How Often Should You Repaint Your House?

For homeowners, entirely painting their house or incorporating paint correction to some parts of the house can be hectic. However, the big question is, after how long should homeowners consider painting their homes? A home is one of the most significant assets an individual can own. Therefore, postponing and ignoring painting the house for such a long period could result in undesirable damage to the home.

Most home experts consider painting as a huge investment that increases the value of a home while at the same time securing it from weather elements. This article will cover several aspects that will assist you in deciding on how often you should consider repainting your house. It will cover the various signs that indicate it is time to repaint your house, factors that determine how often you need to repaint your home, and the specific parts to be given attention.

Essential Signs That Indicate It Is Time to Repaint Your Home

Paint is a great way to make any home look new and refreshed. However, it can also be a huge hassle and cost you a ton of money if you cannot access affordable house painting services. For these reasons, homeowners must look for several signs that their house needs some paint:

You live in an area with a high pollution level. If highways, trucks, and industry surround your area, it will result in higher humidity levels within the house. This could lead to mold growth over time, which can be dangerous for you and your family to be exposed to. It may be time to repaint your house if the paint is constantly peeling and cracking or if there are visible signs of mold growth.

Your house constantly has a musty smell. Most homeowners would say that the goal when purchasing a new home is to have it feel like a ‘home,’ which means it should not constantly have a musty smell. This is an easy sign that you could potentially have mold growing inside the walls of your home, which may need to be sprayed with paint, so it doesn’t continue to grow and spread.

Your house has high-gloss paint. If you have ever walked into the home of someone who constantly paints their walls with high-gloss paint, you may know firsthand how difficult it is to clean the walls. Although this type of paint looks very nice, it can be potentially dangerous for your health if not cleaned regularly. On top of this, it can be a sign to repaint your house if you have high-gloss paint on the walls because it may cause peeling and flaking.

You have cracks throughout your paint. Although small cracks are normal for wear and tear over time, larger cracks could signify that your house needs to be sanded and repainted. If you decide to sand off the old paint, clean your home thoroughly before applying any fresh coats of paint. These are just a few signs that it may be time to repaint your house. Although there are many more reasons, these should provide you with an idea if it’s time to repaint your home or not.

Factors Determining How Often You Need to Repaint Your House

It would help if you considered painting your house every 5 to 10 years as a homeowner. However, this will depend on several factors, including the paint used and how many elements are present on the surface.

Age Of the Paint

The age of the paint is by far one of the most important factors in determining how often you need to repaint your house since if it isn’t properly maintained, the chances are high that parts of it will start peeling away. The age of the paint can be determined by its type, with oil-based paint typically lasting 50 years, while latex-based paint lasts around 25. Unfortunately, though, even if the age of the paint can’t be determined via its type alone (which is the case with Latex), you still need to take into account how long it has been used. If it has only started peeling away recently, painting over it will suffice, but if it has been peeling away for a while, the chances are high that the only option would be to repaint your house completely.

Size Of Your House

The size of your house is another important factor in determining how often you need to repaint it since the larger the building is, the more time you will spend maintaining it. If the size of your house is 1,200 square feet, you can go up to 20 years without needing to repaint it, while if the size is 3,500 square feet or more, you might need to repaint at least once every four years.

Location Of Your House

Even though things like wear and tear, exposure to the sun, and weather changes can all cause damage to your home’s paint more quickly, where you live is also a factor that affects how often you need to repaint your house.

For instance, living in an area with heavier rainfall damages your paint job faster than anywhere else. The more extreme temperature changes or humidity in an area also affect the paint’s lifespan. You can generally expect to repaint your house every three to five years in more moderate climates and one to three years in extremely hot or cold locations.

After How Long Should You Paint Your Home?

After looking at the various signs and factors that determine the period after which you should consider painting your home, we will now look at the specific parts of the interior to be given attention. The frequency you need to paint a room depends on its use. Determining what amount of damage necessitates a wall repaint can help you predict when this will need to be done.

Hallways

Hallways tend to get a lot of wear and tear from the constant use by family members coming in and out of different rooms. It can be hard to keep hallways looking new if paint chips and cracks form over time, but how often should you repaint them?

Repairing a cracked wall is not an easy task. If you do not have the tools necessary for fixing drywall, then it is advised that you leave this work to a professional such as a siding contractor, who will repair the wall first before painting is done. Drywall repair can cost up to $1500 for a medium-sized wall, and it is best to leave this project up to the professionals.

