As a painting contractor in Portland we often get asked if we can do touch up painting instead of full painting. Usually this is because the customer is concerned about keeping the cost down or they are selling a home. The answer usually depends on many factors. How old is the paint that will be touched up? What type, color, sheen and quality of paint was used? Low quality paints tend to fade quickly. If it is exterior painting we need to find out how much weather exposure the home has and what type of surface it is.
In many cases trying to save money by touch up painting can make a home look worse. At Absolute Painting & Power Washing we strive to give the very best overall value to our customers. If we feel that we are not able to do touch up painting we are very honest as we do not want them to waste money.
If the exterior has sun exposure the paint can start to fade or get dirty within one year. Even if you have the exact paint that was used it may not match perfectly when touched up. Some homeowners will go and buy a paint to match what was used previously thinking it will look exactly the same. In many cases the paint store may not be able to reproduce an exact match due to product and toner changes over time. Even if you go to the exact same company to mix the paint each store may tint the paint slightly different.
In Portland, Oregon we have a tough climate for exterior paint as we get the long rainy season followed by some very hot sun exposure. Lighter colors tend to look good much longer than darker colors as the pigments do not fade as quickly. Dark reds, greens and blues tend to lose color very quickly and are impossible to touch up with any success.
People will ask us to match a paint that has faded sometimes and it is just not possible. The home will look different on every side depending on weather exposure. Hot sun seems to cause the paint to fade the fastest. In some cases we can paint only the sides of the home that gets the most sun exposure.
Being a painting contractor in the Portland area for almost 20 years we have learned how to give people the best value. When we tell you that you should do a full paint instead of doing a touch up it is because we do not want you to be disappointed with the results and not because we are trying to sell you more than you wanted. We are willing to work with your budget and give ideas to keep the cost down anytime we can. Absolute Painting & Power Washing is always available to help out on your projects and happy to give free advice.
