked Caulking Joints
One of the first areas to deteriorate on a house’s exterior is the caulking around the windows and in the joints of the siding. Unfortunately, it can happen fairly quickly, within one or two years of being installed. So many exterior surfaces of a house swell and contract with weather and time and that can be very hard on the caulking.
There is a way to delay deterioration when installing the caulking, but it’s a much more tedious and expensive process than typical latex caulking. It involves a professional contractor getting rid of all the old caulking first. Then we would use a specific primer on the joint, install an industrial polyurethane we normally save for commercial projects, and then prime the brand-new caulking so we can paint over it. It’s definitely a process but it will last much longer.
Swollen and Cracked Wood
Wood can sometimes feel like a living material. It can change form with the weather and climate. Warm and humid climates cause it to swell while cold and dry weather makes it contract. This natural shifting combined with time can affect the paint on top. Because it’s a natural attribute of the material, it’s often unavoidable. The quality of the paint used and the type of stain or sealer can determine the amount of time needed before repainting.
We often see wood singles fade and crack faster than other areas. This has a lot to do with the type of stain or sealer used on the wood. Unfortunately, clear sealers that maintain that natural look are typically the first ones to go. Semi-transparent stains will tend to last up to three years. The most long-lasting option is a solid colored stain. If you choose a solid colored stain, you lose the natural wood look but it lasts for an extremely long time. It could look just as fresh almost a decade later as it does on day one.
Peeling Paint
This is usually one of the more obvious signs that you need new paint. Peeling paint can be unsightly and negatively affect your curb appeal. You don’t want that. If you notice the paint starting to peel on your home’s exterior, don’t wait for the rest to follow suit. Taking care of it early on can mean a smaller, less expensive project!