Patriot Painting, Denver Award Winning House Painters Blog (720) 528-7300

Time to Paint?

Re-painting the exterior of your house can be one of the most the most value-adding (and potentially one of the most costly) improvements you can make to what is likely the biggest investment of your life.

Whether you take on the project yourself or hire a professional painting contractor, the process can be expensive and labor-intensive.

Perhaps the first question most homeowners will ask themselves is, “how do I really know it’s time to repaint my house?”.  Knowing whether or not to paint your exterior this year (and whether or not that decision will cost you much more in the future if you don’t) is perhaps the most crucial, and certainly the first, determination to make.  So it’s helpful to know the most common and important clues that signal that it’s time to repaint your home’s exterior.

First, it’s important to note that the longevity of any surface coating is affected by a variety of factors:  weather, geographic placement of your home (i.e., homes on a hill are more susceptible to weather than those nestled in a valley and surrounded by other structures), surface preparation and products used the last time it was painted, and regular upkeep of the surfaces.  A general rule of thumb is that exterior surfaces should be repainted every 7 to 8 years to best maintain the integrity of the underlying substrate.

Below are the most common & important indications that now would be a good time to repaint the exterior of your home:

1) Caulk Failure – Separation of the caulking from the adjoining surface allows water to quietly penetrate underneath and is the most common cause of damage to the underlying substrate which often necessitate expensive repairs.  If the rest of your home is in great shape but you see caulk failure slowly becoming visible, you can extend the life of the coating by caulking these areas yourself.   If you see a general failure of the caulk all around the house this should act as a glaring notice that it’s time to repaint.

2) Paint Failure – Flaking or peeling paint, like failing caulk, exposes surfaces to humidity and the elements.  The primary purpose of paint is for protection from the weather.  When a coating fails this opens the door to the great equalizer: water.  Exposed and untreated surfaces will tend to deteriorate at a rate at least 11 times faster than a coated surface.  More than two square feet of failing paint is an important indication that it’s time to repaint.

3) Chalking – Chalking is the formation of a visible chalk-like residue on exterior surfaces.  This behavior is attributed to the loosening of unbound pigment on the surface of a paint as it weathers.  It’s tendency to occur is most related most to the nature and amount of pigment in the paint.  Darker colors are more affected than lighter ones.  In addition to the fact that chalking is an indication that the paint is losing its integrity, this coating failure can cause “chalk run-down” wherein the whitish residue can run down onto to other surfaces which is unsightly and difficult to remove.

4) Wood Rot – This is perhaps one of the most visible (but curiously one of the most neglected) signs of surface failure.  Often wood rot will be visible in one or two places around a home’s exterior.  Beware of the complacent belief that this is a task that can wait.  Wood rot is almost always accompanied by some damage to other, less visible, parts of the exterior.  Most likely all the wood in the home was installed at around the same time.  Logic would dictate that all the surfaces are aging at a similar rate.

While there are other clues that your home is asking for a new coat of paint (fading, tannin bleed, surfactant leaching, alkali burn, etc.) the above are by far the most common and most worthy of your attention.  If you home exhibits one or more of these vital clues, it is recommended that you hire a professional painting contractor to help you remedy the issues and protect not only your home’s exterior surfaces but protect the value of your most valuable asset.

Patriot Painting Professionals, Inc. is a full service residential painting contractor in Denver, CO.

If you have an metro Denver interior painting project to get done, you could hire any one of a number of companies to do the work for you. The problem is, not every one of them will do the best job. In some cases, you may even find that even those that promise to do a good job are lacking when it comes to creating a stellar finished look. It is a good idea, on the other hand, to choose a company that specializes in higher quality finished looks, but also goes beyond what you may expect. A good idea is to hire Patriot Painting. The company specializes in eco-friendly painting with a perfectionists’ focus on quality.

Green Practices to Count On

One of the reasons to turn to Patriot Painting for your Denver interior painting project is because the company uses the best green products possible. This way, you can be sure that the paint is not only healthy for your family to be around, but also because it helps protect the environment. When choosing companies to work with, choose one that does something better and still meets your demands for high quality. You can get this type of high quality result.

What does this green technology do for you? Why is it important for you to invest in it? Here are a few reasons to do just that.

• Green products are ideal for those who have allergies. Because it removes much of the toxins from the home, thus creating less aggravation for your allergies.

• For those who have other health conditions, including high risk conditions, or who have infants or the elderly, will all benefit from paint that has a low VOC level. These paints are better for anyone who may have a less than strong immune system.

• Keep in mind that low odor paints are fantastic for these people too. It is also a good option for those who may have a need for better air quality. These paints do very well at resisting the formulation of mildew or molds.
Keeping these things in mind for your next interior painting project is critical. But, what about the overall look and feel of the space? A quality professional will be able to help you to transform the space in a way that you want. These paints can do everything you want them to, just in a green way.

• There are just as many color choices to select from. You can choose from a rainbow of colors.

• You can create unique textures and patterns using these paints. You are not limited in how you can apply them either.

• These paints last just as long and they can be perfect for those areas where you need to be able to scrub the walls clean from time to time.

Contact Patriot Painting to find out how they can help you to create the ideal interior painting project. They can work around any of your needs to create a safe space that is attractive.