If you’ve made the effort to paint your home’s exterior, it simply makes sense to preserve the result. The same also applies if you’ve paid good money to have the experts take care of things on your behalf. Either way, the last thing you want is for the whole thing to begin looking lackluster again in a matter of months.

For the most part, the longevity of your home’s exterior sparkle will be determined by the quality of the paints used and how they were applied. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty you can do to ensure your exterior masterpiece continues looking as good as it can indefinitely.

So whether you’ve gone the DIY route or chosen the expert option, here’s a quick rundown of a few effective tips for protecting your home’s exterior paint:

Washing

First up, washing your home’s exterior is essential, but needs to be approached with caution. The reason being that while keeping it clean is mandatory, the last thing you want is to damage or degrade the paint in the process. In order to prevent this from happening, you need to ensure you have the right tools for the job and don’t just make things up as you go along.

Power washing tools can be used, just as long as you ensure there’s a setting gentle enough to prevent damage. Harsh cleaning products and aggressive scrubbing techniques are to be avoided at all costs, which are almost guaranteed to wreak havoc with the finish. The best approach is to clean your home’s exterior gently and often, rather than waiting for things to hit a crisis point before turning your attention to them.

Sprinklers

If you have sprinklers set up outdoors, they can be the ultimate enemy to your home’s exterior paint. Depending on the size and nature of your yard, it may be impossible to prevent a torrent of moisture making its way onto your paint work. A little moisture here and there isn’t the end of the world, but too much moisture courtesy of your overzealous sprinklers could prove problematic.

So if you see your home getting a continuous dowsing from your sprinkler system, you may need to rethink your irrigation strategy.

Kids

Some kids seem to be on a day-to-day mission to make your home look more like a war zone. Inside and out, what they call entertainment you call an unmitigated mess. From writing on the walls to setting up makeshift goal posts and so on, there’s probably a lot they’re getting up to that doesn’t bode well for the quality of your paint job.

Of course, it’s not like you can keep an eye on your kids on a 24/7 basis. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to establish certain ground rules and ensure they know what they shouldn’t be doing and where they shouldn’t be doing it. Even the most innocent additions to your exterior walls – such as chalk and water – can take their toll over time.

Plants and Trees

The vast majority of plants, trees, shrubs and so on stand to do a number on your exterior paintwork, should they come into contact with it. It’s a good idea to be proactive when considering where you plant larger specimens around your garden, trimming trees and larger bushes/shrubs to prevent them from rubbing against your home’s exterior.

If you’d like to enhance your home’s exterior with ivy or a similar creeper, it’s worth noting that you’ll probably need to repaint the whole thing if you decide to remove it. In addition, plants like these attract birds in extraordinary numbers, which could result in additional ‘mess’ being dropped all over the place.

Minor Maintenance

Last but not least, it is often the smallest and most insignificant imperfections that gradually grow into the biggest headaches. When paint begins to crack and appeal, it has a nasty habit of quickly spreading and making a mess of the entire finish. This is why it a good idea to keep a close eye on your home’s exterior, tending to any minor maintenance requirements as and when you notice them.

Give your home an occasional inspection and take note of anything that looks out of the ordinary. If you address it as quickly as possible, there’s a lower chance of it becoming a much bigger problem. If it’s an issue you can’t handle yourself, ask the experts to head over and take a look on your behalf.

For more information on any aspect of exterior painting or to arrange an obligation-free consultation, contact the team at Homm CPS today.