How Often Do You Need To Paint The Exterior Of Your House?

When is the last time you had the exterior of your home in Chicago repainted? How often do you repaint your home? Why do you need regular exterior repainting in the first place? Well, exterior home painting is both an important aesthetic and maintenance practice that you probably need to do more often than you’re doing at the moment. Why?

A properly applied, intact coat of paint on your exterior siding protects your siding material against harsh weather elements such as rain, frost and glaring sunshine, rot, mildew/mold invasion, and insect damage. If you’re planning to sell your home any time soon, a smooth, sharp coat of paint equals an amazing first impression and the chance for you to sell your home faster at a high price.

So, how often should you repaint the exterior of your house? Unfortunately, there is no single uniform answer for everyone. Exterior repainting frequency varies depending on a number of interacting factors. These include:

Siding Material
What is your siding material? The surface of your siding significantly affects how well and how long it will hold paint, and stand against the wear and tear exterior factors. Here is a quick look at common exterior siding materials and how well they hold up after painting:
• Stucco – Paint on stucco typically lasts 5-6 years with regular pressure washing.
• Wood Siding – Requires repainting after every 3-7 years, or stained approximately every 4 years.
• Aluminum Siding– This needs to be repainted about every 5 years.
• Brick – Probably the most resilient. If it’s not painted, it only needs occasional cleaning; if it’s painted, it can last up to 15 years before requiring another repaint.
• Other Materials – Fiberboard and cement siding may only require repainting once in about 10 -15 years.

Local Climate
Your local micro-climate will also affect how well your paint job holds up, and this has the biggest influence on your paint’s durability. For instance, if you live in an area with hot summers and your home isn’t sheltered by a lot of trees, the direct sunlight may cause the paint to fade and bubble more quickly. Also, if your locality has intense storms, high humidity or harsh winters, your exterior paint is more likely to age faster.

Previous Paint Job
The quality of the previous paint will also greatly influence the durability of your paint job. Generally, low-quality paint coupled with poor painting practices automatically reduces the useful years of your paint job. Poor surface preparation or painting when it’s too hot or humid for instance significantly reduces the paint’s durability. High quality, lighter shades of paint in 2-3 coats tend to last longer.

Maintenance
As you would expect, a well maintained exterior paint lasts much longer than neglected paint jobs. Inspecting your home’s exterior regularly for signs of damage might help you catch damages at their early stage and minimize expensive repairs down the line. Remember, the paint is your first line of defense against damages from weather elements. Check out for things like dampness, rot, chalkiness, termite or other infestation, and mold. Have such issues addressed promptly to increase your paint’s durability.

The Bottom Line

As you can see from above, various factors come together to influence how long your paint lasts and how often or soon you should repaint. While most paint jobs last for about 4-7 years, your repainting needs and frequency might be unique to your situation.

If you’re looking for quality, professional exterior repainting services in Chicago to keep your house protected and looking good, Peek Brothers Painting would love to help. To give us a try, call us on (858)505-1361 for a FREE estimate.