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It can be overwhelming to paint your house’s exterior. But how frequently should the exterior of your home be painted? Delaying painting for a few more years might seriously harm one of your best assets—your home. Exterior painting is a wise investment that extends the life of your home’s structure and shields it from the weather. Exterior House Painter in East Lyme, CT, suggests you should paint your home’s exterior every 5 to 10 years. Exterior painting depends on the surface type, paint quality, and wear indicators.
Is it Time to Paint the Outside of Your House?
There are various indications that it could be time to repaint the exterior of your home. The sooner you take action after recognizing these signs, the less money you’ll have to spend fixing the problem later.
Time To Sell
A new coat of paint is a low-cost option to improve your home’s curb appeal and increase its value if you want to sell it. If you want to sell your property, the first thing potential buyers will see is the outside. A fresh coat of paint in on-trend hues can do wonders for a home’s curb appeal. Your newly painted house will stand out against the background of bright trim.
Fading
Exterior fading is an obvious sign that it’s time to paint. The sun can be brutal on your home’s paint, especially if you have a dark color scheme. The areas that receive the most direct sunlight will fade the fastest. Fading on the shaded sides of your home is an indicator of water seepage.
Cracked or Hardened Caulk
Caulk’s flexible nature allows expanding and contracting in place as your home does. It seals the gaps and cracks around your home’s doors and windows. After being exposed to the weather for a long time, caulk loses its elasticity and becomes hard. You may want to call in the pros if you find huge gaps where caulk should be or if the caulk you have is damaged or has hardened.
Before Signs of Wear and Tear Could Be Seen
Don’t wait to paint until you can see that the walls are getting worn down. When paint starts flaking or chipping, it no longer sticks to the surface. This lets moisture get through the paint and causes problems below. Painting your house early on lessens paint damage, and you don’t have to do as much work like scraping paint that is bubbling, caulking seals, and replacing wood planks.
Fixing Stucco
If your stucco has cracks, you can fix them instead of re-stuccoing the whole house. This will save you money in the long run. Once the holes are fixed, paint the entire house. If you don’t, you might end up with ugly spots of stucco that are a different color or streaky.
The Time Has Come
Painting your home’s exterior is a good idea, even if you haven’t noticed any of the abovementioned indications. If enough time has passed, it may be time to repaint. Your house’s paint appears to protect it from the elements and yet be in good condition because there are no apparent indications of wear. Always be one step ahead of the competition and repaint while everything is still in good shape.
How Often Should You Paint Your House?
Professional painters say you should paint your house’s exterior every 5–10 years. This number may vary depending on the type of exterior surface you’re painting and the paint quality used before. Here are some general rules to keep in mind:
Stucco Needs To Be Repainted Every 5 or 6 Years.
When painting wooden surfaces, four to seven years is an adequate time. However, on average, the aluminum siding must have a new coat of paint applied every four or five years.
Exterior Paint’s Lifespan
It is crucial to purchase high-quality paint for your outside walls to ensure that your paintwork lasts as long as possible. Keep a few things in mind if you want your exterior paint to last between five and ten years.
A gallon of high-quality paint will set you back roughly $30. Reading labels carefully and getting the correct paint for your home is essential. Buy exterior paint formulated for brick or masonry, for instance, if your home’s façade is composed of brick. Wood, aluminum and metal all require specific paints.
Quality of Paint
Invest in high-quality acrylic or latex paint if you want your exterior paint job to last as long as possible. Pigments and additional acrylic solids are among the high-quality constituents in acrylic paints. Acrylic paint is the most durable and is well-known for its resistance to weather and intense heat. Oil-based paints tend to get yellow with age and heat and are thinner and runnier than acrylic paints.
Exterior Painting And HOAs
An HOA (homeowners association) can help your community in many ways. You may rely on the rules and regulations they establish to ensure the safety and cohesion of your neighborhood. Some of these rules may say that you are responsible for making particular repair work and touch-ups that might or might not need approval from the HOA.
Additionally, your HOA may have regulations about the type of paint, its quality and composition, and even the colors allowed. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that your area has a professional and consistent appearance. Yet, they might be off-putting to particular residents. Even if you submit a request for permission to your HOA, they may reject it if it doesn’t meet their criteria.
Conclusion
Painting your home’s exterior is never a fun thing to do. So, if you have questions about painting the inside or outside of your East Lyme home, contact the best Exterior House Painter in East Lyme, CT. They can give you professional help whether you just bought a house and want to change the color right away or you just want to freshen up the current color of your property.