WHEN IS IT TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF MY HOME?
How do I know when it is time to paint the outside of my home? I get this question every week of the year. And the answer really is, “it depends”. Where you live and the climate play a large role in how often you need to paint. What material was your house built with? Do you have wood siding or stucco? Wood siding has to be painted more often than stucco. Other factors come into play also.
A quick visual inspection should give you all the clues that you need to decide if it is time to repaint the exterior of your home. Is the wood cracking or looking dry? Is the caulking pulling away and leaving gaps where water can intrude? Has the paint color faded and is looking tired? Are there a lot of cracks in your stucco? Are there rust spots? Is there mildew? Is there peeling paint? All these are signs that you need to paint your home.
A general rule of thumb in Arizona is that you should paint your wood sided home every 8-10 years. A stucco home will last longer, about 10-15 years, but the wood trim will need to be repainted at about 5-8 years. Stained wood needs to be redone quite frequently, about every 3-6 years. Wood Decks needs to be refinished every 2-4 years.
