Exterior Painting Guide

Exterior painting is a great way to add curb appeal and boost the value of your home. A high quality job also protects your home by creating a seal. This prevents moisture from entering which threatens the integrity of your home’s structure.

A paint job traditionally lasts from 5 to 10 years before it has to be redone. The better quality paint and the more thorough the work, the longer your paint job will last. In this article we give you the knowledge you need in order to achieve a long lasting beautiful paint job. We also reveal a brand new exterior “paint” technology that is outlasting traditional paint by a long shot.

The preparation process necessary for a high quality paint job

To get the best paint performance of paint, you need to complete detailed prep work. There are several steps that NEED to be completed thoroughly in order to do preparation right. These steps are essential and need to be done well in order for your paint job to be most effective. Effective prep work will give you the best surface to apply paint up. These steps are listed below:
  • Trenching
  • Washing
  • Sanding
  • Wood Replacement
  • Patching
  • Primer (more on primer below)

Paint Types

Primer

Primer serves several purposes. Primer helps paint adhere to the surface. It provides an additional coat of protection. It also gives the surface a solid neutral color that will be painted on. A good quality primer will stick to the surface as well. Some primers are designed to stick on certain surfaces. Be aware that there are oil based and water based primers. Be certain that your primer is right for your surface and the type of paint you will use.

Latex Paint

Latex paint is water based. Latex based paints are generally known to have better coverage than acrylic. Latex dries fast but contains chemicals such as formaldehyde. Latex paint is not breathable so it does not allow moisture to escape which can potentially create wood rot. Latex paint cracks and bubbles easily so warranties will exclude this Latex doesn’t generally last as long as acrylic.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is a chemical based paint. Acrylic paint is also flexible which helps maintain a seal when you have structural movement. One of the downsides of acrylic paint is that it is slower drying than latex. Even though acrylic lasts longer than latex you will still have to paint your home every 5 to 10 years with a decent paint job.

Oil Based Paints

Oil based paints at once were the preferred paint for home exteriors. The best oil based paints had very high VOCs which let off fumes that were bad for the environment. Changes in formulations based on environmental restrictions have reduced the VOCs but reduced the quality of the paint.

Smart Guard Exterior Coating

Smart Guard exterior coating is a new solution on the market that is outperforming “traditional paint” on many levels. It has superior color retention and waterproofing. Exterior coating is several times thicker than paint and is very flexible. It is eco-friendly and helps save energy with cool life technology that was developed by the military. Their product is so good that they back it with an unprecedented limited lifetime warranty. The warranty is also triple transferable. Due to the energy saving aspect of Smart Guard, it is PACE approved for financing.

In our expertise, you can’t do better than Smart Guard exterior coating in overall quality or cost. This is why we are proud to be one of the few contractors authorized to apply Smart Guard exterior coatings. If you are ready to upgrade the exterior of your home, contact us below or call us at (833) 806-2739. We will give you a free quote and show you our current special on Smart Guard exterior coating.