You’ve hired a professional painting company to paint the exterior of your house and it does look great—but it won’t always stay that way if you don’t know the basics of protecting and preserving the paint job.
The exterior of your house deals with sun damage, storms, dirt, and more, so if you want your paint job to look as great as the day you had it painted, it’s up to you to protect and preserve it.
Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to get the most amount of time out of your paint job before you need to think about redoing it.
How to Protect and Preserve Your Exterior Paint Job
Trim Greenery
You might not think about this much, but branches scrape against your house. They push against the walls and can chip your paint, so it’s important to trim the edges. You can still keep the greenery, which will help shade your house from sun damage, but when it’s properly trimmed, it won’t cause more damage.
A good rule is to make sure that there’s enough space between the shrubbery and the house for you to walk in between.
You can even make a routine of trimming your hedges so that you don’t forget to do it, and don’t forget about the trees either. They provide shade, but they can scrape against your house and even potentially fall. Just keep an eye on your trees, and hire someone to help you trim them if you need help.
Clean Gutters
You can avoid water damage just by cleaning your gutters. Clear out clogs that will make the water overflow on rainy days, and which can leave you with streaks and damage. This might seem like a hassle, but it really does make a difference in your paint jobs.
You can also use a hose to get some of the debris off of your roof. This will prevent the gutters from being clogged up in the first place.
Remove Grime
It’s inevitable that your home will be exposed to the elements. There’s a lot going outside, after all, but if you let all that grime sit on your walls, it can make your paint decay at a more rapid rate.
Every couple of months, all you need to do is give your walls a spray, but be careful not to use any cleaning products that will damage the paint. Avoid harsh chemicals that will break down your paint even faster.
Regular Checks
Every now and again, do a walk around the exterior of your home to make sure that there are no problems with your paint job. Look for cracking, blistering, fading, rust, mold, and reduced sheen.
These are good indicators that you might need a touch up. You can also keep track of any problem areas by taking pictures when you walk around your house. This way, it’s easy to see if any damage is getting worse and if you really need to call for help.
Call a Professional
When you do need a touch up, make sure that you call a professional for it. They know how to look for details that you might miss, and will have the best painting supplies to ensure that you get the best results. Many companies will give you free quotes for any damage, but of course, you’ll need to think about how to keep your paint job looking great after you’ve had it touched up too!
Conclusion
People gain their first impression of your home by looking at your paint job. It can be difficult to keep your house looking great though when you have to struggle with storms and dirt and your paint chipping.
But there are some small things you can do to help improve the longevity of your paint job, like trimming your hedges or just washing down your home. If you do need another paint job, be sure to call a professional like us to help you out so it lasts for as long as possible.
