Painting the exterior of your home or garage can really improve the appearance of your home, especially if you have old, peeling paint. It's important to make sure the new paint job doesn't suffer the same fate, though. The following tips can help you prevent peeling of the exterior paint on your home.
1. Prep and Clean
Painting over the old damaged paint will just make the problem worse. Not only will the new finish look bad, it too will quickly begin to peel. Before you can paint the old peeling paint must be removed. Your painting crew will either remove it manually by scraping it off, or they may speed up the process and use a pressure washer if the underlying structure is in good condition. Once the loose paint is removed, the exterior surfaces must be cleaned before painting can proceed.
2. Check for Material Problems
Once the surface is prepped, it's time to make sure the underlying material is in good condition. This is most important for metal and wood siding. For metal siding, the paint crew will check for signs of rust or corrosion. If damage is found, it will be sanded away so the surface is ready for paint. Rot and warping is the main concern with wood siding. Your painters will check every board for rot. Any siding boards suffering from rot must be replaced.
3. Prevent Moisture Issues
Peeling paint is a result of poor adhesion, and moisture is the usual culprit for the problem. Don't schedule painting for humid or wet weather. In many locations, the best time to paint the exterior of the home is from midsummer into fall, as long as temperatures are below 80 F and above about 50 F. Your painting crew can help you determine the best time for your climate and the paint type they are using. Surfaces must also be dry before they are painted, so you may need to schedule painting later in the day if there is a lot of morning dew or fog.
4. Increase Adhesion
Painters can further prevent peeling by increasing the adhesion of the paint. This a two step process. The first step is to lightly sand your siding to create a slightly roughened surface. Paint will adhere more fully if the surface isn't perfectly smooth. The second step is to use a quality primer before applying the paint. Primer creates an even surface for the paint to adhere to, as well as preventing stains and other imperfections from leaching through.
Contact a painting service for more help.
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