How often should I paint my Home’s Exterior Surface?

May 4, 2021 /

Nothing gives the outside of your home a fast and impressive facelift like a fresh coat of paint — although it’s been said many times before, this axiom is worth repeating. Whether you are planning to sell and want to add a touch of quick curb appeal or you just enjoy living in a well-kept home, spring is the ideal time to upgrade by painting your house’s exterior. How often will this task need to be done? It depends on a number of factors, primarily your home’s exterior finish, your location, and the quality of your last paint job.

Wood siding should be repainted every 3-7 years, or stained approximately every 4 years. Aluminum siding can go about 5 years between paint jobs, and stucco 5-6 years. Newer types of materials require less frequent touch ups; for example, cement fiberboard siding should need painting only about once in 10-15 years. The only upkeep for unpainted brick is cleaning, although you will need to paint the trim, of course. If you do choose to paint the brick itself, a good quality job will last 15-20 years.

In addition, your HOA standards and the general look and feel of your neighborhood, particularly if you live in a historic district, will help determine how frequently your home needs to be repainted.

HEADS UP: Don’t try to save money by putting off exterior painting. All you will end up doing is making the prep work harder and the job ultimately more expensive. Damaged paint or exposed patches of bare wall are an urgent signal that you should paint ASAP to protect your home.

What Affects Exterior Paint’s Durability?

Previous Paint Job — A major factor in how long you can go before repainting your house exterior is the quality and color of the paint you and your contractor (or your home’s previous owner) used last time, as well as the number of coats that were applied … and even whether your house was painted on a sunny or overcast day.High quality, lighter shades of paint tend to last longer. Ditto for two or three coats as opposed to a single one and paint that was applied when the house was in shade. One hundred percent acrylic paint is the most durable and resistant to fading.

Climate — If you live in an area with hot, sunny summers or your home is unsheltered by trees, the strong sunshine will cause paint to bubble and fade more quickly (especially for darker hues, synthetic pigments, and oil-based paint). Other climate conditions that age paint are harsh winters, frequent storms, extreme humidity, blowing sand, or salty ocean breezes.

Maintenance — Take good care of your home. Inspect its exterior regularly for danger signs. These include dampness, rot, chalkiness, termite or other infestation, and mold. Have these treated promptly and keep out moisture by sealing and caulking as necessary.

How to Prep for a Paint Job that Will Last

Before beginning to paint, get your home exterior into top shape. Treat mold or insect pests. Replace any rotten wood, and repair cracks and holes in stucco or similar finishes. Caulk seams and putty any holes and pits in the surface. Sandblast if you need to remove loose, bubbling, peeling, or cracking paint. Follow up with a power wash, being careful to follow the manufacturer’s recommended range and amount of pressure.

After cleaning, your house should be allowed to dry completely, to avoid trapping moisture under the paint. For the same reason, wait a few days after a heavy rain prior to painting the exterior of your home.

Check the weather forecast.
Painting goes best in dry, mild weather, which is not overly windy. Outdoor temperatures between 50-90 degrees are advised to ensure optimal drying of the paint.

Satisfied Clients

Casper Mural Project

We have so much gratitude for Curb Appeal as our priming partner for mural walls. Having a good base for the muralists to do their work is very important. Plus, every wall is different. They really care about our community and every wall they paint.

Thank you for making Casper and our homes more beautiful.

Wanda K.

I have nothing but good things to say about Curb Appeal! They have done 3 jobs for me and were always very professional. They came when they said they would, always finished quickly and cleaned up after themselves.

Their team was always respectful and polite.

“I would definitely use them again and recommend them to my friends”.

Ann R.

Start with professional. Add prompt and courteous. Great understanding of color palette. Not afraid to recommend bold colors.

The result was outstanding.

Charlie B.

We have used Curb Appeal for many projects in the last 4 years. Erica and Don are trustworthy, and have exceeded our expectations time and time again. They show up when they say they will, they finish on time, and they go above and beyond “just painting.” Don has installed light fixtures for me, and done drywall repair as well.

