Clues That You Need to Paint Your Home’s Exterior
Posted on February 1, 2021
It’s easy to tell that you need a new paint job if your home’s paint is peeling and blistering. But sometimes it’s not so obvious that your home might not be protected.
Maybe you bought your home four years ago and never asked the previous owner the last time they painted the exterior.
Or maybe your house looks just fine on the surface, but you suspect the exterior may not be protected from our harsh New England climate, salt air, and intense summer sun anymore because the paint seems to have faded.
Our quiz makes it easy to tell if you need to paint your exterior (or not!)
Take our 20-second exterior painting quiz to help you determine if your home needs painting.
Why does painting or staining your exterior matter?
Both paint and stain protect the wood beneath your home from the elements. In the Boston area, our winters are cold, windy, and snowy, and our summers are hot. Our climate causes paint and stain to wear away and exposes the wood beneath to the rain, wind, sun, and snow. Wood, if not protected by paint or stain will rot.
Telltale signs that it’s time to paint your home’s exterior:
The peeling paint on this window trim exposes the wood to rain, snow, and wind, causing the wood to rot. You see the paint blistering, peeling, cracking, flaking, or bubbling. These signs mean that moisture can reach the wood of your home’s exterior and rot it.
- You see fading – in fact, the south-facing side may be a different color than the other sides of your home.
When you rub your hand on the surface of the clapboards, a “chalky” film appears on your hands. - You can’t remember ever painting your home – or it’s been more than five years since you do remember painting it. You likely need at least one coat of paint (we call this a “maintenance coat”).
- Your shingles are black, indicating mold or mildew. Your shingles likely need thorough power washing as well as either bleaching oil or a solid or semi-solid stain to remain protected.
- You see cracking or staining on your stucco home.
- Wood on your home’s shingles, clapboards, trim, shutters, etc, is exposed or rotting.
How often should I paint my home’s exterior?
If you live along the coast in a town like Duxbury, Marshfield, Scituate, Hull, Hingham, or Cohasset, we recommend applying a maintenance coat of paint or stain to your exterior every 3 years because the salt from the ocean eats away at the paint and stain faster than inland homes. Inland homes in towns like Pembroke, Weymouth, Hanover, Norwell, Rockland, Milton, Canton, Stoughton, Braintree, Randolph, and Avon should be painted or stained every 5-7 years to remain protected.
What’s the difference between paint and stain?
Simply put, the paint sits on top of the substrate while the stain seeps in. Both paint and stain are protective of the wood and prevent it from rotting. Lots of solid stains look like paint. When we meet you at your home to give you a quote, we’ll be able to tell you if your house was painted or stained.
Does the brand of paint or stain matter?
Yes! Like car companies, paint brands have inexpensive and high-end grades of paint. It’s important that the painter specify the brand and grade of paint on your written quote. We wrote more about insisting on a fantastic brand AND grade of paint here.
What to read next?
Our carpentry services will fix wood rot on your home before you paint.
Our free color consultation services.
Painting historical colors on the South Shore and in the Boston area.
Complete our online form to request an estimate on your next exterior painting service.
Author: Paige NeJame, owner of CertaPro Painters.
