Repainting your house is a big job, and you might not be so keen to kill an entire weekend—or two—doing it if you don’t have to. Unfortunately, painting your home is about more than just aesthetics, so it’s not something you should put off while telling yourself you enjoy the “rustic feel.”
Below you’ll find the six most common signs that your house needs a fresh coat of paint to help you decide if it’s time to bite the bullet and break out the rollers.
Your Fascia or Soffits Are Rotting or Peeling
Soffits are an important part of your roof that help regulate your home’s temperature and keep out moisture. If you notice any rotting or peeling on your soffits, it’s a sign that moisture is present, which could mean you have a leak—ditto for the fascia. Any peeling paint around your roof suggests water damage, and you need to address it immediately.
The Color Is Fading
Besides making your house look nice from the street, paint also acts as a seal protecting the underlying materials from weather damage. Fading paint could indicate that your home is susceptible to moisture damage. If you leave your exterior walls unsealed, you’re opening yourself up to big problems in the future. Structural damage from rotting wood is much more difficult and expensive to fix than a new coat of paint.
Even if your home warranty covers structural weather damage—one of the best home warranty options for your house—you don’t want to deal with the hassle.
You Notice Peeling, Cracking, or Bubbling
Any peeling, cracking, or bubbling in your home’s exterior coat of paint is a surefire sign that it’s time to repaint. Even if the color isn’t fading, these signs indicate that the paint is no longer bonded to your house, weakening the protection it provides against the elements. Small patches of bubbling might not seem like a big deal, but these defects have a way of spreading, so don’t wait until the problem gets worse to address it.
You’re Getting Ready to Move
Painting your house is one of the easiest ways to boost its resale value. Paint is relatively cheap but has a tremendous impact on how potential buyers view your house. First impressions are important, and a shiny new coat of paint ensures that your home presents well from the minute a buyer pulls up to the curb.
Weatherproofing Is Cracking
If you notice the caulk around your doors and windows cracking, you need to replace it ASAP and seal it with a new coat of paint. Weatherproofing protects your home’s interior from wind and rain, and paint protects the weatherproofing from wearing down prematurely. Luckily, this is one of the easiest painting jobs and will pay dividends by lowering your heating and cooling bills.
You Notice Moisture Stains
You should treat moisture stains as a glaring signal that your home needs a new paint job yesterday. Moisture stains indicate that your home is already suffering from water damage and that it will only get worse unless you do something about it.
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