Exterior Spruce Up

In many cases, your home is your most valuable asset and/or investment. In order to protect it, you need to preserve it. The best way you can preserve your home is to undo winter’s damage. The following services (among others) are required to do so: power washing, caulking, painting or staining, and wood maintenance or repair.

Here is a brief overview of each service so you can understand their purpose along with a few tips.

Power Washing:

• Required to clean surfaces like vinyl, wood, metal, concrete, and brick.
• Removes mold, mildew, dirt, stains, and oxidation.
• Should be done no less than once every two years.
• Different detergents and soaps make it easier to clean, so you don’t have to get too close to the wood or damage it or power wash every lap of vinyl siding.
• Be sure to check the detergent or soap’s ingredients and method of operation. There are some detergents that will kill shrubbery within five days.

Caulking:

• Adds to the insulation of your home.
• Preserves exterior wood by preventing moisture from getting into cracks around windows, doors, and trim.
• Most caulks in big box stores are primarily water, so in a few years they will dry out, become brittle, crack, and even pull away from the surface.
• Silicone caulk cannot be painted. It repels paint or stain, so it is not a good product for paintable or stainable surfaces.
• The best caulks to use are made with elastomeric and urethane compounds because they are paintable or stainable, durable, made to stretch, and last longer.
• Some really good caulks are “siliconized”, which gives the flow and hold of silicone, but allows it to be painted or stained.

Painting or Staining:

• Required to protect wood, vinyl, brick, metal, and concrete.
• It is very important to know the correct product to use for each substrate.
• Should I paint or stain? This typically depends on whether it is a horizontal or vertical surface. Paint does not hold up on horizontal surfaces as well as stain does. It can also depend on the desired life of a job. If it is a vertical surface you get more out of paint than any stain.
• Can I stain something after it has been painted? Yes, only after using an oil primer then a solid stain or an oil-based solid stain with proper preparation. However, this is not recommended. Stripping the surface to the bare wood and starting fresh is recommended.
• To prime or not to prime? You do not need to prime if the house is properly maintained and there is no chipping, peeling, or cracking; and mold or mildew has not set in, but sanding with 120 grit sandpaper or finer is required.
• Should I use oil (alkyd) based or waterborne (latex/acrylic) products? It depends on the surface it is being applied to or over because oil-based products penetrate while waterborne products stay on top.
• Always make sure the area to be painted or stained has been properly prepared.

Wood Maintenance or Repair:

• Water-damaged wood and dry rot are caused by improper preparation (priming and caulking), improper painting or staining, or just plain neglect. However, it can also be caused by improper building.
• On decks, conventional building has proven to be detrimental to the life of deck boards, so proper maintenance is essential.
• The tighter the spacing and more cracks in the wood the more attention is required and it should never be overlooked.
• It is cheaper and more efficient to maintain a deck (or any wood) properly than it is to replace it. This is why it is vital to hire a licensed, educated, professional contractor to spruce up the exterior of your home.