Painting Contractors Tiburon California

Signs That Your House Needs To Be Painted

Your home is a big investment, so it needs to be well protected from the weather and various elements that can do a lot of damage to paint over time.

Here are some things to look for when deciding on the right time to paint the exterior of your home.

One thing to consider is when your house has hits the five-year mark.

Why?

Painting contractors are often told to spray newly constructed homes with a single coat of paint, and that may not protect the underlying surface for very long.

If your house is older you can start by looking for the obvious signs like if the paint is peeling.

When the paint on your home peels it’s because moisture has found its way under the surface of the paint, which releases the bond between the paint and the surface it covers.

Moisture getting to the structure of your home creates the real possibility of some serious damage and your home investment is at risk.

If boards on your home show shrinking and gaps between them then that could be a sign of dry rot. You need to get a professional exterior house painter to look it over and give you an assessment as soon as possible.

For homes with stucco exteriors look for any signs of cracking.

Once again, leaving ways for moisture to penetrate the structure of your home is going to lead to expensive repairs down the line.

Also look to see if any caulking is cracking.

If you see any caulk between boards that is dry, brittle or cracking then it’s time to get your local exterior painting contractors to come out and take a look at your paint.

Then, of course, there’s the dull, fading color of the paint that makes for an unpleasant looking home exterior.

Fading paint is a sign of sun damage, and sun damages paint weakens the integrity of your paints protective surface.

Doing the prep for painting the exterior of your home

First, make sure that the surface of your home is thoroughly prepped.

A clean surface is essential for the paint to adhere to the surface, so going over it with a pressure washer, scraping away loose paint and sanding, when necessary, are basics to start with.

Next, make sure and flaws on the surface are repaired.

Then take a look to see if any old caulk needs to be removed. Check around the door trim windowsills really well and other areas that should be sealed with a paintable exterior caulk.

Painting contractors should spend a good bit of time with the prep work in order for the exterior painting job to last as long as possible.

Use a high-quality paint

After the prep work is done, choose a high quality paint.

As mentioned earlier, Tiburon has a climate with a good bit of rain in the winter, hot, dry summers with salty sea air added to the mix.

Paint will eventually break down and need to be redone. In fact, as soon as it’s applied the UV (ultraviolet) rays will start to break it down.

So, you’ll want to use the best quality paint you can get. Do not go with an economy brand and expect it to last.

When talking with your exterior painter, ask for their recommendations and then you can always do a little online research for “exterior paint ratings.”

There’s a wide range when it comes to paint costs, so let your estimator know what is most important to you when doing cost-benefit analysis in order to get the best value for you.

Interior Painting

Clearly, there are differences between painting the inside versus the outside of your home, however, the basics are similar in what needs to be done.

One of the differences is that the interior doesn’t need to be painted as often as the exterior of your home due to weather elements affecting the outside.

However, many people like to change the colors of their interior paint for aesthetic reasons to give their living spaces a different feel from time to time.

So, you may want to paint the interior as often as the exterior.

The specifics of the prep work may be different, but the bottom line is you want to apply paint on a clean, smooth surface like for the exterior.

You’ll also want to make sure that the trim is protected with masking tape and the floors with drop clothes. This is all pretty standard stuff.

The makeup of paint for the interior is quite different that for the exterior, so you won’t be able to save on buying paint in bulk for painting the interior and exterior at the same time.

How much will it cost to paint your house?

Exterior paint averages $25 – $120 a gallon depending on what kind of quality you want.

Interior paint ranges from about $30 – $100 per gallon and come in several different kinds of finishes: flat, matte, eggshell, semi-gloss and high-gloss.

And then there’s the labor.

There are a lot of variables, so the only way to really know the total cost for paint and labor is for you to have a Tiburon painting contractor give you an estimate.

For a quick painting estimate click here and fill out the form. We’ll get back you ASAP.

Or you can give us a call at (415) 457-0100.

Photo credit: Frank Schulenburg