The weather outside is blowing and snowing, or it’s altogether wet. Your paint job is supposed to look attractive while protecting your home from inclement weather. How can you make sure that your paint job is doing its job?

Choose and Prepare for Your Durable Paint Product

First, give your paint the best start possible by choosing durable paint products. Wash your siding before painting and remove old paint by scraping and sanding with 50 to 80 grit sandpaper. Use a face mask to avoid inhaling your old paint. Patch and fill problem areas, then prime before you paint so that your paint has the very best surface possible. Caulk areas where there are seams to prevent water from entering. Finally, paint your home with an acrylic or oil-based paint. Oil is more wear-resistant, but acrylic is less prone to warping over time and emits fewer chemicals. If you’ve prepared well, your new paint job should last for about 15 years.

Keep Your Siding Clean

When you maintain your siding regularly, your paint job has a better chance of going the distance for you. Cleaning your siding can reduce dirt and mildew that accumulates over the course of a year, and this can improve the longevity of your paint. Use a bucket of water with half a cup of a cleaner such as TSP. Using a long-handled and soft brush, rub the siding from the bottom to the top. Clean it with clear water when you’re finished. Be careful when you’re pressure washing siding. Pressure washing siding can clean your paint, but if you do it incorrectly it can also strip your paint job or move water through the joints in your siding. Consider hiring a professional to do the job.

Watch for Water, Snow, and Ice

After a sunny summer, water, snow, and ice can take their toll on your paint job during the fall and winter months. Cascading water from poorly-installed or maintained gutters encourages mildew to grow and can force water into your siding. If ice and snow build up in your gutters, this can damage their ability to move water along. In very cold climates, falling or leaking water from the gutters can leak along your siding, forming a thin layer of ice over the side of your home. This can be very difficult on your paint job. When you install gutters, consider adding a gutter cover or heating system to reduce the chance that water will be the cause of your siding problems.

Landscape Maintenance Can Help Preserve Your Paint Job

One of the hidden reasons that paint jobs start to chip or peel is damage from your landscaping plants. If your bushes are too close to the house or branches continue to drop on the siding, this can damage both the paint job and the underlying structure. Landscaping plants that grow too close to the house also make your siding difficult to clean and maintain. Keep your plantings away from the immediate vicinity of the house if possible, and you’ll be able to better maintain your paint job.

Do you need to install gutters to protect your paint job during the rainy and snowy season? Harry Helmet can help. Our gutter covers and gutter heating products help you manage the water flow around your home so that your gutters flow freely into your downspouts, helping you keep your siding problem-free. Contact us today to see how our products can help keep your home clean and dry.

Written by Del Thebaud