The Top Six Reasons To Repaint the Outside of Your Home
Some home-building experts estimate that home exteriors should be repainted every 4 to 6 years to keep the paint in tip-top shape. Others say you can wait as long as 15 years before adding a fresh coat. The truth is, there's no magic formula that tells you when to paint every home in every location. But even though the task is arduous, time-consuming, and sometimes expensive, the benefits of repainting your home far outweigh the negatives. We've rounded up the top six reasons to repaint the outside of your home, as well as some much-needed professional advice!
Why do exterior paints degrade so quickly?
Ever wondered why interior paint can last for ages, yet exterior paint seems to be flaking off before you shut the paint can? Answer: the harsh conditions of the outdoors truly take a toll. The sun's powerful UV rays cause the paint's chemical compounds to degrade quickly, creating that lack-luster and faded look in no time. This process is especially true for oil-based paints as well as paints in very dark colors, which "bleach-out" quickly from sun exposure. Damage from the sun also causes paint to blister and bubble, sending your home on a one-way trip to Peel City.
Top Six Reasons to Repaint the Outside of Your Home ASAP
- Repainting your home dramatically increases curb appeal. Nothing compares to a fresh coat of exterior paint when it comes to improving your home's appearance. Whether you're planning on selling your home now, later, or never, a fresh coat of paint gives any home a relatively fast and much-needed makeover. Repainting can make your home feel cheerier, more welcoming, and much newer than before. Gorgeous, high-quality paints like ECOS Exterior Satin Paint are an absolute must for sealing the deal on improving your home's appearance. Plus, ECOS pigments are extra rich and our product isn't watered down with solvents like other products, so it takes less paint to do the job!
- It can save you money. It's true. While it might cost a pretty penny for that perfect paint job, it can pay you back in reduced utility bills. How's that? A key part of pre-painting prep work is caulking which seals gaps and cracks that let cold air in and warm air out (and vice versa). The more effectively sealed your home envelope is, the more energy efficient it will be.
- Paint now - NOT later Putting off the task of painting your home can have some serious consequences. Says John Howell of John Howell Construction, "Every day that you hold off without repainting your home means that you will be spending more time doing prep work. Prep work is the biggest part of total price of repainting, and also the most work. ... Long story short is that painting your house at the right time is very important if you want to keep your house looking young. It's almost impossible to bring that youthful look back if you wait too long."
- A fresh coat seals and protects your home - Inside and Out Exteriors that are poorly painted are highly susceptible to the brutal nature of the outdoors. Wood that gets wet deteriorates fast. At first you may only see some cracking in the wood, but eventually the wood will rot to a point of no return--far beyond the help of a fresh coat of any paint! The exterior skin of your home is in some serious trouble if you can see any exposed wood or heavily peeling paint. And once that skin is compromised, the whole interior of your home is, too. Mold and rot can strike anywhere once water can seep into your home. Paint the outside of your home now with a high-quality exterior finish to avoid bank-breaking repairs in the future.
- Repainting your home increases the property value. Some home improvement projects don't truly increase the value of your home, but painting the exterior of your home is not one of those projects. You've seen how much a freshly-painted house totally stands out against the passing array of homes as you drive by. A fresh coat on the outside of your house could increase the attractiveness-feature to potential buyers tenfold.
- Because you deserve it! Possibly the most overlooked reason for a homeowner to paint the outside of their home: Because you want to! Well, maybe you don't want to go through the process and manual labor of the project. But you certainly can't wait to reap the benefits when it's done--and you deserve it. As John Howell puts it, "I don’t know about you, but I enjoy coming home to a house that is in good shape." If you feel like something's missing in your home, maybe a fresh coat of exterior paint can solve the problem!