Florida fun fact: Did you know that the salt air of the coast can affect surfaces as far as 100 miles inland?
What does that have to do with exterior home painting? Quite a bit! Your home, and its exterior paint, is vulnerable to age, weather and Florida's climate. Due to Boynton Beach's location on the coast, the salty sea air can also damage your home's exterior paint—among other things!
This vulnerability means that you'll need to repaint your home's exterior every so often. How often? A quality paint job, under temperate conditions, can last up to 10 years. On the coast, with salt air, Florida's heat and the sun's UV rays, your paint may last three to seven years instead, depending on whether your home is wood, brick, or stucco.
As a homeowner, you take great pride in your home. You may also take great pride in tackling home projects yourself. If so, that's great! But maybe you thought about taking on house painting yourself and decided, "Nope, that's not for me!" That's what we're here for. Cole's Painting and Pressure Cleaning can take on the task so you can focus on other things, whether that's another home project, your golf game, or time with the family.
What's involved in a home exterior painting project?
Painting the exterior of a house involves more than choosing a color and brushing the paint on. Our process looks like this:
- You'll call us and we'll come give you a free estimate.
- You'll choose your paint colors (We only use the best, Sherwin Williams SuperPaint).
- We'll clean your home's exterior. This process removes all dirt, mildew, mold, and other debris to provide a clean, consistent paint surface.
- We'll remove any loose paint, sand and scuff any areas that require it, and fill in any gaps or cracks with caulk. Again, this helps to provide a clean, consistent surface to apply the paint.
- We'll prepare the home for painting by covering and taping windows, doors, and other surfaces that aren't being painted.
- We'll apply a protective primer where necessary (such as wood homes).
- We'll paint the home and apply the paint consistently and carefully.
- We'll clean up our materials and equipment, remove the coverings and tape on the windows and doors, and have you take a look and approve of a job well done.
It may sound like a lot of steps, but the work usually only takes about two to four days, depending on the size of your home. Once we look at your home, we'll be able to tell you more clearly how long the job will take.
What If You Find Something That Needs to Be Repaired?
When we go over your home to clean and prepare it for painting, it's not unusual to discover a necessary repair that should be done before painting. For example, we may find wood rot on a wood home.
We'll let you know immediately if we discover a repair that needs to be made before we can paint your home. We can also refer you to some excellent companies who can handle the repair for you. Once the repair is made, we'll get you back on our schedule so your home can be refreshed and renewed quickly.
How Can I Extend the Life of My House's New Paint?
If you hire Cole's Painting and Pressure Cleaning to paint your house, we take a lot of the work of extending your new paint job out of your hands. A proper paint job, complete with thorough prep, good primer, and high-quality paint is an excellent first step toward long-lasting paint. We also ensure the weather conditions are just right when we paint—if your job is scheduled and the weather turns negative, we'll reschedule you for a better time.
Once we're done, you can ensure the longevity of your paint by performing regular maintenance. This is as easy as cleaning your home's exterior once a year. A simple, low-pressure pressure wash or a hose and a soft scrub brush will usually be enough to eliminate dirt, mold, mildew, and other debris that collects if you keep up with the maintenance.
Don't have the time or interest in cleaning it yourself? Remember, we do pressure washing too! Just give us a call at (561) 517-5220 and we'll happily schedule you for an annual cleaning to ensure our paint job stands up to the elements.
Are There Some Color Choices That Are Better Than Others?
When you're painting the interior of your home, where the temperature and exposure to sunlight are controlled, any color is fair game. Outside, while you're always welcome to choose whatever color you like, some colors may hold up better than others. Generally, bright reds, yellows, blues, and grays tend to fade beneath the sun's UV rays more quickly. Of course, this does not happen overnight and you'll still get a few years of good-looking paint out of them. But the chances are you may have to repaint sooner with these colors. Browns, beiges, and tans tend to be more durable against the elements. They do not fade as quickly, and it may not be as noticeable when they begin to fade.
One more thing to consider when choosing paint colors: darker colors may absorb more heat than lighter colors. While this can be great in the winter months, keeping your house warmer when it's cooler outside, it may be frustrating during the summer months, when your house is warmer, or you have to run the air conditioner more to keep it cooler. Of course, some people do not even notice a temperature difference, and others do not care, so this may not be an issue for you.
Do you have other questions about painting your home's exterior? Ready for a quote? Call us at (561) 517-5220 or fill out our contact form today!