There’s nothing quite like the gleaming sparkle of a freshly-completed exterior home paint job, or the pride and satisfaction that accompany it. The only problem being that with 24/7 exposure to the elements, it often doesn’t hold onto its luster for long. It still looks great, but it doesn’t quite have the special something you’d like to hang onto upon completion of a paint job.
Which begs the question – is there anything you can do to keep your home’s exterior pristine, between paint jobs?
In a word, yes…yes there is!
The thing to remember is that this isn’t something that’s going to take care of itself and the conditions your home is exposed to will make a massive difference to the whole thing. Nevertheless, if you’re willing to be both proactive and indeed active from time to time, your home can and will look simply stunning for the whole year.
1. Quality Paints
For example, the quality of the paint used to coat the surface in the first place will make the biggest difference of all to its longevity. Not to mention, the quality of the tools used to apply it and the painting process itself. Unless you have the best hardware, products and talents when it comes to home painting, you might find the best value for money can be found in a pro paint job. Even if it costs more, you’ll be looking at results that last…and last…and last some more
2. Organize Touch-Ups
If you do decide to go the professional route, remember that it’s always possible to arrange for the team to come back on occasion to carry out minor touch-ups where required. Rather than having them visit you once every five years for a total overhaul, why not have them come out a little more frequently to keep topping things up and polishing things off? It’s definitely an option worth considering and discussing with your chosen painting service.
3. Wash and Wipe
Unfortunate as it may be, your home just isn’t going to keep itself clean without your help. It’d be great if it did, but it won’t. As such, it’s up to you to occasionally get busy with the exterior cleaning, which can be made exponentially easier if you invest in a basic pressure washer. Coupled with a soft brush attached to a long stick and a ladder to stand on, it becomes child’s play to give your home’s exterior an important wipe and rinse-down from time to time. Doing so will not only help protect and lengthen the life of the paint, but it’ll also work wonders for your home’s exterior aesthetics.
4. Inspect and Repair
Last up, whether going about the paint job yourself of having the experts sort it on your behalf, it’s imperative that you hang onto a modest amount of your chosen paint. The reason being that it’s a good idea to carry out the occasional inspection and touch-up where required, which is made rather problematic if the paint you chose is no longer on the market. You could have something mixed up for you, but it’s much easier to simply retain a little paint for when it’s needed. Just be sure to store it properly, otherwise there’s a strong chance it will be useless when the time comes to whip it out of storage.
Paint Storage Tips
Generally speaking, you won’t have to try to ensure you have paint left over at the end of a home paint job – you’ll probably have a fair bit to spare anyway. Which can be a great thing, but as most will probably know, it’s rare to revisit old paint after a number of months and find it anything other than solidified or 100% useless. It’s a shame and it’s a waste, but it’s the norm.
Still, it doesn’t have to be like this at all. The only thing you really need to know about storing paint for any period of time is that keeping it sealed and minimizing air exposure is the key to keeping it in pristine conditions. After all, paint dries in place entirely due to the evaporation of the air it contains, leaving behind nothing but dry paint. Which means that if you don’t allow this evaporation to take place, the paint stays good as new.
Simple, right?
One thing to be very much aware of when it comes to storing paint is that there’s a good chance the can it came in will not be suitable after use. The reason being that if any paint has made its way onto the rim and been allowed to dry, this will compromise the air-tight seal the can once had. Suffice to say, using a can of paint without getting it all over the rime is borderline impossible. Which is precisely why the paint you store in those cans you think are air-tight ends up going to waste over time.
One way around this is to take a plastic bag, lay it on top of the open can and slowly press it down until it touches the surface of the paint. Add another bag on top of this one if required – the idea being that you create an additional ‘lid’ on top of the paint that will prevent evaporation from happening. Alternatively, take a funnel and pour the paint into a plastic water bottle. Once it’s in there, squeeze the bottle until you have removed as much of the air as possible, tightly screw the lid back on and store in an appropriate place. And of course, there’s always the option of an air-tight Tupperware tub, a glass jar or a sandwich box – anything with a strong seal you don’t mind destroying to preserve your paint!