WHY DOES EXTERIOR PAINT PEEL?

The weather’s improving and after the effect of the winter months have taken on your home, you may be thinking it’s time to enhance the kerb appeal of your home. At DFP Building Services a question we hear a lot from customers when we are carrying out a free quote is why does exterior paint peel? or This was only painted recently and it’s already peeling, why is that?

Having decorated many homes over the years this is a problem we have encountered many times. So, below I am going to explain as to why this occurs and how to resolve it.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

To carry out a high quality exterior redecoration of your home, you must take the weather in to account as well as the preparation required, as they both play a major role.

The reason that the weather must be taken in to account is because the way in which paint dries is directly associated with temperature and the external conditions at the time of application. The best time to decorate the exterior of your home is when the weather is dry and warm from start to finish.

This includes a few of days before and after you complete your exterior paint job. If it was to rain before you paint, the walls may need a couple of days to fully dry out before painting. Equally, the same applies after you have completed your exterior redecoration. You will need it to be dry and warm because the paint will be curing. Additionally, if there are big temperature fluctuations from day to night the paint will react and will not cure as it should do.

So, what’s the best time of year to carry out an exterior redecoration project? Early summer to early autumn tend to be the best time to carry out exterior redecoration projects but you should remember that heat waves during summer are not ideal as it could cause the paint to dry out to quickly.

SURFACE PREPARATION IS KEY

Preparation is key to a great finish. As qualified decorators, we can assure you that to achieve a high quality finish that will last, every job is divided into more or less 70% of the time being spent on preparation and only 30% being spent on the painting. So what exactly do we mean by preparation? Preparation is the preparing of surfaces to be painted to be clean by removing dirt and mould build up. Removing loose flaky paint and thoroughly rubbing down surfaces leaving stable surfaces that new coatings are able to adhere to. Removing defective layers of paint is crucial for a high quality paint job and repairing cracks and caulking around windows and doors. When all this has been done you’re ready to start applying coats of exterior paint.

Another vital point is to use high quality products from filler to paint, as there are no short cuts. When painting over an existing painted surface, you should use primers or use the same type of paint, whether that be oil or water based.

CONCLUSION

Planning is key to carrying out a high quality job as well the full preparation of all surfaces to be painted. At DFP Building Services our team of decorators are highly skilled, so if you would like a free quote get in touch as we are here to help.