Grove Street

The coat of paint on the exterior of your home is very important. A fresh coat of paint will raise the curb appeal and the value of your home, as well as protect your house from damaging elements. The three main causes of wood failure on the exterior of your home are water, sunlight, and mold damage.

Yearly Inspection

The most important thing you can do to protect the outside of your home is to conduct a yearly inspection of the perimeter of your building. As with illnesses involved with your body, early detection is the key to prevent major dilemmas in the future.

So what exactly should you be looking for during your inspection of the exterior of your home? You want to look for any imperfections, blemishes, or other flaws that may show on the top layer of paint. Check all the painted surfaces on the outside of your house such as cracking, chipping or blistering.

Common areas where these problems occur first are places where there are high levels of direct sunlight, water collection, or other highly exposed areas of your home. Some of these areas include corners, window sills, door sills, edges, rooflines, etc.

Common Symptoms of Aging or Failing Paint

Fading Paint

Probably the most common problem occurring with aging paint is fading. Constant direct sunlight changes the chemical composition of the paint, leading to a lack of sufficient protection of your home. Highly faded paint can lead to other problems such as cracking or warping of wood. Applying a fresh coat of paint is the only way to fix this problem. Fading or poor color retention can also be a result of chalking of the coating.

Blistering Paint

Blistering paint is one of the many symptoms caused by water penetration or extremely high humidity levels. Blistering paint appears as just that: small to medium bubbles or blisters under the paint film, usually occurring on wood materials.

Blistering paint may also be caused by the paint being applied to a hot surface. If a coat of paint is applied to a surface when it is too warm, such as heated by direct sunlight, the vapors from the paint may become trapped under the paint film as the paint dries too quickly for it to escape. Similarly, if paint is applied to damp or wet wood, the moisture may become trapped in the same manner. Dew, rain, high humidity, and low quality paint or insufficient preparatory work will also contribute to paint blistering.

Peeling Paint

Another common symptom of a failed paint coat is when the paint peels off from the surface. The paint may commonly appear to curl and flake from the work surface for a number of reasons. Most commonly, the peeling occurs because of poor paint adhesion, due to improper prep work or lack of primer.

Before any new paint is applied to the exterior of your home, the surface must have the necessary “roughness” for the paint to grip to. Sanding and/or applying a layer of primer is sufficient to provide this “roughness.”

Efflorescence

This condition most commonly occurs on painted masonry surfaces, such as brick or concrete. Efflorescence appears as crusty white salt deposits emerging through the paint film. This situation transpires when salts in the brick or concrete become dissolved with water, and then attach to the surface as the water evaporates.

Some common causes of paint efflorescence include moisture emanating from indoors, inadequately waterproofed below-ground walls, and poor surface preparation. If basement walls are not adequately waterproofed, ground water may penetrate the paint and induce efflorescence. Cracks in walls and other water damage are also common causes. If the concrete or mortar was not entirely cured and dried out when the paint was applied, or if prior efflorescence was not entirely removed before the last paint job, the condition may materialize.

Mildew/Mold

Another common symptom of failed paint is the appearance of mildew and mold. Mildew is easily recognized as dark green, brown, or black splotches on the paint surface, and is usually found in damp, shaded areas. Mildew is actually a living fungus which feeds and grows on paint film.

Mold spores can float through the air and form new colonies where they land. Mold and mildew have been found to cause several health problems, such as chronic fatigue, sinus problems, respiration problems, sleep difficulty, and an impaired immune system.

Mildew and mold is most commonly caused by heavy moisture, poor ventilation, and lack of sunlight. A combination of these conditions will provide an ideal habitat for mold and mildew to thrive and grow. Some of the most common areas on the exterior of your home where mildew may grow include the underside of soffits, eaves, and similar shaded areas.

Chalking

Paint chalking occurs as a formation of fine powder on the surface of the paint film. Chalking paint will rub off of the surface and get on to skin, clothing, etc. Chalking paint can also have a fading effect on the paint coat. Chalking is actually a natural cleanses process of paint, however, excessive film erosion can result in heavy chalking.

This problem is typically caused by the use of a poor quality paint, or the use of an interior paint on the exterior of the building. Before applying a new coat of paint, be sure to fully remove any excess chalk from the surface. Primer may also be needed.