Living in a house that looks good is important for many different reasons, including your overall happiness and mood, health, and of course, keeping the value of the home in case you decide to sell it at some point down the road. When we think about house upkeep, we usually think of how our garden looks, or how our interior is, we focus on the doors, windows, stairs, and everything in between.
One thing that many people forget about is the exterior of the house, and how it looks. It is said that if you don’t recolor the exterior regularly, your home will lose value, and you risk diseases and different problems starting to appear. In this 2024 guide, we are going to give you some tips on how often you should apply a new layer of paint on the outside walls, and why you should do it. Continue reading if you want to learn more about the ways this will help you be safer and happier, and if you want to keep the value of your home.
It all depends on the surface
There is not an exact formula on when you should paint the exterior walls of your home. The easiest thing to say is that you should do it between five and ten years, but you should pay a lot of attention to other things before you decide that you can keep the same paint for a decade.
The first thing you need to consider is the material of the outside walls. Depending on that, you will know when you should think about contacting a professional service or postponing this task for the next year.
When it comes to brick, you don’t need to color this surface. The most important thing is to clean and maintain it regularly, and you choose to paint it, then you will be good for at least 20 years. This is one of the most durable materials, and you don’t need to worry about it.
The newer types of materials used in construction lately, including cement, are also something that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. They can easily last for 10 to 15 years, and you will just need to pay attention to the signs that show you need to get things done again.
Materials, including Stucco, are something that is durable, but not as much as concrete or bricks. They can last up to 5 years, and if you maintain and protect them correctly, they won’t need any painting even longer.
Aluminum siding lasts about the same amount of time as Stucco, and it doesn’t usually need to be resurfaced for about five years. Note that this material can get damaged by the weather, so you should always pay attention to the little signs. According to paysonspainting.ca, it is always better to act as soon as you notice these signs, and contact a professional service than to try and postpone things. When you keep postponing, you may end up paying a lot more, and there can be serious damage to your property.
The last material we are going to talk about is wood. It is said that it is one of the most popular surfaces people choose to put on their outside walls, so you need to know when it is time to repaint it and protect it from the weather. It is said that the wood sliding should be recolored every 4 to 8 years. However, if you choose a wood sliding that is stained, you may need to recolor it once every 3 to 5 years.
Signs you need to repaint
No matter how much time has passed, there are some signs that will show you that you need to get your exterior recolored. The first and most noticeable sign is if you see that the paint is flaking or if it is peeling. This is a huge no-no and it will make your house look bad. You don’t want to let the paint flake, so if you see this anywhere on the walls, don’t wait for the issue to become bigger. You should act as soon as possible.
If you notice that the colors are fading, or if the exterior looks really dirty, then you should recolor as soon as possible. When it comes to dirt and stains, in some cases, you may be able to clean or wash it off, but if nothing is helping know that recoloring is your best bet. Some colors will lose their hue sooner than others, and depending on the position of your house, you may notice that the side that is exposed to light a lot more than the other, will start fading a lot sooner than the other sides. Choose colors that are not too bright and that will stay the same shade for a long time.
In case you are replacing your wood sliding, you should know that it should be repainted. Even if you are replacing them on just one part of the home, you will need to color them, or all around the house, depending on when was the last time you did the overall repainting. The same goes when you are patching stucco. Pay attention to these things if you want your home to look amazing all the time.
If you plan on selling your home, or if you want to rent part of it, experts suggest that you should invest in patching everything up and coloring the exterior. This will increase the value of the property and you will be able to sell or rent it faster. On the same note, if more than a decade has passed since the last time you have done this part of the maintenance, you should contact the professionals and restore the original beauty of your home.
Conclusion
As you can see, it all depends on many factors, so there is no exact answer to this question. Sometimes you can even choose to recolor the exterior of your house just because you want to choose a different color and a better design. Know that by doing this you will be able to prevent damage, notice any issues with the gutters, the foundation, or even the doors and windows, and you will feel better whenever you park in the driveway.
Take your time choosing the best service for the job, and know that it is smarter to rely on the professionals than to try to make this into a DIY project and end up making mistakes that will cost you a lot in the long run.