However, when you need to repaint your hallways, there is no definite timeline for how often you should do so. Some people will repaint their hallway walls once every few years or even once every ten years if they want the hallway to look as good as possible. Others may do it more frequently, depending on how much wear and tear the walls take from day-to-day use. Repainting damage such as chips and cracks is essential to avoid permanent staining or further damage with age.

However, it is also important that you not over-paint your walls. If you repaint them more than once every ten years, the paint job may look too polished or new. This can make it hard to match how the hallway looked before if you ever have to sell your home, so try using a nice neutral color that fits most homes’ decor.

Bathrooms

How often you should paint your bathroom depends on the amount and type of use. However, some general guidelines will help you decide how frequently you should repaint your bathroom when incorporating a bathroom remodel. Typically, most homeowners choose to apply a fresh coat of paint every two years. Bathroom surfaces, for instance, those of customized glass shower doors, exposed to high humidity levels, will need more frequent repainting than those that aren’t. Generally, changing the color of your bathroom is usually only necessary every five years or so, but this also depends on how much use each area gets. If you clean your bathroom regularly and your water is not very hard, you can usually get away with painting less frequently.

Colors tend to fade over time and become dull and scratched, so it’s necessary to repaint if you want a fresh look. You can also give your home a whole new look simply by changing the color or painting in an entirely different style. For instance, having your bathroom remodeling contractor paint the walls with a lighter pastel shade will give your room more of an airy look than dark colors.

Kitchen

It is recommended that you paint the kitchen every five years. If your kitchen does not use throughout the year, it is best to go for an even longer period between renovations. Painting a kitchen involves choosing a color for the wall paint and other details such as cabinet painting and countertop polishing. As with any home renovation project, it pays to know how often you should paint a kitchen in your home to keep that property looking good and adding value.

It is important to note that you can use two types of paint for this project. The first option is water-based paint, which was popular but has since been phased out by oil-based paints. Oil-based paints give a more durable finish, and so they are often used in kitchens due to the high traffic and diverse use. Depending on your preferences, you can work with oil or water-based paint. If you want a longer-lasting finish and superior smoothness on the cabinets, oil paints may be the best choice for your kitchen renovations. Oil-based paints can last up to twice as long as their water-based equivalents and leave a much smoother feel when applied.

Living Room

Your living room is one of the main focal points of your home. You want to make sure that it looks its best, which often means repainting at least once every few years. Knowing exactly when you should paint will help ensure that your living room’s appearance stays fresh and new, instead of old and outdated. The painting should be done by when you should replace other home furnishings. If your living room is still in good shape but other items look worn, it’s time to redecorate instead of repainting. Allow personal needs and tastes to guide you because the purpose of your living room is for you and your family to enjoy.

Painting your living room should be done because it needs to be, not just for aesthetic reasons. When you repaint the living room, consider why you’re doing so, which will help guide how much effort and expense you put into it. For example, if you have a home with children, you’ll likely want to use low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint easier on the lungs. The color will cost more, but you’ll save money on reduced medical bills and treatment costs. If you have a large family or many pets, your living room might not be able to handle stains and damage as well as it once could. This would be an excellent time to go with a more durable paint that can withstand your living space’s unique conditions.

Ceiling

Generally, homeowners should expect to recoat their ceilings once every ten years, with more frequent painting considered in high-traffic areas. On average, householders paint their ceilings every 5 to 7 years. However, it is not uncommon for homeowners to report that they’ve never painted the top in their living room or hallway. In homes with high humidity, the homeowner should plan on more frequent ceiling painting. In fact, in some circumstances, daily recoating may be required until a permanent repair is established. The added paint thickness of additional coats will help seal many of these types of ceilings from future moisture incursion.

If there has been water leakage through your ceilings, such as a burst hot-water tank, potted plant, or roof leakage, it’s important to paint the ceiling right away. Fix the roofing issue first by calling in residential roofers. If there are dust spots on your ceilings, you’ll want to wash them and then repaint them frequently (every few months) until they don’t come back anymore. Every year, it is essential to inspect your house for cracks, warping, or rotting. This goes for your roofing as well. If problems are found in the beginning years of the warranty period, there is a possibility that you could have them fixed by the manufacturer. Usually, exterior paints will last up to five years before needing a new coat, but if you live in an area with many harsh elements, you should repaint your house every three years.