10 Signs it’s Time to Repaint Your Home

Repainting your home may sound inconvenient, but it is easier than you thought. It is a good investment as it extends the good looks and the integrity of your home.

The paint is your property’s first line of defence from external elements and one of the first things that guests and potential property buyers will notice. When the paint fades, peels or chips, it simply means you need a repainting job. But other than that, here are a few more tell-tale signs that your home is in dire need for a fresh coat of paint.

1. Hardened Caulk

Caulks are designed to contract and expand with your house. As you property is exposed to varying weather conditions, caulking will eventually and naturally lose its elasticity. When the beads are already resistant or feels hard when you press them down, it is likely the best time to call Ideal Colors for re-caulking and checking for damage.

2. Chalking

Being exposed in extreme weather conditions also breaks down the paint over time. Before the paint starts cracking and flaking off, it starts to chalk first (a fine powder that easily rubs off on your hand). Chalking also happens if a low-quality interior paint is used or if the paint’s top coat was applied too thinly. Eventually, chalking will cause fading of paint color and reduce the protection of the home.

3. Flaking or Cracking Paint

Usually, cracking and flaking happens after chalking. You will start to notice cracks with edges that are about to peel off from the walls. The most common causes of flaking and cracking paint are low-standard paints, not priming the wood before painting, overspreading or overthinning the paint and painting in windy conditions that cause the paint to dry too quickly. Cracking and flaking paints needs to be repainted right away before it lets moisture and rain finds their way into the wood underneath the paint and saturate it.

4. Faded Shade

Extreme sunlight can cause fading, and dark colored paints are much faster to fade than the paler ones. Fading of paint on the shady parts of the house, however, could mean that there might be a problem with water intrusion or the vapour barrier. Look around for mysterious stains on surfaces. If you don’t find any and can’t pinpoint the source of the problem, it’s best to call an expert.

5. Peeling Paint

If the siding of your wood has not been repainted ever since, the paint in the front and back sides will start to peel off because of sun exposure. Not only does it look bad, but it can also cause damage as the rain is expected to penetrate the wood, causing it to rot. Check for any signs of peeling, especially around the trimming and underneath the eaves. If you see signs of peeling, call Ideal Colors for a repainting job.

6. Wood Rot

Sections of softness and decay have to be addressed immediately. Otherwise, it will spread to the healthy fibers of the wood, creating an even larger problem. Maintenance and treatment of wood is necessary. And, of course, to top it all off, you need to prime and paint the surface to preserve the repair.

7. Blistering

Bubble tends to form under and in the paint film due to moisture and heat. Heat blistering takes place when painting the surface under harsh sunlight, overheating the paint. Moisture blistering happens when water gets into the surface of unpainted area, causing the paint to bubble and peel. The paint gets separated from the surface due to the migration of the water from the interior side of the wall or due to application of paint on a damp area. Moist blistering also takes place after latex has dried, if exposed to high humidity, rain, moisture or dew.

8. Mildew and Algae

Black and gray spots on surfaces of your home can be algae and mildew caused by poor ventilation. Leaving it untreated can cause your paint to crack and flake off, allowing moisture and water to seep into surfaces like woods. If this happens, the moisture will rot the wood and encourage the growth of mildew and molds.

9. Outdated Colour

Many times, houses were painted in colors that were popular at that time, without considering how the house would look like through the years. Repainting your interior with classic, or even under trendy color scheme, will give your home an updated look. Check out magazines and the internet to draw some inspirations on the freshest color palettes for modern homes.

10. If It’s a New Home

Usually, painting contractors apply a coat of paint over pre-primed surfaces. That layer of primer will help minimize warpage, but not enough to prevent shrinkage and swelling. If you have just acquired an old home, plan on getting a repainting job within a year. Re-do the painting and make sure to prime every surface properly. Especially if the property is more than a decade old, you need to have it repainted soon. 

Most houses need to be repainted every 10 years, but the most appropriate timeframe depends on the materials used and the climate of the region. For example, traditional cladding needs to be repainted every five years, while cement fibreboard can do away with 10 or more years without repainting job. If you have any painting job for your property, whether residential or commercial structure, have it done by experts from Ideal Colors in Singapore.