Painting · Service

Exterior house painting, the weather decides more than you do

Surface temperature, dew point and how long the wood has been wet govern whether an exterior coating bonds. A crew painting through a marginal week is building in the failure you will see in year three.

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In short

What is exterior house painting?

Exterior house painting is the washing, repair, priming and coating of a home's outside surfaces — siding, trim, fascia, soffits and often doors and shutters. It is governed by conditions in a way interior work is not: coatings need surface temperature and humidity inside the manufacturer's stated window, and they need dry substrate underneath. Most exterior paint failures trace to a surface that was damp, chalky or unsound when the coating went on.

Triggers

Signs you need exterior house painting

Paint is peeling, blistering or flaking, particularly on south and west elevations
The surface chalks — a coloured residue comes off on your hand when you rub it
Colour has faded unevenly, with the sunny sides visibly different from the shaded ones
Caulk joints around trim and windows have split, shrunk or fallen out
Bare wood is showing at edges, ends of boards, or window sills
Mildew is spreading on shaded elevations and returns after washing
You are selling, and the exterior is the first thing every viewer sees

Seeing something not on this list? Browse painting problems by symptom →

The job

How exterior house painting actually works

Survey of the substrate, elevation by elevation

A real estimate looks at each face separately. South and west elevations weather far harder; north faces grow mildew. Rot at sill ends, failed caulk and unsound previous coatings are logged as repair work, not as painting.

Watch for: A price for "the house" with no elevation notes. Exterior condition is rarely uniform, and the elevations that need real work are exactly where a low quote will do least.
Washing

The house is washed to remove dirt, chalk, mildew and pollen. Mildew needs a treatment that kills it, not just pressure, because painting over live growth means it grows through the new coating.

Watch for: High-pressure washing driving water behind siding and into wall cavities, and painting started before the substrate has dried out. Wood needs real drying time after washing, and "it looks dry" is not the same thing.
Scraping, sanding and repair

Loose and failing coating is removed back to a sound edge, bare wood is feathered in, and rotten sections are cut out and replaced. Nail holes and splits are filled with an exterior-grade filler.

Watch for: On pre-1978 homes, any dry scraping or sanding. Older paint may contain lead, disturbing it is regulated work, and the contractor must be operating under the applicable rules. Ask how they handle it before they start, not after.
Caulking

Joints between trim and siding, around windows and doors, and at butt joints are caulked with an exterior sealant that stays flexible. Failed caulk is cut out rather than covered.

Watch for: Caulk applied to the wrong places — sealing the bottom edges of siding boards or weep paths traps water inside the wall instead of letting it drain. More caulk is not always better.
Priming by substrate

Bare wood, chalky surfaces, tannin-bleeding species, and previously failed areas each need a specific primer. Spot priming covers repairs; full priming is used on bare or problem surfaces.

Watch for: One primer used across everything. Bleeding tannins from cedar and redwood require a blocking primer, and a general-purpose product will let brown stains come through a new white finish within weeks.
Working the weather window

Coatings have stated minimum and maximum application temperatures, and they need to be applied and cured before dew forms. Crews work with the sun rather than against it, moving around the house through the day.

Watch for: Painting late into the evening in shoulder season. A coating that has not formed a film before dew falls on it can end up with a permanently compromised surface, and it will not look wrong on the day.
Application and coat count

Spraying is fast and even; brushing and rolling works the coating into the surface and is often preferred on weathered wood. Many crews spray and then back-brush to combine both.

Watch for: A spray-only job over rough or weathered wood with no back-brushing. Sprayed coating sits on the surface rather than being worked into it, and it releases sooner.
Doors, trim, and final inspection

Trim, shutters and doors are finished with harder-wearing products. The walkthrough should cover every elevation, in daylight, including the back of the house.

Watch for: An inspection done only from the front. The elevations nobody walks past are the ones where corners get cut.

Money

What does exterior house painting cost?

Exterior painting is quoted by the job, driven by house size, number of storeys, access and — above everything — how much scraping, repair and priming the existing surface needs. Two houses of identical size can differ enormously on condition alone. See the Cost Guide.

See the full exterior house painting cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When exterior house painting is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

The siding itself is failing. Paint does not restore rotted wood or split hardboard. Where a significant portion needs replacing, the money is better spent on the siding, and the painting decision comes after it.
There is water getting into the wall. Failed flashing, a leaking gutter or a missing kickout will keep pushing moisture out through the coating. Paint applied over that peels from behind, and it does it regardless of product quality or coat count.
Your home is pre-1978 and no one has addressed lead. Disturbing lead paint is subject to real regulation and real health risk, particularly for children. This is not a reason never to paint — it is a reason to hire a contractor who works within those rules and to have that conversation before any scraper touches the house.
The forecast will not give you a clean window. Rain within the recoat window, temperatures outside the product range, or heavy dew overnight all compromise the film. A crew willing to push through that is prioritising their schedule over your finish.
The existing surface is vinyl or aluminium and still sound. Painting sound vinyl siding is possible with the right products and colour limits, but it commits you to repainting forever on a material that previously needed nothing. That is a real trade-off, not a free upgrade.
You are only doing the front. Understandable for a sale, but exterior coatings age visibly, and a freshly painted front elevation makes the sides look worse than they did. Price the whole house before deciding.

