Unlike your car, your home isn’t equipped to notify you when it is in need of repairs. You can wait all day, but your home will never alert you when it’s in need of a new paint job!
Nonetheless, there are some signs that can show you that your home is headed for trouble. As professional house painters, we have seen so many cases where the home’s surface was ignored for too long. When the homeowners called us to help, the repairs and painting was much more drastic than would have otherwise been needed.
Proactive (and ongoing) exterior maintenance and painting is the smart choice for any Portland Oregon homeowner. Changing your car’s oil will keep you from rebuilding your engine every year. Regular exterior maintenance keeps your house from needing a complete overhaul.
Is Your Home Ready For A Fresh Coat of Paint?
We discussed that there are several signs that you should look for on your home.
- Fading – At Sundeleaf Painting, we always use top quality paint. Part of the reason is that high-quality satin sheen paint will hold its color integrity for much longer than cheap flat sheen paints. Unfortunately, even the highest quality paint will eventually fade. You may notice this fading to be most drastic on the sides of your home that are exposed to direct sunlight and weather. Usually this fading first begins on the west and south facing sides of houses.
- Split Caulking – Although this may not seem like it relates to painting, inspecting and replacing damaged, brittle caulk is part of our painting process! This protects your home against water damage, waterproofs windows/doors, posts and where the siding meets the corner boards. If you see splitting caulk, you should give us a call.
- Peeling and Chipping Paint – This is an obvious sign of decay. Paint that has completely failed needs to be fixed immediately. Not only is it an eyesore, but it also allows moisture, decay, pests and UV damage to begin eating away at your home.
- Spider Cracks – Before the paint begins to peel and chip, it will show warning signs. Spider cracks often form first. If you see spider cracks begin to form, give us a call before you are dealing with full-on paint failure.
- Wood Rot – Paint helps to seal your wood against moisture. If your paint has broken down, forming spider cracks or even beginning to peel, your wood will begin to rot. If you notice wood rot, it will be time to call in the professionals for wood rot repair and replacement. After the damage has been replaced, your painter will repaint the wood. Pay special attention to your sills and ledges when looking for wood rot.
Contact Your Trusted Portland Painting Company To Protect Your Home
This damage that we discussed can be prevented with regular maintenance! We recommend routine inspections and touch-ups when needed as this is the most cost-effective alternative to dealing with serious damage.
Sundeleaf Painting has been Portland’s painter of choice since 1930. Contact us today to set up your regular exterior maintenance. It would be our pleasure to serve you!