Exterior painting is an effective way to protect your property against harsh exterior elements in Eugene, Oregon. It will also boost curb appeal and help you to avoid costly repairs down the line. If you’re planning to sell your property any time soon, adding a fresh coat of paint will instantly increase the value of your property.
So you know you need to paint your home more often, but how often? And how do you even tell it’s time to repaint your home? Well, use the following signs to know it’s time for a new paint job.
1. Paint Fading
Paint fading is the excessive lightening of the paint color. Fading often happens as a result of the effects of UV rays which break down the color pigments in the paint. Using low-quality paint that has a lower concentration of color pigments and binders can also cause premature paint fading. You don’t have to repaint at the earliest sign of color fading, but excessive fading often makes the exterior look unappealing and neglected.
2. Paint Peeling
Paint peeling occurs when the paint loses adhesion to the painted surface. Peeling could be a result of painting on a wet, dirty, or poorly prepped surface. Water seeping behind the paint film via fine cracks in the paint can also cause loss of adhesion. This is an advanced sign of paint failure, and you should report it to a painting contractor as soon as possible for correction to avoid further damage to your siding.
3. Paint Bubbling
Paint bubbling is another advanced sign of paint failure that occurs due to localized loss of paint adhesion. This can be caused by painting on a wet or damp surface, painting when there is high humidity or using low-quality paints. This paint failure is characterized by small- to medium-sized ‘blisters’ of raised paint film.
Small sections of blistering can be touched up by scraping off the damaged paint, sanding down edges, and applying a primer, followed by a coat of paint in the same color. Extensive bubbling, however, may warrant a new paint job. If there is any underlying issue –such as a leaking pipe – it should be addressed before a fresh coat of paint is applied.
4. Chalking
Chalking occurs when the paint is broken down into fine powdery particles that are often deposited on the surface of the wall. Low-quality paints that have low concentrations of chemical binders are partly to blame for chalking. You can identify excessive chalking by a line of powdery particles deposited along the base of the wall, and this is a clear sign that a new paint job is long overdue.
5. Mildew
Mildew is a type of fungi that typically grows on damp surfaces, including the exterior siding. Wet conditions on the siding can be caused by excessive rain, broken gutters, and downspouts, leaky plumbing, etc. To adequately eliminate the mildew menace, you first need to address any issues that are causing dampness.
Professionals usually treat the affected areas with either a bleach solution or a mildewcide before repainting the siding. Mildew can spread quickly if not well handled, so you should preferably only let a professional painting contractor handle the mildew situation.
The Bottom Line
If your home’s exterior is showing signs of paint failure such as fading, peeling, cracking, bubbling, or organic growth, it’s probably time for a new paint job. Additionally, if it’s been over five years since you last painted your home’s exterior, consider repainting.
If you need any professional help repainting your home’s exterior in Eugene, our team at Sir Paints A Lot can help. Call us on 541-600-2025 or book now to get started.
When homeowners in Eugene repaint their homes, one of the most significant steps they have to make is to actually find the best residential painting contractor in Eugene. Exterior home painting is a large and relatively complex project that should almost always be left to experienced professional painters for the best results.
The next biggest decision you will have to make as a homeowner is to choose the paint color for your home’s exterior. It might seem like a straightforward, simple decision; however, choosing a color for your home can be quite a daunting task –considering you will be sticking with that color for years to come.
Exterior paint colors generally need to show off, possibly, your biggest investment. While personal preference might play a major role in the color scheme you choose to work with, there’re other important factors to consider too –which you probably forgot to factor in. Below is a quick look at the commonly ignored factors.
1) Existing Elements and Permanent Materials If you have existing stone or brick foundation, patio or accents that you won’t be replacing anytime soon, you need to factor in their colors. The same applies to the color of your roof. While the colors do not need to match, they should harmonize at the very least. Look for undertones that will harmoniously tie together these fixed elements.
2) Architecture Your exterior color scheme should be appropriate to your home’s style –whether it’s a mid-century modern ranch, Craftsman bungalow or Victorian. For instance, Victorian home sidings are generally better-looking in lighter, neutral colors and recessed elements in darker colors. Talk to your professional painter for help with choosing the most appropriate color for your home’s style.
3) Neighborhood If you ignore your neighbors, your house would probably stick out like a neon orange house on the hill. So as you decide on your exterior color, take some time and tour your neighborhood to understand the overall color scheme in your neighborhood and see if you can find houses with colors that catch your eye. You generally don’t want to pick a color that clashes with your neighborhood or looks exactly the same as your next-door neighbor.
