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How To Protect Your Home

Most people think that painting the outside of your house is all about beautifying your home. Sure, you want your house to have curb appeal, and perhaps you want to make your neighbor a little jealous too…let’s be honest. But what most people don’t know, is that the real reason you want to repaint your house every five to ten years, is so that the exterior of your home is protected from the elements.

Exterior paint contains different properties than interior paint, making it more durable in order to resist mildew from moisture and fading caused by the sun. At Nice Guy Painting, we only use high quality Sherwin Williams exterior paint in order to protect the outside of your house.

Common Problems

Peeling

In Texas, a lot of new homes use “low bid/contractor grade paint”. That’s just fancy talk for saying builders will often use the cheapest and least amount of paint possible, in order to maximize their profits. Once this paint begins to peel, the wood on your new house will be exposed to the elements. Every time it rains, water will settle on to the unprotected wood, and over time can cause it to grey and rot. If your siding rots, you will eventually need to replace it, and that can be very expensive. Your best defense to protect your home’s siding from wood rot, is having professional painters apply two coats of high-quality Sherwin Williams paint.

Cracking

Another common problem for homes in Texas is cracking. Builders will often use the cheapest and lowest quality caulking available when painting your house. If you’ve lived in Texas long enough, you know it can be super-hot one day and cool the next. You can often see our painters around Kyle or San Marcos waring a Nice Guy t-shirt one day, and then a sweater the very next day. The weather here can be crazy! When the weather changes it can cause your house to expand and contract. The more this happens, the caulking that was previously applied begins to crack, and that’s when water can get into these cracks and sneak in behind boards. When this happens, boards will begin to warp and rot from the inside out. At Nice Guy Painting, we are able to protect your home better, because we only use high quality Sherwin Williams siliconized acrylic caulking. Silicone is more flexible than regular contractor grade caulking, and therefore will breathe with the house and last longer.

Fading

Fading or chalking is another very common problem in Texas. Sunny days blast your home with UV rays breaking down the resin in the paint. Resin is the primary component in paint that protects the home. Pigment gives it the color. When the house starts to fade, this is an indication that the resin has broken down in the paint and there is minimal protection on your home. Without protection on the house, moisture will get into those boards (usually siding boards) and lead to warped siding boards which can be very expensive to replace. We recommend a power wash to any dust and residue from the chalking. For sides that experience the most sunlight, we also recommend a second coat or a coat of primer for extra protection. This will provide a higher level of resin and protection for that side of the home, ensuring that it will not fade as quickly, so you can avoid costly replacements in the future and maintain a longer lasting paint job.

Nail Holes

Moisture can sit in nail holes around the house and do damage to your siding. You’ll see areas where there are nail holes beginning to swell due to moisture getting into those areas. If you only paint over these, there will still be a small pocket for water to sit. We recommend caulking these nails holes to leave an even surface for moisture to flow or rather than sitting there breaking down the paint.

It's All In The Prep

1. We select the best time to paint. Ever see a painter applying paint in the rain or while it’s freezing outside? What an amateur! At Nice Guy Paining, we don’t waste your time and money, by attempting to paint the exterior of your home during inclement weather. We understand that paint won’t adhere properly if it’s wet or below 50 degrees, so we make sure to choose the best times to work on your home.
2. We pressure wash (soft wash – no chemical) the exterior of your home. Having a clean surface will allow the paint to better adhere.
3. Your professional painter will cover windows, light fixtures, and use drop cloths around the exterior of your home to ensure that no paint goes on any unintended area.
4. We then caulk small cracks and fill in small nail holes. We also caulk around doors and windows.
5. Where necessary, your painter will scrape any peeling paint, sand the area, and prime any bare wood.
6. It’s time to paint!

Preparation is Key

For most people, their home is their most valuable investment. I know mine is! One of the absolute best ways to protect your investment, is by using the best exterior paint and the best home painters in the Kyle, Texas area. At Nice Guy Painting, our mission is to take care of homes in our community, because together, we are ONE BIG FAMILY. Let our family take care of yours, and give us a call at 512-888-9616, to schedule an always free estimate.