Here in Edmonton, there are many natural forces that challenge our homes. Hot sun, heavy humidity, soaking storms, strong winds, long winters, snow and ice… the factors are formidable! However, our exterior house paint bravely stands up against the weather that assails it, keeping our homes beautiful and protected. How long can this go on? How long does an average exterior paint job last in Edmonton?
The briefest answer is 5-8 years, but it’s not quite so simple. There are a variety of factors that can increase the life of exterior house paint, or decrease it:
Factors That Lengthen the Life of Exterior Paint
Premium Paint Quality
When you use premium house paints, they pay for themselves by extending the life of the paint job. The higher-quality ingredients provide better bonding, colorfastness, weather-resistance, and general longevity.
Excellent Surface Preparation
To get the best performance from exterior paint, there are a number of steps you can take. First, the surfaces must be clean and free of contaminants or failing paint. Second, replace or repair any damaged surfaces. Finally, prime any bare surfaces.
Multiple Coats
There are a number of reasons why two coats of paint are clearly a good investment:
- They will stand up far better against the weather
- Once the preparation is done, the work of a second coat is not great
- The cost of more paint is negligible compared to the cost of repainting again sooner
Maintenance
To keep your house looking great year to year, and to extend the life of your paint, a small amount of annual paint maintenance is a great idea. This would involve washing the siding, trimming back the shrubbery to allow airflow against the siding, refreshing the caulking around windows and doors, and touching up areas where the paint is wearing out sooner than the rest. This can help you get several more years out of an exterior house painting job.
Factors that Shorten the Life of Exterior Paint
Deteriorating Substrates
If your exterior wood has dry-rot or other types of deterioration, the paint will not last as long.
Poorly-done Previous Coatings
When a previous coat of paint is actively failing due to poor quality (materials or application), it will continue to fail when new coatings are added. This reduces the life of subsequent paint applications. (This is why proper surface preparation involves removing failing paint).
Not Doing What We Mentioned Above
When you use poor quality paints, fail to perform adequate surface preparation, use only one coat, and neglect the maintenance, your exterior paint life will be shortened.
Quality House Painting
When you want your exterior house paint to look great and last as long as possible, Painters Edmonton is ready to serve you! We provide superior quality painting services to Edmonton and St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Gibbons or Sherwood Park, including interior painting, cabinet refinishing and exterior house painting!
Give us a call to get started with a free estimate. We look forward to hearing from you!