If you live in a neighborhood that is governed by a homeowners association, you need to check with them before painting or repainting your home’s exterior. They might have some restrictions on which home exterior colors you can or can’t use. While it might be a little limiting, it’s probably something you signed up for when you moved into the neighborhood.
4) Consider the Landscape The landscape and surrounding natural environment will always give you some cues on what colors to use. If you live in a dryer area with plenty of stones and limited vegetation, choose earthy tones such as beige, and straw. If you live in a sunny beach area, your house will blend in better with colorful pastels.
5) Size and Location of the Home The size of your home and its relationship with the nearest street may also be an important consideration. For instance, if your home is located a long distance from the street, it might need a brighter color to stand out. However, if it sits too close to the road, it might need a dark color to make it seem receded.
The Bottom Line
Your home’s exterior color can have a great impact on the first impressions and perceived value of your home. If you can’t seem to decide on the best color for your situation, you probably need to consult a color consultant or a painting contractor.
If you need any professional help in choosing the best exterior colors and repainting your home’s exterior in Eugene, our team can help. Simply give us a call us on 541-600-2025 or book now to get started.
Paint fading is often the first sign of paint degradation and occurs mostly due to the effects of the elements. Using poor quality paint or inferior painting techniques can also lead to premature paint fading, which is characterized by the loss of color pigment in a paint film.
Most homeowners actually don’t even notice paint fading until after a number of years, this is because it happens so gradually and relatively uniformly. Fading should not be confused with chalking. Fading represents the excessive lightening of the exterior paint, especially on the surfaces exposed to sunlight. But chalking might also cause color fading. With that said, here are some tips on how to prevent or at least slow down paint fading.
1) Choose Fade-resistant Paint
While this might seem obvious, many homeowners tend to ignore this opportunity. The best fade-resistant paints contain high-quality pigments and a sufficient amount of the binder. The binder binds the color pigments to the other ingredients to ensure a durable paint film. Additionally, the binder facilitates enhanced adhesion of the paint to the surface.
Low-quality paints often contain a low concentration of the binder and pigments, which usually start to break down after just a few months of painting. Generally, opt for high-quality paints from reputable manufactures for extended durability and reduced chances of fading.
Also, using alkali-sensitive paints on highly alkaline surfaces like new masonry is another mistake that can lead to fading exterior paint color. Other than that, be careful not to over-tint your paint product as this has also been known to cause premature fading.
2) Don’t Use Paint Colors Prone To Fading
Painted walls and sunlight often don’t go well together, considering UV rays are the number one reason to exterior paint fade. Frequent sunlight causes photodegradation, which is how chemical bonds in the paint are broken down by ultraviolet rays. However, not all colors react in the same way. Dark colors tend to absorb more heat and experience more fading issues than light colors.
Consequently, lighter colors last longer and fade less than dark colors. So to minimize fading, consider using lighter colors in areas that are subjected to direct sunlight and dark colors where there is minimal sunshine. This doesn’t, however, mean that you have to stick to the light color pellet only, you can play around with different hues to achieve the right balance and contrast.
3) The Right Paint for the Right Surface
Nowadays, paints are highly specialized and some paints are only suitable for certain materials. A particular exterior paint could be suitable for wood, brick, stucco, aluminum, or concrete depending on its qualities. Wrong usage of paint leads to paint fade fast. For instance, as mentioned above, alkali-sensitive paints should not be used on highly alkaline surfaces, like stucco. If you’re not hiring a painting contractor in Eugene, be sure to request the paint store for the best paint recommendation for your type of surface.
4) Hire a Professional Painting Contractor
Exterior home painting can be a laborious and technical project, and if you don’t have the skills and the right tools, you’re better off hiring a professional painting contractor. Other than the quality of the paint materials, the craftsmanship that goes into the painting process has an impact on the longevity of the paint and its ability to withstand fading.
Painting contractors do proper surface preparation, paint using the right techniques and have the know-how needed to pick just the right paint for any surface or situation. At Sir Paints A Lot, we specialize in residential painting and guarantee a high-quality paint job using the best paint products in the market that will beat fading and stand the test of time. To give us a try, simply call us on 541-600-2025 for a free estimate.
