House Painting?
Posted on
October 16th, 2009
by Jerry
I am a new home owner. have a 6 yrs old house, pretty new. I am in Seattle, rains a lot . when should i paint the exterior in general? Wait until the paint comes off? How much to do it approximately ( my house is about 2,200 sf)?
I appreciate your information
Thanks
By all means..do not wait untill the paint starts peeling or chipping!! This is begging for work that isn’t cost effecient..nor does it do for a good job!! When paint starts to peel, some spots will be seen and some hasn’t yet started to peel but will be loose under neath..thus you are subject to have new paint in these ‘weak” areas start to peel sometimes within months…..And also..the paint on your house is not peeling ..You DO NOT have to use a primer then…just pressure wash it and get the chalk and dust off of it…Todays latexes do not need 2 days drying time, nor a whole day…. If you have a good sunny day and begin painting you willo be alright..latex paint can have water sprinkled on it within 2 to 3 hours….It will dry to the touch within 1 to 2 hours easily..so no fear there at all….In the seatle area a one story house 2,200 square feet should run about 4,000.00 to paint , the contractor furnishing material if the house is all siding..hip roofs with brick structure will be cheaper, and also the type of windows and exterior doors are another factor, will it be one toned or two toned..two toned being about 400.00 higher…A factor of trees inthe way, do they need trimmed etc also are a factor on price….If you e mail me some pictures of all sides..get close ups so I can see the condition it’s in..include window and door pics..tell me what brand of paint you prefer(do not get cheap lumber yard crap) even if it has a known paint store label…for the paint they furnish to the stores are thier second line paints..not the same as people think…and the color matches are not consistant…and tell me if you want one or two toned..then I will be happy to e mail you back and give a more excact price…The cheapest price is not always the best..I have seen custom home builders turn down estimates on painting because the price is too low..serious..they know to be leary of a price too low for it shows inexperience on the contractor bidding it.and will end up with a cheaply done job instead of a good one…there is an old saying.”If you pay peanuts you get monkeys” e mail me and I will help you out here..attach pictures…
You don’t have to wait to paint your house …til it chips,cracks, or fades. I know people who paint theirs every year and don’t usually have to use primer doing it either. About four years or so you will start seeing where it needs painted. You then would have to scrape and prim any bad areas. You would have to check the coverage of the paint you decide on to find out how much you would need for coverage. PLEASE don’t put vinyl on your house…did you know that it causes liver cancer in humans? You can check it out on the web. It causes cancer when it is heated to melting point…when it is made and if your home burns. Europe threw out the vinyl industry’s that made it…I wish USA would do the same.
My husband and I own a painting company and I am a designer in Florida. I say you should paint whenever you aren’t happy with the color, he says anytime it looks faded or peeling, etc. Not sure about how the weather effects the paint there, but our sun and rain mix does a number on exterior paint. You’ll need to pressure wash before you start anything, then caulk around the windows and any cracks (seals up everything), then primer (ask your local paint store for their recommendation) and then you are ready to paint. You’ll have to wait for a time when the weather is clear enough so that you’ll have at least 2 days after you apply the paint for it to dry completely.
In Florida, we would charge about $2500-3000 to do your home, since its not that old.
Wait until the paint chips, or until areas of it become discolored or fade.
Also, if at all possible, you should think about vinyl siding for a permanent alternative.