Spring is here—and now is the time to inspect your exterior paint. Maybe it looks good from a few feet away. But closer inspection is called for.
Check for cracking
The summer sun over the last few years has been no friend to your exterior paint. Dry temperatures evaporate moisture, which causes the paint to crack. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to prepare a wall for new paint that only has some initial cracking. A light sanding will do, and in most instances there will be no need for primer if you’re keeping the same color or close to it.
On the other hand, if cracking advances to actual flaking, then it will be necessary to scrape the surfaces and apply a primer in advance of your topcoat. This will necessarily be more labor intensive and costly. So getting on top of cracking paint now is a lot more economical than dealing with it later after it has deteriorated to flaking.
Also, the same ultraviolet rays that darkened your skin last summer were having the opposite effect on your exterior paint pigments: fading.
Look carefully at all your exterior walls
Painted surfaces on your southern exposures will be more faded and stressed than those on the north. A painting expert might recommend that you choose different kinds of paints and paint colors for different sides of your building. This isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity!
In most cases it doesn’t cost any more to have two different kinds and colors of paint on your building’s exterior. Using more than one color will add more visual interest to your structure than a simple “monochromatic” treatment.
Don’t forget windows!
Your windows are exposed to the same heat-and-sun stressors as the rest of your home or commercial building. It’s pretty intuitive that the exterior window frames will need paint with the rest of your exterior—what you might call “trim work.” But check out the interior of those windows, too!
Ultraviolet rays will break down paint and polyurethane coatings. This exposes the wood to moisture that will collect on windows, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. This promotes rot, and in the case of clear-coats, will fade the wood so that expensive “natural wood grains” become blotched with unsightly “sun stains.”
Learn about Genesis Painting
Exterior repainting requires special care and preparation for the results to last. Otherwise, weather will quickly take its toll and the paint will peel, fade, or flake. And it is exactly that kind of “special care and preparation” that gets shortchanged with discount painting companies.
With Genesis, you can rest assured that we will execute your exterior repainting project using the best painting practices, techniques, and standards along with premium paints and materials; and employing well-compensated and motivated people who regard painting as a career—not an “odd job.”
To ensure a sound surface to which your paint can adhere, Genesis guaranteed exterior repainting services minimally include:
- Hand-scrubbing and high-pressure washing all surfaces to remove dirt and chalk, using mildew removers and biodegradable soaps
- Scraping and sanding all surfaces to rid them of loose or peeling paint
- Performing minor carpentry repairs on damaged or rotted surfaces
- Removing and replacing loose glazing to protect windows from weather damage
- Caulking and sealing gaps to prevent moisture from attacking wood, metal, and paint
- Following lead-based paint protocols and other health & safety standards to protect you, our Painters, and the environment
- Using drop cloths, plastic, and masking to collect paint chips and protect nearby surfaces from drips and overspray
- Using only the highest quality paint and materials
- Keeping work areas neat from day-to-day; and performing a complete and through cleanup at the conclusion of your project.