Maintaining exterior wood trim paint is important because it protects the wood from the sun, water, mold, wood rot, decay and mildew. A quality paint job or a well maintained paint job can also enhance the look of your homes architectural features.
Once you have Solomon Contracting finish a quality paint job on your home, one that has been prepared properly by washing, sanding and scraping, maintaining that paint job, can extend its life span. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to take care of minor details so that your stunning new facade lasts and lasts. Here’s what to do.
1. Regular Cleaning
Bugs, sap and grime can damage your exterior paint over time. Gently cleaning it once or twice a year with a pressure washer and mild soap on the appropriate setting is all you need, although you may want to rinse surfaces down after severe storms that leave your facade splattered with goo.
2. Keeping Up With Caulk
Caulking prevents moisture from getting in between the wood and paint, causing cracks and bubbling. Inspect the areas around doors and windows at least once per year, adding caulk where necessary. As a bonus, this step also prevents energy loss and lowers utility bills.
3. Maintaining Exterior Landscaping
Remember, sap from leaves and trees can damage your paint. Furthermore, branches can cause scratches that allow moisture to get in, spurring peeling. Keep trees and bushes trimmed back from your home’s exterior surface. Trimming your bushes lower than three feet also deters thieves, who seek cover when breaking in.
4. Tiny Touch Ups
When purchasing exterior paint, always buy more than you need to allow extra for touch-ups. Addressing damage confined to small areas prevents spread, so inspect your home’s exterior once or twice a year and take corrective action when necessary.
Help Your Exterior Paint Last
Maintaining and extending the life span of exterior paint begins with a quality job. Fortunately, this task is one of the easiest to DIY if you have a one-story home, increasing your property value without spending much money or effort.
Or, you could have Solomon Contracting help with these things by subscribing to our Preventive Maintenance Program which does most of the items above for you annually
For more information about our program, click here.
Follow the above steps for an exterior paint job that stands the test of time. Let us inspect your facade once per year and perform maintenance as described, and you’ll feel proud to pull into your driveway. You also save 5% on all projects purchased during your program subscription.
Comments