If you’re a Homeowner in Eugene Oregon, you probably already know the importance of occasionally pressure washing your home’s exterior. For new homeowners, it’s important to note that your home’s exterior collects all sorts of dirt, grime and chalk from deteriorating paint. Over time, this deposit makes your house look dirty, old and neglected, which ruins your curb appeal.
Power washing your exterior gets rid of the accumulated dirt for a clean and flawless look. It’s also an important part of surface preparation during exterior home painting. Without pressure washing, the paint won’t be able to adhere to the surface due to the dirt, grime and other particles. In our opinion, pressure washing is just some of those misleading tasks that should be left to professionals. However, if you decide to go DIY, here are the mistakes you should look out for.
1. Using Too Much Pressure
Using too much pressure is probably the most common mistake many homeowners and DIY enthusiasts make. If you’re renting or own a pressure washing machine, chances are it’s not industrial scale and hence has limitations when it comes to pressure control. Other times it could just be that you’re not sure how much or little pressure you should use for your siding material.
Either way, using too much pressure can potentially leave etching marks as you move the wand back and forth. Many times, this might also cause furring wood, cracking glass or stripping paint. If your pressure washing machine doesn’t have pressure calibrations, start by holding your wand at least three feet away from the surface, then move closer gradually as you monitor the cleaning power.
2. Using Plain Water Only
This is another common mistake that homeowners in Eugen make. While using plain cold water might work in some cases, houses that have considerable dirt accumulation might prove difficult to clean. As a result, you might end up having to use excessive pressure in order to break the dirt barrier and clean the surface.
In cases where you have mold and mildew infection, using plain water will aid in spreading the spores of the fungus to other areas that have not yet been infested. In such a case, you might want to mix mildew controlling fungicide into your cleaning solution. Generally, adding a cleaning chemical into your pressure washing solution helps to break down and soften the dirt barrier, making cleaning easier.
3. Cleaning Out of Order
This pressure washing mistake can cause you a lot of headache and inconveniences. It might sound like common knowledge, but you won’t believe how many homeowners get it wrong. If you start out pressure washing your driveway and walks and then pressure wash your house or your roof, you will have some residual rinsing to do on your driveway. Eventually, all the dirt you clean from your siding and roof will land on the ground. For the same reason, consider cleaning your windows and doors after your roof and siding.
4. Don’t Forget the Water-sensitive Areas
Stay away, (or handle cautiously) water-sensitive areas –you don’t want to spend hours moping stray water or spent money repairing water damage. Some of the areas to look out for include door openings (like the gap under the door), drywall ceilings, non-water tight windows, and glass window/door panels.
The Bottom Line Pressure washing is an important home maintenance routine that helps to keep your house looking great and prevents eventual permanent stains. However, when it’s incorrectly done, it can cause more damage than good. If you need professional assistance with pressure washing or painting your exterior, please give us a call and we will be more than happy to help.
Painting is the easiest and most effective way to transform the look of your walls and add a little more protection against wear and tear. It could be that the walls of your home are starting to look a little worse or you simply don’t like the current color. Whatever the reason, painting could just be your solution.
When it comes to residential painting in Eugene, Oregon, you have two options; hiring a pro or doing it yourself. Depending on the scale and complexity of the project, hiring a professional painter is almost always the best option. However, if you want to give it a try, here are some quick tips on how to paint over a painted wall.
1) Prep Your Work Space
Whether you’re only painting your kitchen or your entire exterior, preparing the area around your paint job is critical to efficient and stress-free painting. If you’re painting your interior, prep might include removing décor from the wall, taking down window treatments, moving furniture away from the wall and covering everything else in the room that you don’t want the paint to get on. For exterior painting, you might have to trim shrubbery and tree branches near your siding, and cover nearby plants and other immovable items, and so on.
2) Cleaning
For any paint job, always start with a clean surface to ensure better paint adhesion and longer durability. Interior walls might only need light wiping using either soapy water with a sponge or mineral spirits in the event of stains such as ink or greasy fingerprints. Exterior walls require a bit more extensive cleaning, and pressure washing usually does the trick. However, if you’ve never used a pressure washer for this purpose before, you should probably leave this part to the professionals.
3) Paint Scrapping and Sanding
If your previous paint job is still relatively ‘new,’ you might not spend so much time on this part. However, any peeling, cracking and bubbling paint needs to be scraped off so that it doesn’t ruin your new paint job. After scrapping, sand the surface and smooth out rough and sharp edges of any remaining paint in order to achieve a smooth finish. This will prevent the new paint coat from flaking and peeling prematurely.
