We want our home to look great for a longer period. But with proper maintenance, it looks better. Proper maintenance on the home exterior decreases the cost of repainting and increases the life of exterior house paint. If the annual maintenance is not performed, the home looks shabby and dirty after a few years. Annual exterior paint maintenance is cheaper and better than a full paint job. Let us look at a few factors that can help you protect your home’s exterior paint.
Cleaning the house’s exterior surface is one of the most important factors in keeping your wall paint protected and lasting longer. It is impossible to keep your walls away from weather and plants. Cleaning the exterior walls with a broom to remove small dust particles will make it easy to remove all the loose specks of dirt, grime, and webs while vacuuming. Make sure to run a spot test before painting the exterior walls to check whether the paint adheres to the exterior wall. And avoid water-based paints on the exterior walls because they are less durable.
Washing the home’s exterior helps to extend the life of the paint. Washing removes all types of contamination, dirt, splashes, bird droppings, and more. This prevents the paint from deteriorating and gives a fresh look. House washing can be done with a sponge or soft bristle scrub brush. Rinse the sponge and soft bristle brush in a mild soapy water solution. You can add a couple of tablespoons of bleach to the solution to remove Mildew. Give your exterior walls a gentle scrub with a sponge or soft bristle brush, and clean the walls with a garden hose with low pressure.
The other option to clean the home’s exterior is pressure washing. It produces great results when handled properly. Hiring a pressure washing professional might be a better choice as it needs to balance the pressure and distance properly to clean the exterior paint properly without damaging it.
All the tree debris, like leaves, tiny branches, and bird droppings, is collected on your home’s gutter. Without proper cleaning, it can cause water overflow and mark some unwanted stains on the exterior paint of your wall. These stains are hard to remove, and they can damage the paint without proper knowledge of how to clean them. Clogged gutters can resist water flow and damage your house’s roofing system. Also, it needs to be cleaned regularly and might be a home for disease-causing organisms. Make sure to clean the gutter at regular intervals by yourself or hire a professional to clean them.
Mould and Mildew can be caused by dampness, condensation, and faulty plumbing. The exterior walls of your home are prone to get affected by moisture and mould intrusion. To prevent the walls from getting affected by moulds, make sure to get rid of existing spores. Use protective gear like gloves, goggles, and a mask before applying the solution of borax and water directly on the affected spots. After cleaning, ensure to dry off the area immediately. To prevent the exterior walls from further mould growth, monitor your house’s ventilation and humidity systems regularly.
To maintain the landscaping around the house, make sure to trim bushes, trees, and shrubs around the house’s perimeter. This will increase the airflow and make room for sunlight around the exterior of your house. Water sprinklers should be placed away from the siding of your exterior walls to prevent the exterior from getting wet. And trim ivy and vines so that they stay away from the siding. These tiny plants can ruin siding, get into cracks, and make them bigger. The ivy and vine creep on the exterior wall leaving marks when pulled off by damaging the exterior paint of your house.
The major cause of leakage in your house is the poor caulking and improper sealant use. If your house is new, check the caulking and sealants every 12 to 24 months. And if the house is older, the caulking and sealant will last longer than the new house. Remove the existing caulk with a putty knife if any cracks and peels are detected. After the old caulk is removed, apply the new caulk with a caulk gun at 45 degrees. Re-caulking is complicated, so hiring a professional to apply an accurate amount of sealant and caulk to attain a smooth finish is better.
Protecting your Home’s Exterior Paint will revamp its appearance. And maintaining is not a hard task, you would feel. Considering some factors like Dusting, Pressure Wash, Cleaning Gutters, Removal of Mould and Mildew, etc., will make the exterior paint of your house last longer. Executive Touch Painters has over 30 years of experience in painting and renovation services in the Toronto area and GTA. Feel free to contact us for a free estimate or call us at (416) 410-0164.
