What Is the Life Expectancy of Exterior Paint?

It’s necessary to paint the exterior of your home from time to time. You want your home to look the best that it can. Therefore, the paint job is going to be an important thing to focus on. When you paint your home with exterior paint, how long is it going to last? 

You know that exterior paint isn’t going to look good forever. What is the life expectancy of exterior paint? Will the paint job last for several years? How long until you’ll need to paint your house again?

Exterior Paint Can Look Good for Many Years

Exterior paint has the potential to look good for many years. It’s common for houses that have been painted with high-quality exterior paint to last for five to ten years. There’s more to consider that you’ll learn about later, but you should be able to count on your home to stay beautiful for a while after the paint job is completed. Ensure that you do the job properly and your home will look its best. 

It Depends on the Paint Being Used

You need to know that the paint that’s being used will play a role. If you’re using high-quality acrylic paint on your home, it should last five to ten years under normal conditions. When you’re using latex paint or oil-based paint, it won’t last quite as long. You can take a few years off of the life expectancy of exterior paint when you’re using latex or oil-based options. 

Technique Matters

Even the technique that’s being used to paint your home matters. Properly applied paint will last far longer than paint that was applied haphazardly. For instance, a professional painting company is going to get better results than an amateur. If you’ve never painted a home before, it’s unlikely that your paint job would last for as long as the paint job that a professional company would provide. 

Dark Colors Fade Faster

The color of the paint will make a difference. Dark colors fade faster because they absorb more sunlight. So using a darker type of paint will cause the paint to fade more over the years. Light-colored paint will not absorb as much sunlight and should take a longer time to begin fading. 

Environmental Factors

There are environmental factors that need to be taken into account. The environment that you live in will play a role in how quickly the exterior paint deteriorates. For example, living in a humid environment will cause the paint to degrade much faster than normal. If you live near the ocean, the paint job will deteriorate up to five times faster than usual. 

Living in a dry environment might help the paint job to stand the test of time longer. Even weather factors will impact the paint. Mild weather will be easier for the paint to deal with than heavy snowfall or frequent temperature fluctuations. Even heavy wind can cause the paint to chip and lead to other issues. 

The Material

What material you’re painting makes a difference. Paint degrades faster on wood. Aluminum and vinyl siding has the potential to retain paint for longer periods than normal, and they might remain nice for up to twenty years. You might extend the life of the paint on wooden surfaces if the wood has been treated with primer and gaps have been sealed properly.