Is It Time To Paint?

Spring is upon us and summer will soon be here. As you awake from your winter slumber and find yourself outdoors, it may be a good time to inspect the exterior of your house and garage. You might find that winter has not been kind to your home’s exterior. A careful survey of your home might tell you it’s time to paint. What should you look for?

Is Your Siding Starting to Peel?

Look for peeling paint on your siding and trim. Snow and ice can cause ice damage and paint peeling, bubbling and chipping. Here in Lakewood many homes have wood siding. Extreme temperature changes can cause your wood to expand and contract, which also might lead to peeling paint. Ice back-up–a result of freezing and thawing—can also cause the paint to peel from your home’s exterior. It’s very important to address this problem because paint serves a purpose beyond mere decoration; it’s also a protective coating for your wood siding. If left untreated, moisture can cause wood to rot–and rotten wood can be extremely expensive to repair. You could expect to pay close to $80 an hour for an experienced carpenter to repair damaged wood siding and trim. Rotten wood could also lead to other costly consequences. Water can find its way into your home through cracks that need to be caulked and holes that need to be filled. Insufficient caulking around doors and windows can also raise your heating bills. So how do you prevent these costly repairs? Timely painting and regular maintenance are key to protecting your biggest investment, your home.

Warning Signs

Besides peeling siding, careful inspection of your home’s exterior might reveal other signs that it is time to repaint: Do you see any bare wood on your windowsills or siding? Bare wood showing through the surface is especially common on homes with stained cedar siding. Check the caulking around your windows and doors. No cracks or splits should be evident. Inspect the windows and look at the window putty or glazing. If putty is missing and falling out, heat might be escaping your home. This is evidence that your windows need to be repainted. Also look for any cupping or warping in your wood siding. If you find any cupped or warped boards, you probably have waited too long and need to paint or stain immediately.

Time to Paint Your Aluminum?

Aluminum sided homes might also need a fresh coat of paint. Look for bare aluminum showing through the finish. Another sign that it’s time to paint your aluminum siding is surface “chalking,” an oxidation process caused by the weather.  Not only is this effect unsightly, but if left unattended, this residue may become baked into the aluminum’s surface. Stains running from your roof or brick surfaces are another reason to paint your siding.

Aluminum siding can be painted with a brush, but a sprayer will provide a much better finish. Airless sprayers can be rented. Practice and proper masking can help a do-it-yourselfer to achieve a good finish. When using a sprayer, watch out for overspray. You don’t want to paint your roof, windows and landscaping the same color as your house! Cleaning is a very important part of doing a proper job. If the surface is not cleaned properly, a major paint failure—meaning extensive chipping and peeling—may occur. The only way to fix this type of failure would be to replace the siding. Thus, it may be wiser to have a professional refinish your aluminum siding.

When Is the Best Time to Paint?

Spring, summer and fall provide great opportunities to paint the exterior of homes! Look for dry weather and consistent temperatures. There are products on the market that claim you can paint in temperatures as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually, however, temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees are best for painting. Check the weather forecast! A stretch of dry weather for painting is preferred in order to avoid rain washing the new paint right off the surface. Ideally, it should not rain until the next day, but the paint should dry to the touch within 2-4 hours of application, at which point the risk of the paint being damaged due to paint is minimal. One should expect rain in the spring and afternoon thunderstorms in the late summer and early fall. 

Every home is different in terms of its exposure to sun and the elements. These factors will affect how long a typical exterior paint job may last. However, surface preparation and the quality of paint used on the house also affect the coating’s longevity. Cutting corners on preparation or using cheaper products might seem like a good idea at the time, but certainly will result in the need to repaint much sooner than expected. A proper job using quality products should last between five and ten years in our area.

Check the paint surfaces on your home to see if now is the right time to paint. You may only need to paint a side, the trim, shutters, doors or windows, but putting off maintenance could cost you thousands of dollars in carpentry bills. Whatever your projects may be, remember to properly clean the surface, use high quality paints and watch the weather to ensure a lasting job.

Matt Buchwald

Operations Manager

Neubert Painting