Is Your Home Due for an Exterior Paint Job?

Is it time to consider painting your home?

Painting your home is a great way to make it look like new, but not many people want to paint their home before they really have to. Keep reading to learn the signs that it’s time to look for an exterior painting contractor near you.

7 Signs it’s Time to Paint Your Home

Sign #1. Your paint is fading.

Over time and with exposure to the sun, the exterior paint on your home will start to fade and become discolored. Sometimes, this can change the true color of your home altogether. For example, beige exterior paint can start to develop a pinkish hue as it fades.

Sometimes, even exterior paint on homes that are mostly in the shade can start to fade. This is caused by water intrusion in the paint, or issues with the vapor barrier.

When picking a paint color for your home, keep in mind that darker colors will fade faster and more noticeably than lighter colors will. If you want the color you choose to remain true to its original hue for longer, it might be a good idea to choose a lighter color.

Sign #2. Your paint is cracking, bubbling, or peeling.

When your pain starts showing visible signs of wear, it’s clearly time to hire a professional painting contractor.

If your exterior paint has started cracking, peeling, or bubbling, it indicates that the paint is getting old and its weatherproofing ability has become compromised. This makes your paint more vulnerable to damage caused by exposure to sun, rain, and weather.

Cracking, peeling, and bubbling are all signs that could also indicate rot — both wet rot and dry rot — or mold. This is especially likely if you also notice damage to vinyl siding wood.

Any damage to the exterior paint of your home should be assessed by a professional painting contractor who can determine if there is any other damage that needs to be repaired.

Sign #3. There are cracks in the caulking.

Caulking seals joints between two surfaces, which protects both surfaces from damage and keeps them intact. In short, caulk makes your exterior paint look better and last longer.

Caulking keeps an airtight seal between surfaces by expanding and contracting as your home does. But, unfortunately, caulking can start to lose its elasticity and become less effective over time.

Cracking is the most obvious sign that your home’s caulking has been damaged. Another sign that your caulking needs to be replaced is when it has hardened or started pulling away from the surface it’s attached to.

In addition to replacing damaged caulking, applying a fresh coat of paint to your home is a good way to seal it against weather damage.

Sign #4. You don’t like the color.

The exterior paint color you choose can have a major impact on how your home looks and feels to your friends and neighbors. But, oftentimes, when people buy a home, there are more important things to think about, like location, size, storage space, school district, layout, etc., and they end up just living with a color they aren’t thrilled about.

If this is the case for you, what are you waiting for? A fresh exterior coat of paint has the potential to totally change the look and feel of your home. Best of all, it’s one of the most affordable upgrades you can make. It also won’t require you to give up large sections of your home or take months to complete like some home upgrades can.

For homeowners looking for a quick, easy, affordable way to make their homes look like new, exterior painting is a wonderful choice.

Sign #5. It’s been years since your home was painted.

Paint is a great thing, but like almost everything else, it won’t last forever. Typically, you can expect an exterior paint job to last anywhere from seven to 10 years. This, of course, will be affected by the region you live in, as well as the materials that were used on the exterior of your home.

For example, exterior paint can last for up to 15 years on fiber cement siding, but it will only last from three to seven years on wood siding. Climate conditions, including humidity levels, common weather conditions, and sun exposure also have an impact on how long your exterior paint will last.

Sign #6. Your home is brand new.

If you’ve recently moved into a new home, a new exterior paint job is probably the last thing on your mind. But, unfortunately, you may need a fresh coat of pain sooner than you think. That’s because contractors will often use lower quality paint in order to save money. Inferior paint doesn’t last as long as higher-quality alternatives do, and they don’t stand up to exposure as well either.

Another reason why you may need a fresh coat of paint on your new home is that contractors will often spray a single coat of paint on pre-primed wood, which can leave the paint at risk for warping. Making sure to get a coat of protective paint applied to your home within the first five years will minimize the risk of damage.

Sign #7. You’re preparing your home to sell.

Are you preparing your home to sell? If so, boost your curb appeal by giving your home a facelift with a fresh coat of paint. As I said, this is one of the most affordable ways to drastically increase the look of your home. Replenishing the exterior paint on your home makes it look better cared for and could help you sell it faster.


Find a painting contractor near you with Top Rated Local®.

When the time comes to paint your home, rely on Top Rated Local to help you find the right local painting contractor. With Top Rated Local, you can read a contractor’s reviews from across every verified site they’re listed on. We also make it easy to quickly compare painting contractors in your area with the Rating Score™, which is based on the number of review sites a contractor is listed on, the number of reviews they have, the average score of those reviews, and more.

Search Top Rated Local for a painting contractor today!