Exterior painting is an efficient and inexpensive way to refresh the curb appeal and beauty of your home. In fact, painting has been known as the most transformative and cost-effective form of home renovation and restoration. When well maintained, a home exterior paint job can last up to five years before requiring a repaint.

But, ultimately, your exterior paint will break down over the years and start showing signs of color fading. However, there’re a few things you can do to make sure that your exterior paint job lasts longer. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today, shall we?

1. Choose Fade-resistant Paint

It all starts with the type of paint you choose. While it might sound obvious, chances are you’ve never thought about it –using fade-resistant paint can actually minimize the fading on your home’s exterior. The best fade-resistant paints contain high-quality pigments and a sufficient amount of binders. This firmly binds the paint pigments to the other ingredients to form a long-lasting paint film.

Additionally, the binders ensure that there is good adhesion of the paint to the wall surface. So if your exterior is constantly exposed to the sunlight and prone to fading, request your painting contractor to specifically use fade-resistant paints.

2. Choose your Colors Wisely

Sunlight has never been kind to painted walls, and this is often the number one cause of exterior paint fading. Extended exposure to sunlight often causes something known as ‘photodegradation’ – this is where bonds in the paint chemicals break down as a result of ultraviolet rays.

That being said, not all paint colors react in a similar manner. Generally, darker paint colors absorb and retain more heat than light colors. This means lighter colors last longer and fades less than dark colors. So if paint fading is a major problem, you can play around with light colors on areas that are more exposed to the sun and dark colors where the sun doesn’t shine. Alternatively, you can choose lighter, but still trendy exterior colors such as Wheat for your entire exterior to minimize overall fading.

3. Always use High-quality Paints.

All things constant, high-quality paint holds its color even when exposed to harsh elements. It has better adherence to the surface and also resists chalking better than the low-quality options. Generally, high-quality paint has more color pigments and binders that help retain the color while keeping everything together.

Other than fading, you will also notice that high-quality paint dries faster and doesn’t crack, peel or bubble just a few years or even months after painting. With good quality paint, once you’re done with painting, you can forget about your exterior for a while as you focus on other areas of home improvement.

4. Which Surface are You Painting on?

When choosing your paint, you need to consider the type of material you’re painting on. Some paints are only suitable for certain materials. Different exterior paints are also suitable for different parts of the house based on their qualities.

Choosing the wrong paint for your surface will lead to accelerated fading. For instance, you should not use alkali-sensitive paints on highly alkaline surfaces such as masonry. Latex and acrylic paints dry fast, are highly durable and work well on exterior surfaces. But you should probably consult your painter for specific brands.

Bottom Line
Putting all the above considerations in mind should help you minimize exterior paint fading. In addition, always make sure that the surface is well prepared before painting to minimize fading, chalking and other forms of paint failure.

We also highly recommend that you hire a professional painting company like Eason Painting for high quality, reliable and durable results. We currently offer exterior and interior painting in the areas of Macomb Township, Washington Township, Ray Township, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Armada, Troy, Chesterfield, Clinton and Township, Michigan. Contact us today for a free quote and more information.