By Shauna Zamarripa, eHow Contributor
Painting the exterior of a home can improve its overall look and add to its value. However, deciding when to paint can be a tricky process, because most homeowners don’t look at the outside of their house every day. There are some simple ways to evaluate when it’s time to paint the outside of a home, based on a few factors about the house itself and the construction materials.
Peeling and Cracking
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Depending on the harshness of the climate where you live, peeling and cracking paint can occur more frequently than in areas that are more tepid. It is the first sign that a home needs to be sand-blasted and repainted quickly. Peeling and cracking paint can allow moisture and other harmful elements to penetrate the wood framing and foundation of your home. It is wise to inspect your home often for these signs.
Materials
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The type of materials used to construct the exterior of your home affects how often it is painted. Wood shingles will need to be treated and repainted more often than such materials as cement fiberboard siding. Homes made out of cedar or wood will need to be repainted every three to seven years, while newer siding materials require paint every 10 to 15 years in most cases.
To check the composition of the materials used in your home, the best resource is a home inspector. A certified home inspector will be able to distinguish cedar wood products from newer, cement fiberboard siding. Chances are, if your home was built in the past five years, it has newer and improved construction materials, however, there is no substitute for a professional’s opinion.
Trim
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The trim of a home around doors and windows will typically require painting every couple of years. These parts of the house tend to show the most wear and tear, so going over small sections of trim or casings can be done fairly quickly and easily for one- and two-story homes. This can also be a quick, easy way to spruce up the look of the property without having to make the time and financial investment required for painting the whole house.
Pressure Washing
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If exterior paint is looking a little dull, it might just require a spray off with a pressure washer. Pressure washers can be a quick and easy way to brighten up such materials as cement fiberboard siding, providing that you don’t spray so close that it becomes dented or damaged in the process.
Pressure washing also can brighten up the look of a home constructed of wood, but much more care must be exercised with the amount of the pressure on the materials. Leaving water sit too long on these materials can cause wood rot and other types of major damage over time.
