Chances are if you painted your home on your own, it cost a lot of money to invest in it. Chances are you also have a small chance that something could go wrong. This is any homeowner’s nightmare; they spend all that money getting the house painted only to have it peel and flake away. This could happen within a few months or 1 year depending on the issue at hand. When it comes to house paint, the exterior usually flakes or peels for two reasons. One of the reasons is beyond our control – it’s all about the weather and your home. Because of the weather things like UV rays can cause the paint to fade, which eventually breaks the paint down and causes things like chalking. Another enemy in terms of weather are temperature changes from hot to cold which cause the house to expand and contract. Over time, this will cause the paint to become stressed, and it will create hairline cracks which then makes the paint peel, crack, and flake. The other reason is one we will be going over below.
#1 Reason for Peeling Paint
The biggest reason for the peeling paint is… poor application. Yeah, sorry, but this could actually be your fault as the #1 reason why the paint on your home is peeling. It’s unfortunate, but it does happen. Here are some issues that deal with peeling paint:
Too thin of an Application: This happens more often than you think. People want to be cheap and only apply one or two coats of paint when really they should be doing 2-3 coats. It’s hard to say exactly the right amount of coats without seeing the paint you are using, your home, material type, etc. Which is why most people hire a house painter in NJ to do the consultation and painting for them.
Dirty Paint: If you’ve ever tried painting something before that was dirty, chances are you know that this will lead to the paint not sticking. Instead, it has to be a clean surface. Same goes with your exterior walls and design factors. The entire house needs to either be stripped of the paint or it needs to be cleaned down. You can do this pretty easily with a power washer and yet some people don’t bother with it and then they wonder why the paint starts to peel!
Paint Choices: And no, we don’t mean color. There are good brands and bad brands out there. Good paints can cost medium to high. Bad paints are going to be cheap, but this doesn’t make it a good choice. If the paint is too watery, it’s probably not going to go well for you and the home. Another paint issue is people using the wrong types of paints i.e.; using latex, when they should be using oil, etc.
A Perfect World
In a perfect world instead of painting over old paint or dirty design features; trim, doors, walls, etc. you would:
– Scrape off the old paint – this can be done a few ways including with a putty knife, wire brush or a pressure washer
– Add a primer to the features; the primer helps to really allow the paint to stick to the surface properly so it lasts longer.
– Clean the features with hot water and soap and make sure that everything is dry before painting or priming.
– Always use proper paints and high-quality paints. It’s in most people’s minds that paint is paint. But, this isn’t true. As mentioned above, cheap in price usually means cheap in quality. Don’t bother!
– Add in two- three coats. One is most likely never going to be enough.
You can do this on your own, but if you don’t have the time, patience, or acknowledge, it might be a good idea to start looking into a house painter in NJ. These are professionals when it comes to this type of activity. They know exactly how many coats to use, give you ideas on paint colors, and most of all – they have all the tools and equipment needed, so you don’t have to buy, store or maintain anything.