Your options

Types of exterior house painting

Exterior coatings and primers

Exterior paint, elastomeric coatings, primers and stains — what each is for.

Paint vs siding replacement

The comparison that decides whether painting is the right spend at all.

Timing and longevity guides

Best time of year to paint, how long exterior paint should last, and choosing exterior colours.

Compare painting options side by side →

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint, and scraping, sanding or power-washing it is regulated work that generates hazardous dust and chips. It is a genuine health risk to children in particular. Establish the paint age before disturbing anything, and use a contractor who works within the applicable rules. Working at height on ladders is the other serious hazard here, and it is the one that causes most exterior painting injuries.

Reasonable to DIY

Washing accessible single-storey siding, at low pressure, well before painting season
Painting a front door, shutters or a small porch from ground level
Cutting out and replacing failed caulk within reach
Trimming back plantings and clearing access, which saves paid hours

Call a licensed pro

Anything above single-storey height, which is most of a typical house
Any pre-1978 surface requiring scraping or sanding
Substrate repair — rotted trim, sill ends, damaged siding boards
Spray application, where overspray onto cars, neighbours and landscaping is a real and expensive risk
Anything where the coating is failing and nobody has established why

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for exterior house painting

Why did the last coating fail, and what changes this time?

The most valuable question you can ask. A contractor who has a diagnosis is selling a repair; one who has not is selling paint.
Was this house built before 1978, and how do you handle the prep?

A competent exterior contractor raises this before you do. You want a described process, not reassurance.
How long after washing before you start painting?

Wood needs to dry through, not just look dry. A specific answer signals someone who understands why exterior coatings fail.
What primer on which surfaces, and why those?

Bare wood, chalky surfaces and tannin-bleeding species each need something different. One primer everywhere is a warning sign.
What are the temperature and dew point limits for the products you are using?

They are printed on the tin. A crew that can quote them is a crew that works to them.
Are you spraying, brushing, or spraying and back-brushing?

On weathered wood, back-brushing works the coating in. Spray-only on rough substrate releases early.
Is rot repair included or excluded, and how is it priced if found?

It is nearly always discovered during scraping. Agree the mechanism before, not on the day.
How many coats, and what warranty on labour?

Both belong in writing. Exterior warranties vary enormously and the exclusions are where they differ.

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Local pros

Exterior House Painting near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Deck Staining

Horizontal exterior wood, which behaves differently

Fence Staining

Same crew, very different surface

Trim and Door Painting

Front doors, shutters and exterior trim

Commercial Painting

The same work at building scale

All painting services →

FAQ

Exterior House Painting — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

How long should an exterior paint job last?

It varies enormously with climate, exposure, substrate and — most of all — the quality of the preparation. A well-prepped house in a mild climate will hold far longer than a poorly prepped one in intense sun. What is more useful than a number is the pattern: failure that starts on the south and west elevations first is normal weathering; failure that starts everywhere at once points to a preparation or moisture problem.

What time of year is best for exterior painting?

Whatever period in your climate gives stable temperatures inside the product's stated range, low chance of rain within the recoat window, and nights warm enough that dew does not settle on fresh coating. That is typically late spring through early autumn in most of the country. The specific limits are printed on the product — a contractor who knows them and schedules around them is the signal to look for.

Can vinyl or aluminium siding be painted?

Both can, with products formulated for them and appropriate preparation. On vinyl there is an additional constraint: colours significantly darker than the original absorb more heat and can cause the siding to distort, so manufacturers publish limits on how dark you can go. The larger consideration is that you are converting a material that needed no coating into one that will need repainting periodically forever.

Why is my paint peeling off the house?

Almost always a bond problem rather than a paint quality problem. The usual causes are moisture escaping from inside the wall, painting over a damp or chalky surface, painting over an unsound previous coating, or skipping primer on bare wood. Peeling that takes previous layers with it points to something happening behind the coating. Repainting without identifying which of these it was reproduces it.

Should the house be pressure washed before painting?

It needs to be cleaned, and washing is the normal method — but pressure is the part to be careful with. Too much pressure drives water behind siding and into the wall cavity, damages soft wood, and can force water past window seals. Lower pressure with an appropriate cleaner does more for adhesion than high pressure does, and either way the substrate needs proper drying time afterwards.

Is it worth painting rather than replacing siding?

Where the siding is fundamentally sound, painting is dramatically cheaper and gets you the same visual result. Where a meaningful proportion is rotted, split or failing, you are paying to coat a material that is on its way out, and the coating will not hold on unsound substrate anyway. Get an honest assessment of the siding condition — ideally from someone who does not sell either service — before deciding.