Paint failure is the most common exterior home maintenance issue and can lead to bigger problems such as dry rot or mold. Paint failure will happen to every home. Our climate is constantly wearing on home exteriors.
What causes premature paint failure?
- Poor preparation of the surfaces being painted. Proper washing cleaning, sanding, caulking, and priming can help.
- Improper caulking and sealants. Using the wrong sealant can compromise your home’s protection from harsh winter weather. Proper caulking can prolong your home’s health. Checking and replacing poorly adhered or cracked caulking is always part of proper house painting preparation.
- Incorrect paint application. Mistakes can include applying the incorrect thickness of paint, painting while the siding is wet or painting during poor weather including temperatures too high or too low.
- Skipping maintenance. Exterior paint jobs should last 7 to 10 years but it is smart to check paint status every three years to insure integrity.
Time to Paint?
Tips
Beware of substantially lower bids. There are costs of doing business that protect clients and ensure them that they will receive good workmanship from a reputable contractor. When a bid is too low, those protections probably are not present. Those business costs include:
- A license from the Construction Contractors Board. It is a legal requirement that providers have a CCB license. There are huge fines for people who work without a license. That license not only requires the other necessities listed below, but it also generally identifies someone with a good reputation. Take the added step of calling the CCB office in Salem and ask about the status of the contractor.
- A bond
- Liability insurance
- Workmen’s compensation for employees.
Valid proof of each of these should be provided on first contact with a painting contractor. A call to the Better Business Bureau is also a good step to protect your interests. Advisers suggest not to accept these documentations as the only proof that someone will do a good job. Ask the contractor’s customers who have had their house painted within the past couple of years. Any contactor with a reputation he or she is not ashamed of will provide names and phone numbers of previous clients. Ask those clients about the contractor’s work.
- Was the work done on time?
- Was the work up to the client’s standards?
- Were there problems of any kind?
- Would the client rehire the same contractor for the next painting job?
For each painting job, a written proposal-including a timeline-should be obtained from each of two or three bidders. For larger jobs, a written contact is desirable. Occasionally, a signed written proposal is used as a contract.Advisers say that the best success comes from using some of the best paints. Best results often come from companies who have not changed the formula for the paints they offer in 10 to 20 years. Also use paint distributors who stand behind their products.