Painting Maintenance - Protecting Your Investment by Arthur Raybold

Painting maintenance is essential to preserving and protecting the homeowner's investment. Let me specify the five ravaging symptoms that you must respond to immediately:

Dry rot. It is a decay of seasoned timber caused by fungi that consume the cellulose of wood , often leaving a soft skeleton which can be readily reduced to powder. This requires surgery, replacement and coatings that will prevent this happening in the first place.

Cracks in the stucco. These may only be hairline cracks at first, but they usually expand and allow water penetration. Unless there is an impermeable vapor barrier as part of the original stucco construction, this water will cause serious damage all the way through to the interior of the building. These cracks need to be sealed and a cosmetic coat of acrylic paint applied to the area. If cracks are already severe, you may wish to use an elastomeric treatment to maintain the integrity of the stucco.

Water penetration. Always a bad sign. Water entering from the top of the stucco wall near the roof or where wood and stucco meet at windows or doors needs immediate attention. Often wood has begun to rot(wet rot) and needs to be replaced, followed by professional caulking and paint.

Rusting iron. Iron railings, gates and especially fencing where constantly wet vegetation causes dramatic deterioration needs to be properly scraped, sanded and treated every year, but no less frequently than two. We simply do not want to believe that there isn't a better solution for iron. There isn't. Like cancer, it must be treated early and professionally.

Chalking. When you can take your hand and wipe it on the stucco and get a chalky residue on your palm, you need to consider painting soon. Either the previous contractor did not prepare the surface correctly before applying paint or an inferior or incorrect coating was applied. Unfortunately, you may have repainted these buildings only a few years ago and were expecting a ten year reprieve. Do not curse your fate and do nothing. Your creative paint contractor will employ a combination of power washing, priming and repainting. Only certain areas may be affected.

All of the above ravages can be treated effectively and economically. Don't put them off any more than you would your oncologist's announcement of a curable cancer.