FAQ’s about Exterior Painting

Your in a house with with siding that needs to be painted. You may have also bought a house that is good shape but just needs updating with a new paint color. Maybe like me you bought house that needs to be painted and it has a aweful color! Regarless of why you here, one thing is true- you have questions and concerns, so lets dive into the most Frequently asked Questions-FAQ’s about Exterior Painting.

Exterior House painting is one of those parts of the house that cannot be ignored. If your house is like mine, it was ignored for many years leaving rotten boards on our deck, weathered wood trim boards that are now weathered and falling apart, and areas where there is more paint peeling than there is on the house! The good news is- like interior painting, Painting the exterior of you home is the most economical way to improve the look and value of your home!

So these are the most Common question we have been asked over the past year. (yes we update every year, to add new questions and concerns)

Can you Help me Pick out New Paint Colors for our House?

Yes we can!

We actually have several color specialists, designers, that come to your house, free of charge to you, and help you select colors.

If you have ideas, have them ready, and they will see how your thoughts, ideas, dream look can happen or why it may not work with your house.

Can I Paint Siding or Trim Black?

What you can paint black is the better question.

This is by far the most asked areas of FAQ’s about Exterior Painting. If you have vinyl shutters, siding or trim, then you are limited by the colors you can paint. Sherwin Williams does a great job with a color fan brochure that can be used to select vinyl safe colors. You can read more here..

If you have wood, hardyboard or aluminum siding- then pick whatever color you want!

Does power washing harm my house?

If you are painting your house, then you will have to power wash or clean the exterior of your home one way or another. We have 3 ways to power wash a house that you can learn about here..

You want to make sure your cleaning the surface, not damaging the surface with too much pressure. It called cleaning, not soaking…

Should I use Stain or Paint for my house?

The type of siding you have on your house will determined the product your going to use to paint your exterior.

• Wood siding usually means some type of stain
• House trim is typically painted
• Vinyl siding is vinyl safe paint
• Aluminum siding is paint made for exteior surfaces such as aluminum
• Best paint or stains- learn more here…

Do I need to worry about Lead on my house?

So 1st we are a Lead Certified Company. Man there is alot to learn here. The quick way to know if you have lead- is knowing when your house was built. If it was built before 1972 odds are there will be lead paint in your home.

You (or we) can go to almost any home improvement or paint store and get a lead test kit, it is quick and easy to use.

How long does it take to paint the outside of my house?

It is hard to answer this without seeing your home, but most houses take 3-4 days to paint.

Things that affect how long it takes are;

• if we have to scrape the loose paint
• how much caulking we have to do
• if we are only painting siding vs painting siding and trim and gutters
• do we need to do wood reapirs
• how tall? large ladders and tall areas take more time due to safety reasons
• temps- lower tempurature out side affect dry times which affect time to complete

Will my trees or shrubs be in the way of painting my house?

In most cases the answer is in some way- yes. We need 2-3 feet of space to move around people and ladders to access the sides of your home. That usually means that trees and bushes are in the way. If you have trees, schrubs or bushes touching the sides of your home- it is time to trim them back anyway.

How much will it cost to paint the exterior of my home?

You cannot talk FAQ’s about Exterior Painting with out talking about the cost. The cost of Exterior house painting is based on the size, height, prep work materials needed to get the job done. I will work to get e exterior painting price article and video done at some pint to further help with this.

We have not painted an exterior for less that $3,000.00 but have worked on exteriors tht are over $20,000.00. Some factors that affect the cost to paint your house are:

• time needed for scraping old paint
• how much caulking do we need to do
• do the gutters or downspouts need to ne removed and re installed
• are we painting 40 feet high
• is there lead
• are we painting windows
• how many coats of paint do we need (color change may take primer plus 2 coats of paint/stain)
  
• You can look at our exterior you tube channel and see examples of approximate costs here

What kind of warranty does it come with?

We do give a free warranty and touch-ups for the life of the paint. Every paint or stain is different some are 3 years some 5 some 10. What ever the paint warranty is or lifespan it is, we do annual visits, take a look and touch up where needed.

Do you brush and roll or spray the exterior?

We we do both. It depends on the weather- windy days we cannot spray. Some surfaces cannot be sprayed do to the area too close to or too many obstructions. Surfaces that are very worn or dry need a brush and roller to get the paint into those surfaces.

Other FAQ’s about Exterior Painting

there are some other common questions such as:

• Can you help wth colors- we dont help pick- but we know people that can
• Is it too cold to paint outside? We need ambianet temp of 45 degrees
• How fast will exterior paint dry? depending on the paint- 1-3 hours
• What if it rains? We have faster drying paint- 1 hour it is rain safe
• What konds of paint do you use? Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore

How can we help you with your Exterior Painting?

We hope this helps a bit. Dfranco Painting and Wallpaper is located here in Huntley, IL serving the Elgin, Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Dundee, South Elgin, St. Charles and Bartlett areas, as well as the great Fox valley area.

Exterior painting is a maintenance program. Painting outside in the midwest will last about 5-10 years, sometimes longer if it is done right.

If you need an estimate or have other questions about exterior painting, let us know how w can help!