Your home will not only look better, visually, but you will also save money, time, and hassle in the long run.
Exterior Painting Common Issues:
Below are the most common paint issues found on the outside of the home. It is important to address the issue(s) and protect your home’s exterior. Your home will not only look better, visually, but you will also save money, time, and hassle in the long run.
Peeling: Peeling is usually found on door and garage trim, railing, and posts. It is common for paint to peel on real wood and areas that accumulate a lot of moisture/snow. These areas are especially susceptible to damage since Michigan’s climate is prone to repeated freezing and thawing. Moisture sits in these areas and breaks down the paint, causing it to peel. Once the paint starts to peel, moisture gets into the wood and damages the wood, leading to rotting boards that can only be replaced. We recommend you take special care of these types of areas.
Solution: Scrape, sand, and prime.
Benefits: Scraping gets all the bad paint off. Sanding creates surface area and roughs it up for a better bond. Primer protects better than paint does. It also adheres better to wood. Primer creates a great protection and will provide longer lasting results.
Fading: Fading is most affected by the sides of the house that get the most sun. This is typically the south and west sides of the home. This is caused by the sun beating down on the paint and breaking down the resin in the paint. Resin is the hardener in the paint. Once the resin begins to break down, the sides of the house lose their protection, and can lead to boards beginning to warp. The only way to fix warped boards is to replace them.
Solution: Power wash and use a high-quality paint. We recommend a second coat of primer for fading sides.
Benefits: Power washing is done to get the chalking paint off the house. This leaves a good surface to paint on. We give a thick coat of paint to protect from the sun. Since this side gets the most sun, you can have a second coat of paint or a coat of primer to increase the longevity of the paint job.
Cracking: Cracking happens in joints where siding boards meet trim boards, or where trim boards meet trim boards. You will often see cracking around windows and doors. This is common when previous work was done with inexpensive caulking. As the temperatures change, the house moves, and the caulking can crack. Once there is a crack, moisture gets into the crack and runs down the back of the board where it is not protected. In time, this causes the boards to warp away from the side of the house. The boards then need to be replaced.
Solution: Re-caulk using a 35-year siliconized acrylic caulking. Wipe with a finger or a wet rag to fill the crack.
Benefits: Using a higher quality caulk to re-caulk will stop moisture from getting behind the boards. Higher quality caulking means it will flex with the house and not crack, making it last longer.
Nail Holes: Nail holes are visible on the siding where the siding was nailed in. Moisture sits in the small nail hole, causing the siding around that area to swell. This is similar to when a notebook gets wet and the pages wrinkle and swell up. The same thing is happening with the siding.
Solution: Caulk the nail holes and fill them with caulking so no more moisture will sit in the holes.
Benefits: Although the damage that has already been done cannot be reversed, further damage can be prevented by filling the nail hole. This will cause the moisture to run down the side of the house instead of sitting in the hole and causing the siding to swell.
Peeling Siding: Peeling siding is seen underneath the siding boards and is usually found on the sides of the house that don’t get sunlight, usually the north side of the house. Since the side doesn’t get a lot of sun, moisture stays here longer, and the paint is broken down underneath the siding boards. Most painting contractors don’t apply paint directly underneath the siding board, so it easily breaks down. Once the paint has broken down underneath the siding board, it begins to swell up. This can quickly lead to rotting siding boards.
Solution: Sand down the peeling siding so that it is an even surface. The next step is to prime and reseal it. Make sure that the bottom of the boards is painted during a repaint so that this does not happen again.
Benefits: The siding must be sanded down, otherwise it will not hold any paint and the peeling will be back in a year. Since the siding is already damaged, paint does not adhere very well, so a primer is needed to seal the board up before the paint is applied. Once the board has been sanded and sealed with primer properly, it is ready for the new coat of paint. If this is done properly, you can count on your boards being protected and lasting much longer.