“They are a pleasure to do business with. I highly recommend them”.

K. Adams

Excellent service, extremely professional, outstanding quality, at a very reasonable price! Don and Erica were awesome / and their crew was outstanding.

“I highly recommend Curb Appeal to anyone in Casper”.

Guy and Anna Markus

My wife’s mother lives in Casper Wyoming. She wanted to get her house painted but was worried that she would be taken advantage of. We called Curb Appeal for a quote and they come within the hour.

The price was less than expected and the quality of work was outstanding.

“Very clean and great customer service. A+++++”

Rory Morgan

I agree with Guy and Anna. A job well done. Last summer Guy and I called on a Saturday as we were both leaving town the next day. They were there in an hour giving us our estimate for our Mom’s house. All the details were worked out over the phone long distance.

Great to work with!

We will be out to see the house soon.

David Matula

Don and his crew did a fantastic job very professional, courteous, prompt, awesome clean up, in detailed with the application. No disappointments highly recommend this company Outside Inside painting, staining and power washing needs.

“Thank you for your fantastic job”.

Veronica Keralis White

They did an excellent job on our home. The people were friendly and got the job done in a timely manner.

“I would highly recommend them.”

Jen Chris

They did a really good job! Would recommend them. They cleaned everything up, very courteous, and timely.

Will use again.

They are excellent!

…I guess I didn’t do that right you deserve 5 stars!

Tom Horn

I just had most of the interior of my home painted and it like having a new home. They do great work and are fast.

“They will be back to do any other painting needs I have in the future.”

DeeDee Tucker

My Daughter had her home painted by these friendly / professional people and not only was the paint job excellent… their prices where incredibly reasonable along with the post clean up.

"I'm impressed"

Derik Hepner

We were in a pinch to get our deck scraped and stained to meet a deadline to close on selling our house. Don and Erica came through and got the job done 2 days before I thought it would be done.

Thank you guys!!

Kendra Good

We had Erica and Don’s team paint the inside of our house and cabinets over a year ago and then we had them back to paint a few more rooms this year. They are perfectionists and get the job done quickly with no mess left behind! We love them and now they are good friends of ours.

We highly recommend Curb Appeal Painting!

Josh Larson

Very professional and do great work. I refer my clients that need painting to Curb Appeal, because i am confident in the quality of work they provide.

…Keep up the good work!!!

Stefanie Burns

We can highly recommend Curb Appeal’s services, as they are pleasant and professional, showed up punctually each day, and worked super swift! They cleaned up beautifully after the job was done, and re-applied ceiling fans, lights, etc.

…”Hiring this company was an overall positive experience, and we will keep them in mind for future projects.”

Cody James Weinrich

They did such a great job, very polite, and professional crew. They did awesome even with the crazy rain we had.

“I definitely recommend them for any paint job.”

Shelia

My Gorgeous house!!

Oh My gosh!! You guys are just the best!

My house looks so fantastic. I could not ask for more friendly, efficient, tidy, beyond nice Expert painters! Don was so patient with me for any request I had. You should be very proud of the high quality business you have created!

“I am sorry I had to leave before they were done and could not thank them one more time”.

Tina Fox-Evans

I moved to Wyoming in January and bought a home that needed a lot of help aesthetically. I contacted Curb Appeal about a week before moving and asked if they could paint the interior of my home before I moved in. Erika squeezed me into their schedule and Don (and team) patched all the walls and worked to get my home completed so I could move in. They did such an amazing job. My home looked completely different when they were done.

…Adding to my original review…I just had my home exterior painted. “I couldn’t be happier!!”

Julie Watson

Amazing crew to work with everyone is very friendly and professional. Excellent workmanship. Very responsible priced for the excellent work that they do.

Satisfied Customer

What Affects Exterior Paint’s Durability?

How to Prep for a Paint Job that Will Last

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Pressure Washing for a Deep Cleaning

Testimonials

Staining & Refinishing Log Homes