3 Most Common Problems With Home Exterior Paint
Your home’s exterior appearance is a significant factor that can determine its value. This is one of the reasons renowned real estate investors undertake home exterior improvement projects regularly. Painting your house exterior is one of the unique and effective ways to enhance your property’s curb appeal.
However, various elements usually affect the paint’s integrity, and you need to spot these problems on your paint and solve them as early as possible. This guide discusses the three most common Pittsburgh exterior paint problems.
1. Efflorescence
Efflorescence is a condition where your paint develops whitish salt deposits. When an underlying masonry structure, often made of brick, wood, or cement, has water, the water moves up the structure gradually. During the movement, the water absorbs salts from the masonry structure. Once it gets to the surface, it evaporates and leaves the salt deposits on the surface.
The most common cause of the efflorescence is poor preparation of the masonry surface. Often, the painters did not clean and prepare the wall before painting. Another reason is poorly waterproofed basement walls, which causes groundwater to penetrate the walls and migrate up.
If the wall were painted before the surface was thoroughly dried or cured, you would also have to deal with efflorescence after some time. Moreover, cracks on your wall might allow exterior water, such as water from your gutter and downspouts, to penetrate the walls. Moist air from your house can also lead to the presence of water in the walls.
If you face such a problem, you should employ various strategies to solve it. If you have cracks, for example, get professionals to cover them before you repaint the wall. Also, clean and repair your gutters and downspouts that they can flow to the drainage and not on the walls. You might also need to repair any leaking parts of the roof.
In addition to this, install enough vents in rooms with high moisture levels, such as the laundry room, kitchen, or bathroom, to reduce moist air in the house. Also, seal your basement with a waterproof product.
Lastly, scrub off the efflorescence, wash your walls, and let them dry before you get professionals to apply a fresh coat to avoid Pittsburgh exterior paint problems.
2. Cracking
Cracking or flaking of paint is a severe problem that can significantly affect your home’s exterior appearance. The paint coat will first lift from the surface and then start to split. Cracking is mainly due to poor preparation of the masonry surface, particularly if it wasn’t primed.
Also, the penetration of water or humidity in the paint film might cause cracking. Low-quality paint with poor adhesion is also likely to separate from the painted surface over time. When this happens, hire paint experts to get rid of all the flaked paint, prepare your wall correctly, and repaint it.
3. Mildew
Mildew or mold is the reason why some walls have brown, black, grey, or green spots. Mold can eat up paint, cause discoloration, and lower your paint’s integrity within a short period.
This fungus thrives in locations that have moisture and lack enough sunlight. The problem can occur if your walls were painted on top of existing mildew. The use of low-quality paint with low levels of mildewcide could also lead to mildew.
If you have wood walls and you encounter the mildew problem, the painters likely didn’t prime the wall before painting.
How do you fix Pittsburgh exterior paint problems? Apply a mixture of bleach and water to the affected spots and allow it to sit for several minutes to dry before you rinse it. After this, wash the area with a household detergent and rinse it thoroughly. If your paint is discolored or the problem persists, get professionals to do a fresh paint coat.
You may encounter other Pittsburgh exterior paint problems, but these are the most common ones. Our company offers high-quality house painting services in Pittsburgh. If you want to work with an experienced house painter, contact us today.