We spend time and money transforming our house into a home. We spend our savings to achieve the beauty and comfort we desire in the very place we rest and keep our family safe. However, some factors are out of our hands. Some contaminants and elements are beyond our control. For one, we cannot control the weather. It is important that when hiring professional painting contractors, they understand the toll that these weather conditions take on your home’s exterior paint. Keeping this in mind helps them to make better decisions and become a more reliable resource for the clients.
Five Main Enemies of Exterior Paint
Like every living organism on Earth, nothing stays permanent. Things fade through time and structures age as the years’ pass. However, understanding the causes of paint failure and deterioration can help contractors a perspective on how to maintain the exterior walls.
Temperature Changes
The annual climate cycle in most northern regions affects the lifespan of your exterior painting. The temperature fluctuations experienced during freezing climates in the test of an exterior painting job. At times when the temperature can drop to below freezing temperature and return to normal temperature in the morning is potentially damaging the paint integrity. The freeze-thaw cycle places unusual stress on the paint coating, and the paint can crack and peel off if the paint used is not flexible.
Moisture
Even some of the quality paints cannot withstand this enemy. Moisture appears in different forms which can later damage the exterior painting of your home. High humidity, rain downpour, and frost snows can end up destroying the paint. Blistering, peeling, and mottling are some of the most common effects of moisture on exterior walls.
Poor Preparation
All the money you spent on expensive and quality paints and the best painting contractors will be wasted if they missed one important step in the preparation step. Prep work is important to guarantee a durable and quality exterior painting finish. However, this is among the most common mistakes and failures most painters commit. Paint contractors cannot skip a step in the prep without facing the consequence. Cracking and wax bleeding are among the common indicators of poor preparation work. Cracking often appears when the previously applied paint is not properly scraped off the surface. This also occurs when the paint is applied on rough surfaces, and painters skipped sanding and priming.
Ultraviolet Rays
Ultraviolet sun rays often result in fading of the paint. The disadvantage of countries that experience the direct rays of the sun is that the ultraviolet rays their exterior wall painting receives can destroy the binder of the paint. When binders break down, a pigment will be released. Heavy UV rays also increased the speed of paint colour deterioration.
Improper Paint Application
Improper paint applications result in flaking. You can choose the best exterior paint colour, but still not get the best finish you desire if the paint application process fails. When not properly coated with paint, moisture can easily penetrate walls or woods which can result in flaking.
These are some of the most common enemies that a good exterior painting works face. If you want to avoid an accelerated deterioration of your exterior wall painting, it is best to consult professional painting contractors with a skilled team of painters who can apply the necessary precautions, preparations, and protections to achieve what your money’s worth.