4) Surface Repairs
Covering up damaged or failing surfaces with paint is never a good home maintenance practice. Many times, this reduces the lifespan of your paint job and creates opportunities for things like bugs and moisture invasion. Be sure to fill in any holes and missing caulk, and make any necessary repairs such as replacing missing wood planks and addressing water and drywall damages.
5) Prime Walls
Once the surface repairs have been addressed and the surface properly cleaned, it’s time to apply a primer. The primer prepares the surface for better paint adhesion and also evens out the surface for a smooth finish. If you’re making a sharp color transition, especially from the dark to light paint colors, the primer will help to block off the old paint from bleeding through your new coat of paint.
You will also experience better paint coverage and efficient painting with primed surfaces. Once the prep work is done and the primer has been applied, you can proceed with painting as you would on any other surface once the primer has dried.
The Bottom Line
Small residential repainting projects can be an interesting challenge to try if you have the skill, experience, tools and time. If you don’t, we strongly advise that you hire a professional painting contractor in Eugene such as Sir Paints A Lot.
We specialize in residential painting, and if you have hard-to-reach places or a multi-level home on a slope that you want to paint, but most painters are shying away, we will be more than happy to take up the challenge!
Simply give us a call us 541-600-2025 to get started.
The exterior of your home in Eugene, Oregon is starting to look a little pale and dated, and you’re now wondering if it’s time for an exterior repaint yet. Well, there are a few obvious signs that indicate your siding could use a fresh layer of paint, and this includes paint peeling, cracking, fading, caulking and flaking. But as you probably already know, exterior painting is a major task, especially if it’s a multilevel home, and no one wants to do it more times than necessary.
Which brings us to the question; how often should you have the exterior of your home repainted? Unfortunately, there is no set timeline for all, each home is different and unique. However, there’re a few guidelines that can help you pick an appropriate frequency that works for your unique situation. Here is a quick look at the top four.
The Siding Material
Paint has varying durability across different surfaces, which is one of the biggest reasons why lifespans for different paint jobs will differ even if they’re in the same neighborhood. According to popular findings, here is how painting needs will vary for different materials:- • Aluminum siding – Paint every 4 years. • Wood siding – Paint every 3-7 years, or every 4 years if it’s stained • Stucco – typically lasts 5-6 years before requiring a fresh paint. • Other Materials –hybrid and new types of materials such as brick and cement fiberboard often require less painting frequency, typically 10-15 years.
Quality of the Previous Paint Job Not all paint jobs are created equal, even under the same conditions. There is a lot that goes into an exterior paint job other than just changing the color of your siding. And the overall quality of the paint job and materials used play a major role in how long your paint will last and how often you need to do touch-up painting.
The surface needs to be thoroughly prepared – washing, sanding, paint scraping, caulking, repairing and priming need to be done where appropriate. Failure to thoroughly prepare the surface will lead to signs of paint failure in as little as one year or even months after painting. The quality of paint, number of coats applied and the color will also determine how long your paint job will withstand external harsh elements.
Your Maintenance Habits.
Your home’s exterior takes a toll from a myriad of damaging elements such as frost, rain, humidity, mildew and mold, sunlight and insect invasion. These elements can quickly damage your paint system. Without regular intervention and a bit of TLC, your paint can fade, crack, peel, flake and caulk much faster than you can file your tax returns.
To ensure your exterior paint job lasts longer and in turn requires less frequent painting, perform a regular inspection in order to catch these problems at their early stages. Take care of any spotted issues such as insect invasion, mold and mildew growth, and rotting wood as soon as possible. Regularly wash off the dirt and mold, and hire a professional painting contractor to touch-up areas that have signs of failing paint.
Wear and Tear If you see major paint failure signs such as extensive paint bubbling, cracking, peeling and chalking, it’s time for a new exterior paint job. You can only touch-up and correct so much when your paint starts to fail, so knowing when to call for a full exterior repaint is important. Generally, the longer the problems sit on your siding, the more damage there is, and the harder and more expensive they will be to correct.
Bottom Line The above guidelines should give you an overall idea of when and how often you should repaint your home’s exterior. If you’re considering hiring professional painting service in for your home in Eugene Oregon, we can help. Call us today for a free estimate or more information.
