Why Pressure Washing Before Painting The Exterior Is So Important
When you get your house painted to improve its curb appeal, you of course expect the results to last and look beautiful for as long as possible. The last thing you want is to start having problems which need to be fixed later.
As professional house painters with the experience to know, our pros at Elaran Painting in North Georgia want to be sure you understand why pressure washing is important in order to get the excellent results you expect and deserve.
Even if your house painter doesn’t recommend it, there are definitely several important reasons to go ahead and ask for pressure washing before painting the exterior of your home. The most significant reasons are related to saving you money in the long-run and helping you to avoid the other negative effects of painting over a grimy surface.
Poor Paint Adhesion Means Removal and Repainting
For whatever the reason that caused it, poor paint adhesion to the surface material is a problem no one wants. If the exterior paint doesn’t stick to the surface well, moisture can get in behind the protective layer of paint and wreak havoc.
Not pressure washing a grimy surface first is one reason for poor paint adhesion. Although the paint may seem to cover right over the grime and everything looks fine, problems can develop within just a few weeks. It couldn’t be more vital to clean the exterior surfaces first since they’re constantly exposed to rain and humidity.
Paint Bubbling and Blistering
If you don’t get pressure washing before the exterior of your house is painted, the paint can start pulling away from the surface as it’s exposed to moisture over time. Before you know it, you’ll start seeing bubbles and blisters forming all over the painted surface. This can happen quickly, within just a few weeks or it can take several months before you notice.
Paint Starts Peeling in Just A Few Weeks
Another problem homeowners face if they don’t get pressure washing before the exterior painting is peeling. This is just the later stages of the snowball effect that moisture getting behind the paint can cause. First, there’s a few bubbles, blisters, or cracks, and then you start seeing it pulling away in sheets.
Unfortunately, the only way to remedy this situation is to have the entire house stripped of the peeling paint and then get it repainted. What a costly, frustrating nightmare for anyone.
Wood Starts Rotting Behind The Paint
Unfortunately, you can’t see what’s going on with the siding of your house if the bubbling or blistering is bad enough for you to notice yet. It only takes a pinhole for rainwater or moisture from humidity to seep in-between the paint and surface. The longer the problem goes on, the more likely you’ll also need to repair some rotting wood.
Mold and Mildew Start Growing Behind the Painted Surface
Where there’s moisture in dark places, mold and mildew will start to grow and create colonies. The thing to know about mold is that the spores are literally everywhere on the earth, just waiting for the right conditions to thrive.
If pressure washing wasn’t done before the exterior paint was applied and the problem isn’t resolved quickly enough, you can bet there will be some mold or mildew growing behind the layer of paint. Mold remediation isn’t cheap, especially if the mildew or mold has colonized inside the walls of your house.
