Have you heard all those radio ads about claiming you’ll never have to paint your home again?
Well if you believe those I have a bridge for sale that might interest you. The only product I’ve come across so far that really works as a permanent solution for the exterior of your home is vinyl siding. Vinyl has its place in the market. But let’s face it, plastic on the outside of your home isn’t for everyone.
Wood Siding
Having a wood home means you have to be realistic and budget accordingly so you can paint your home every 5 to 8 years. That’s part of the deal with owning a wood home in New England.
In the last two or three years the airwaves have become saturated with clever ads for space age coatings that will stick to your home forever.
Here’s the problem – most newer premium paints will too, but it’s not the paint or coating that is the problem, it is your home. I’ve probably looked closely at the exterior of more than 10,000 homes in the last twenty years. Some hold paint, some don’t. I’ve seen homes go up to ten years between paint or stain jobs because they are built well and do not have any major construction issues.
Houses that peel almost always have an underlying defect that causes the problem. While most people are likely to blame the last painter or the paint itself, it is usually not the case.
As you consider your options for your next paint job or “space age permanent coatings application” make sure you understand what might be causing the existing peeling on your home and do your research on the company you are going to hire to solve the problem. There are three main causes of peeling on siding (clap boards and shingles).
There are actually more, but 90% of these problems are caused by these reasons, so we’ll focus on them for now.
- Build up and failure of old paint.
- If your house was built before 1975 it probably has many old layers of paint.
- Older oil paints until the 1970s become thick and brittle over time.
- Temperature and humidity changes cause old brittle layers crack and peel.
- Putting more paint on top of this old paint will not help; you’ll still end up with a peeling mess.
What Hasn’t Worked
Many homes built or resided between 1980 and 2000 were covered with bare smooth cedar clap boards. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but these boards caused major headaches.
As the boards were manufactured the natural oils in the wood were drawn to the surface and created a thin coating that would prevent paints and stains from penetrating. After installation they may have sat unprotected from the weather for a time before primer or stain was applied. This combination causes the film or “glaze” to become even slicker.
Then, when coatings were applied they would only adhere to the glaze, not the wood itself.
There’s a lot you can do to protect your exterior. However, I always recommend starting with qualified information.
