Time to Paint!!

Now that the rain has finally returned to more normal amounts and frequency, it is time to get on with the regular exterior maintenance of your home. Many people just look at the paint, peeling or just an oxidized chalky look, to determine if they need to paint this year. Granted those are important for the curb appeal of your home but the more critical item to look at for the longevity of your siding, trim and windows is the caulking. Properly applied caulking prevents the moisture from getting inside the protective envelope on the exterior of your home which then rots your trim or window frames and causes paint to peel from your siding. Also note that not every opening should be caulked. Some openings are intended as weep holes to let moisture out that does get through the barrier. Use a professional to get the best and longer lasting result for your money.

Probably the second most important point for getting a quality paint job is the surface preparation. If you don’t have excessive peeling many times this is just a simple pressure wash to clean the surface. Peeling will require scraping back to a point where the paint is still bonded to the material. Many times the peeling is the result of improper paint use like covering old oil based paint with a latex or acrylic paint without the proper primer/bonding agent. This peeling can go on for many years even with good preparation as the old paint break lose unless it is sanded down to the base material which is an expensive and time consuming option. Again a professional will use the proper materials to get you the best result.

Getting on the schedule of the good painters will be more difficult this year because the exterior painting season has been shortened by a couple months with the excessive rains. Don’t delay in getting your estimates and booking your spot. I received my estimate in March and it will be end of June or early July before the painter I selected gets to my house. HomeServicesLink has several good painters to pick from but their schedules are filling up so don’t delay.