Painting a house while a rogue wind off Lake Coeur d'Alene blows pine needles straight into wet trim is a difficult experience. People always ask when the absolute best window is to get an Exterior Painting job done around here, and the truth is, North Idaho does not give us a massive margin for error.
We deal with freezing winters, damp springs, and blistering summer sun that bakes the south-facing walls of homes up on Dalton Gardens or down near the river. If you time it wrong, your Exterior Painting fails. The paint bubbles, it peels, and you are right back where you started in three years.
The Short, Sweet Painting Season
Our Exterior Painting season basically runs from late May through September. Sometimes we get lucky into October if a warm autumn stretch rolls through, but you cannot count on it. Spring is too wet and the wood moisture content is usually way too high. Exterior Painting products do not bond well to damp cedar or fir siding.
By June, things dry out. But then you hit July and August heat, which brings a whole different set of headaches.
- Direct midday sun can cause Exterior Painting products to dry too fast, leaving brush marks and causing blistering.
- Wildfire smoke and ash can ruin a fresh coat of Exterior Painting if it settles on tacky paint.
- Morning dew means you cannot start spraying or rolling too early in the day.
Prep Work Makes or Breaks It
Coeur d'Alene House Painters spends more time prepping than we do actually painting. If your home has old lead paint, or weathered wood that has taken a beating from winter snow loads off the roof, slapping a new coat on top is a waste of money.
We scrape, power wash, sand down the rough spots, and prime any bare wood before a single drop of topcoat touches your siding. Older homes over on the east side near Sanders Beach often have layers of old paint that need serious attention to create a flat, stable surface for your Exterior Painting project.
Choosing the Right Materials for North Idaho
Cheap paint is a trap. You need 100% acrylic latex paints that can expand and contract when the temperature swings from thirty below in January to ninety-five in July. Breathability matters too, especially on older wood siding that needs to release trapped moisture without cracking the surface film.
Colors fade faster under our intense high-altitude UV rays, especially deep reds, dark grays, and rich browns. If you are going dark, you have to use high-grade fade-resistant formulations, or you will be looking at chalky, washed-out walls in four years.
If your siding is looking tired and you are ready to get it sorted out before the next round of winter weather rolls in, give us a call. Coeur d'Alene House Painters will come take a look and give you a straight assessment of what it will take to get your Exterior Painting project looking sharp again in Coeur d'Alene, ID.