You’ve just repainted the exterior of your home or maybe you’re considering it as a future task. Either way, it’s important to maintain your paint job to keep it looking like new. Whether you did the job yourself or hired a contractor to do it for you, you’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money to improve the outward appearance of your home. There are many things you can do to extend the life of your exterior paint job.
Below are tips you should follow to maintain the freshness of your home’s exterior paint job.
- AVOID ROT
When your home’s exterior begins to rot, it makes your home look old and unkempt. So rotting is something you definitely want to avoid. Paint can slow down the process of rotting and weathering. But make sure the undersides of corner boards are fully painted. You should also check the tops, bottoms, and backs of your wood shutters. If not, these areas will absorb moisture and cause the surfaces to rot.
- USE A THREE-COAT SYSTEM
Exposure to the elements such as the wind, rain, sun, and snow can cause your paint to peel. Applying high-quality primer paint and then, following with two coats of finish paint can provide extra protection to your paint job and help it endure abuse caused by Mother Nature.
- PRESSURE WASH THE EXTERIOR
After a while, you might notice that dirt and grime has built up on your house’s paint job. Pressure washing five to six years after the initial paint job can help remove the dirt and grime that has built up over time.
- PREVENT MOLD AND MILDEW GROWTH
As your home’s exterior is exposed to outdoor elements such as rain and snow, moisture can become a problem, especially if mold or mildew begins to develop. To avoid this problem, consider purchasing exterior paint with special additives that can help prevent mold and mildew from attacking any surfaces.
- PERFORM REGULAR TOUCH-UP PAINTING
Don’t go too long without repainting your home’s exterior because problem areas will be more difficult to fix or cover up. Touching up your exterior paint job can work wonders for keeping it like new. You should expect to repaint your home every one to two years to maintain its appearance.
- MAINTAIN LANDSCAPING
Bushes, shrubs, and trees near your house can slow down drying time on a fresh paint job. If your home’s exterior is kept wet for a long period of time, it can promote the growth of mold and mildew. Ivy and vines can also become a problem as they can ruin and cling to siding, leaving marks when pulled off. So it’s important to trim ivy, bushes, shrubs, and trees so that there is adequate room for airflow and sunlight.
- CHECK GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS
Gutters and downspouts, when functioning directly, channel moisture away from your home. This, therefore, will help protect your paint job. But if you neglect your gutters, and they become backed up, water will begin to overflow onto various parts of your home’s exterior, creating unnecessary wear on the exterior paint and the surfaces beneath it.
- REFRESH YOUR CAULKING
Unsealed windows, doors, vents, and other openings can provide a source of moisture and cause leaks onto siding. This is why it’s important to check your caulking for splits or cracks so that they don’t lead to water intrusion, which can cause the deterioration of your home’s exterior. Be sure to get a professional painter to refresh and check your caulking every year.
Here at Point West Painting, we can help you bring new life to your home’s exterior with a fresh paint job. Request a quote with us or contact us today for more information about our painting services.