I am on a homeowners’ committee in a Pulte built community of town homes. I hope that you can advise us about some important issues.
The community is four years old and the exterior consists of Hardie Board plank siding, unpainted brick and stone, and wood trim. It is in Jacksonville, Florida where there is high humidity throughout the year and temperatures hover in the 90’s from May through October.
The exteriors of the buildings were painted with Sherwin Williams paint and have been professionally pressure washed twice during the past two summers with a chlorine and water solution. How often should the buildings be pressure washed, how often would you recommend painting, and how soon after the initial painting should the buildings be repainted?
2 Responses
As you have found out, your area requires frequent washing to control mold and algae. The schedule for washing you currently have should be sufficient. Repainting is a different story all together.
Washing with a chlorine solution will degrade the paint in time, so repainting will happen sooner. The best time to repaint your exteriors is when the paint has shown some fading and there is just a little peeling on the wood trim.
A good schedule is 5-7 years for repainting after the initial first paint job. The type of paint used will also affect this time frame. I recommend using an elastomeric paint instead is a standard 100% acrylic house paint. The elastomeric paint can take more repeated washings before fading and won't peel as easily.
As you have found out, your area requires frequent washing to control mold and algae. The schedule for washing you currently have should be sufficient. Repainting is a different story all together.
Washing with a chlorine solution will degrade the paint in time, so repainting will happen sooner. The best time to repaint your exteriors is when the paint has shown some fading and there is just a little peeling on the wood trim.
A good schedule is 5-7 years for repainting after the initial first paint job. The type of paint used will also affect this time frame. I recommend using an elastomeric paint instead is a standard 100% acrylic house paint. The elastomeric paint can take more repeated washings before fading and won't peel as easily.