Get more from your paint and keep your home looking great

The outside of your home can be upgraded dramatically with a fresh coat of exterior paint. However, not all paints are created equal and the prices go up based on how long they should last. Regardless of your budget, there are several simple ways you can extend the life of your exterior paint and keep your home looking great. We’ve boiled it down to the top 5 tips for maintaining and extending the life of your paint.

1.) Washing

Gently wash with a garden hose when needed.  Once or twice per year, you may want to just take your standard garden hose, and lightly spray your home to remove dirt build-up on the exterior. Important: No pressure washing for stucco, brick, and wood paneled homes as the high pressure can easily damage them. Often times, pressure washing should only be used on manufactured siding, or during the process of preparing your exterior for new coat of paint.

2.) Sprinklers

Avoid water contact to the outside of the home by sprinklers. If you have a grass lawn, make sure your sprinklers do not spray up against the side of your house. This can be more difficult on side yards where sprinkler heads are designed to cover a specific or small area. In places like Arizona, “hard water” can be especially troublesome as the mineral deposits can quickly clog sprinkler heads leading to irregular spray patterns. Often times, this can cause water to get consistently sprayed up against the home damaging the paint and eroding the surface. Wherever you live, keeping an eye on the sprinkler spray patterns can not only preserve your exterior paint, but also help you avoid costly damage.

3.) Foliage

It’s best to keep trees, bushes, and other vegetation from touching the exterior surface of the home. While this may not seem like such a big deal, during a storm or during high winds, limbs and branches can easily score and damage the outside of your home. Early spring and late fall can be a good time to get out and do some regular maintenance if needed.

4.) Ivy and vines

Ivy and vines can give the exterior of your home a unique look, but before you make the decision to let them grow, just understand it’s a long-term commitment. If you decide to remove them later on, you should expect some damage not only to your exterior paint, but the exterior surface as well. If you don’t want them, prevention is really the best practice.

5.) Visual Inspection

Regularly performing a brief visual inspection of your home’s exterior will not only help you determine when to do some light cleaning, but can also help you spot items that if left unattended, could lead to even further problems. Damaged siding, fascia boards, and even pesky termites when caught quickly, can be remedied much easier and for less money.

Whether you chose to hire a painter, or performed the job yourself, proper care can greatly extend the life of your paint. By following these top 5 tips, you’ll not only keep the outside of your home looking great, but you’ll probably head a few common homeowner headaches off at the pass while you’re at it. Plus, when you hire a residential painter to do the work, you know it will get done right.