When the paint starts wearing off, the color has faded, or there are flakes all over the surface, these are good signs it’s time to repaint your house. Even if it might seem somewhat costly, trust me, it’s an excellent investment if you want the durability of your home.
Even if you are planning to sell it shortly, it’ll be one fantastic asset, a freshly painted house! Undoubtedly, it’ll increase your house value too.
Now, you know you should paint your house, but the question is, ‘how often should you paint your house?’ Scroll below to answer all your questions in mind.
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Signs You Should Repaint Your House
When is the right time to add another coat of fresh paint to your house? Well, right when you notice these signs-
Paint fading
If your house is covered with a darker hue, it is expected that it will start fading off after a certain amount of time. The paint fading is more prominent than in the case of lighter colors. While paint fading closer to the moist areas means somewhat water contact, leakage, intrusion, etc. How would you know it? Look for paint dripping stains.
Cracking or bubbling paint
When you notice flaking, cracking, bubbling on the walls, it indicates wet or dry rot, mold, harsh weather, snow, humidity, wear, tear, etc.
Patching stucco
If the stucco is coming off, it’s high time you get it painted back or at least apply patch stucco cracks. To minimize expenses, it’s a wise decision to use stucco patches. And don’t delay because you don’t want to have distinctive colors on the walls that make it look old.
Morphed color
UV rays are the biggest enemy of exterior house paints. They make the paint fade away quickly; not only that, but they also turn the color into a different one. For instance, dark blue can turn into sky blue; beige can turn into pink in no more than a month. So, if you don’t want such a mess, opt for exterior grade paint with UV resistance features.
Hardened caulk
Caulk is elastic; it is meant to adjust with your house as it stretches or shrinks. Unfortunately, the caulking loses its stretchiness, elasticity, or flexibility with the regular heat, snow, and freezing winter. If the caulk is rigid and stiff when you push it down, you know the caulk is out of date, and it’s high time to re-caulk and paint it back.
Paint chipping or peeling
If you delay too much in repainting the house, you might need to handle some extreme prep work, including caulking seals, applying sealant, scraping the peeling paint, etc. However, you do not need to look for these severe signs to repaint your house. This will reduce the total cost as well as the damage your home will face.
Newly built house
For wooden houses, generally, professionals or handypersons apply one coat of paint over unprepared wood. This somewhat increases paint adhesion, but it’s not enough to resist swelling, shrinking, peeling, blistering, etc.
Enhancing curb appeal
When nothing makes your house look appealing anymore, the trim is wearing off; the paint is morphed or faded; how do you make the house vividly visible against the surroundings? By applying a new coat of paint for the sake of enhancing curb appeal.
Factors to Consider When Repainting The House
Is your home ready for another coat of new paint? How do you know without the obvious damage signs? Let’s see
Condition of exterior vs. interior paint
Standard quality exterior and interior paints last for an average of 5 years. But heavy rainfall, extreme heat or humidity, mildew, and molds can result in faster damage. Although exterior paints have more durability content as they have special additives, making them resistant to adverse weather, painting them in 5-7 years is a wise move.
Wear and tear
Ever wondered why ceiling paints last twice the time as wall paints? That’s because you don’t use them and they don’t see much wear and tear. The less rigorously your rooms are put into use, the lesser wear and tear they are exposed to, making the paint last longer.
Type of siding
You can know the condition of the exterior paint based on the siding type-
- You need to paint the wood siding after an average of four years, but the duration can range anywhere from 3 to 7 years based on the damage level.
- You need to repaint your stucco finish after an average of 5 years.
- Brick is a long-lasting material requiring minor maintenance; they do need cleaning and refreshing after an average of 15 years.
- Aluminum is a durable finish material that requires re-application of paint every five years.
Paint type
The quality of paint affects its longevity on the walls severely. Cheap, low-quality emulsion paints wear off in no time. Hence, going for washable emulsion paints in the kitchen or bathroom is a good choice, while standard acrylic paints are more suited for bedrooms.
Underlying plaster condition
How long the paint will last also depends on the durability and quality of the plater and putty beneath. With smooth, leveled, and professionally done plaster, the color lasts easily for 5-7 years.
Wall painting and scribbles
With toddlers and kids in your home, you’d see pleasing or not-so-pleasing scribbles and paint splashes on the wall as your child uses it as their first canvas. The more of these artworks you find on your walls every day, the dirtier it makes the wall, and then you try cleaning it up, making it fade away sooner than you think!
How to Make The Paint Last
You cannot just get your hands on a project this large now and then, so you need to take protective measures for making the paint last as well.
- If you can find out the previous painting record of your house, including the type of paint used, the quality, the prep work details, etc., you’ll have better knowledge of what you are dealing with.
- Yes, high-quality paints will cost you more, but they are worth it for protection against damage and to increase your house value.
Read more: How Much Does It Cost to Paint A 2 Story House Exterior?
Regular touch-ups or maintenance, including looking for damage signs or washing the exterior siding, can increase the paint’s increased lifetime.
- While applying new paint, make sure to scrape down the resting paint well so that the fresh paint adheres better.
- Be careful about the water leakage sources and use nothing but water-resistant paints on the shady spots.
Typically, a house needs repainting after 5 to 10 years, but it depends on many other things, as mentioned above. I hope based on the information you have now, you know if it is time to apply the fresh new coat of paint on your house.