Keeping your home in excellent condition is one of the best ways to ensure that it remains valuable and worth as much as possible when it comes time to sell it. One great way to help maintain the value of your home is by regularly maintaining its exterior. This means keeping the lawn mowed, bushes trimmed, and the siding painted so it doesn’t rot or become an eyesore for visitors and neighbors. Cedar siding needs to be repainted every 5-7 years, but if you take special precautions, you can get up to 10 years out of it. It is a very durable wood, and siding generally is a good choice for a house that doesn’t see much wear and tear. However, if you live in an area with a lot of rain, the wood will need some help keeping it in good shape. For exterior painting services in Fernandina Beach FL, Halls Quality Painting is the perfect choice. Here we will discuss some precautions to get the most out of your exterior painting.
1. Paint and Primer Selection
Test the color on a scrap piece before you use it on your siding. You can do this by grabbing a small one-inch square piece and painting it with the color. This will give you a good idea of the finish and how it will look in your home. Many colors can be used for cedar siding paint. Prime it with a stain-blocking primer to help keep the color from fading. When looking for a stain-blocking primer, look for one that contains a UV inhibitor. This will help protect the wood from the sun and keep it from fading. Some companies sell cedar siding paints with a unique formula that builds up in the wood and gives it a natural look. These paints can last up to 10 years, so you will want to ensure you choose a good quality. For your topcoat, use 100% acrylic-latex paint. Use an acrylic latex primer to help the topcoat stick better to the siding. When painting your siding, you want to make sure to use a brush that is specifically made for painting cedar. There are many brands of brushes. A good brush should go through the material smoothly to get a smooth finish. A professional painter will be able to choose the right kind of acrylic-latex paint to use on your siding.
2. Proper Application
If your siding is new, paint it within two weeks of installing it. Cedar siding tends to dry out quickly in the summer heat and can crack easily if not covered up. If you want to save some extra work, consider exterior painting simultaneously as you do other maintenance and repairs. This will save you time and keep your siding in good shape. Most people use rollers with plastic bristles so they can get into all of those hard-to-reach areas around the house. When applying paint with a roller, make sure you first apply two thin coats on each side of the siding. This will help protect the wood from any damage while allowing air circulation underneath and around it so that moisture doesn’t build up under there and cause problems later on down the road. It also helps prevent chipping or peeling when using pressure washers or other harsh chemicals on your siding. Expert painters will know exactly how much paint to apply to the siding and will not be afraid to add another coat if they think it is necessary. Search painters near me to get the best results.
3. Climate Concerns
Cedar siding will start to turn gray when exposed to high heat of Florida, so you will want to keep it covered during warmer months. If you leave your siding uncovered, make sure you have some extra paint at hand just in case. It is best to wait a couple of weeks after the weather cools off before repainting your siding if you have not done so already. A thorough primer coat and 100% acrylic-latex paint will give your cedar siding a fresh look and keep it looking great for years to come.
A paint job on your cedar siding will make it look much more attractive than it did before. If you are looking to have a fresh look, Halls Quality Painting is the place for you. Visit us today to let us know what we can do for you. To get your Fernandina Beach FL home looking spic and span, call us today. We are fully licensed and insured to provide exterior home painting services. Our friendly team of professional tradesmen will get the job done on time and on budget.