How (and why) to deal with peeling paint
House paint functions first as a protective application and second for aesthetic value. For example, I recently looked at a potential exterior project involving some failing wood on my client’s porch. The area was a 2 x 10 board that went along the top of a stucco wall that closed in her front porch like a shelf. The wood was completely dry rot all the way through.
The house had been painted about 10 years ago, but this is not long enough to justify this kind of damage. I began to investigate, and apparently the wood was not primed before it was painted and none of the seams were caulked. Skipping these two steps in normal prep led to a total removal and replacement of all the wood on her front porch. The bottom line is this: I’m sure the previous project looked great – the paint may have been a color she liked and solidly done, but the end result was failure. The first painter didn’t do the most important part of the job, which is to protect the materials he was painting from the sun and the weather.
It’s important to identify when paint is failing around the exterior of your home not simply because “it’s looking bad” but because the protective coating that secures the materials that were used to build your home could be failing. Paint is your first line of defense against the natural erosion from elements such as sun, wind, and rain, and also termites, insects, algae and mold growth – all of which contribute to the structural damage of your home.
The most common place to look for damage would either be the part of the house that receives the most sun, or the south-west facing side of the home. UV rays are by far the most destructive force to paint and wood on your home. First you will notice the paint becoming discolored or “bleached out.” There will be some cracking in the outer surface and then actual peeling at the point where it is exposed to moister and rain. This is where the building materials begin to fail.
Also be wary of termites. In all my poking around in eaves and fascia boards it has seemed like the “sunny side” was constantly where I found termite damage. I ran this theory past a termite inspector buddy of mine and he confirmed my findings. Peeling paint makes it easier for our little wood -chomping friends to get their favorite snack – your house!
The trouble on the north-east facing side of your house may be a little different. Here, the trouble areas on this side are traditionally down low, where you are more likely to have growth of mold and lichen. I have seen lichen on second story walls and on rain gutters, but for the most part It’s usually along a grass line behind plants or under a tree mold. Lichen can grow through paint causing it fail. Remember that mold can be prevented, as we discussed in my last article.
Think of the exterior maintenance of you home like the maintenance of your vehicle: as long as you keep up on the normal maintenance, you usually avoid break downs and expensive part replacements. Your home is the same way, and the longer you let it go the more costly things can be due to extra prep in paint removal and priming exposed areas… or worst case scenario you need a part on your home replaced.
Feel free to give me a call with any questions.
Joel Tolbert
Tolbert Painting (805.544.4100)
tolbertpainting@gmail.com
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