Fall Exterior Home Maintenance FAQ's
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What's on your fall home maintenance checklist? If your home has wood on the exterior (siding, doors, decks, porches, fences, window trim, etc.), then painting or staining to protect that wood should be on your list. Brian Schwaller answers your questions about home exterior painting, staining and weatherization projects as we head into fall.
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1. Should house painting and other exterior projects be done before winter?
Wisconsin winters are rough on home exteriors. Moisture, wind and freeze/thaw cycles can rapidly damage unprotected siding, deck boards, soffit, fascia, and trim. Wood surfaces need to be protected with regular painting, staining or sealing to prevent rot and failure. Routine maintenance is far less expensive than replacing damaged wood. A qualified painting contractor will also weather seal your home by caulking around windows and doors to seal gaps, preventing drafts, and helping lower your heating bills.
2. How late in the fall can you paint the exterior of a house in Wisconsin?
If the weather is dry enough, acrylic latex paints can be applied at temperatures down to 35 degrees, typically into November. November through April or May is usually too cool and wet for any exterior painting or staining projects. Oil-based stain products (like those used for decks, cedar siding and log homes) require overnight low temperatures 50 degrees or higher, so those projects are usually done May or June through mid-October. With a four to six month window for exterior painting projects in Wisconsin, it’s important to schedule as early as possible.
3. What exterior painting projects should be on a fall home maintenance checklist?
As part of a fall exterior home maintenance checklist, homeowners should inspect all exterior wood, especially surfaces that will be directly exposed to winter snow and ice. This includes deck boards, porch flooring, entry doors, window frames, and trim.
4. What are some signs that a home’s exterior needs to be painted?
Any wood surface that doesn’t look new probably needs maintenance. Signs of damage include blistering, cracking or peeling paint, fading or discolored stained wood, and mold or mildew. Damaged surfaces should be cleaned, repaired if needed, and repainted, stained or sealed to protect them from moisture.
5. How often does a home need exterior maintenance?
Homes in Wisconsin need exterior maintenance every fall and spring. While you're out raking leaves, cleaning gutters, trimming landscaping, etc., you should inspect the siding, window frames, doors, soffit, fascia, deck, porch, etc. and address any painting and weatherization needs before the weather gets too cold again.
6. When should exterior painting and staining projects be scheduled?
Reputable painting contractors book ahead. If you want a project done in the spring you need to get it estimated and contracted before then, ideally by late fall or winter. If you wait until spring to call for an estimate (when a lot of other homeowners are thinking about home improvements), it could be late summer or early fall before it’s done. It’s important to plan ahead.
Wisconsin winters are rough on home exteriors. Moisture, wind and freeze/thaw cycles can rapidly damage unprotected siding, deck boards, soffit, fascia, and trim. Wood surfaces need to be protected with regular painting, staining or sealing to prevent rot and failure. Routine maintenance is far less expensive than replacing damaged wood. A qualified painting contractor will also weather seal your home by caulking around windows and doors to seal gaps, preventing drafts, and helping lower your heating bills.
2. How late in the fall can you paint the exterior of a house in Wisconsin?
If the weather is dry enough, acrylic latex paints can be applied at temperatures down to 35 degrees, typically into November. November through April or May is usually too cool and wet for any exterior painting or staining projects. Oil-based stain products (like those used for decks, cedar siding and log homes) require overnight low temperatures 50 degrees or higher, so those projects are usually done May or June through mid-October. With a four to six month window for exterior painting projects in Wisconsin, it’s important to schedule as early as possible.
3. What exterior painting projects should be on a fall home maintenance checklist?
As part of a fall exterior home maintenance checklist, homeowners should inspect all exterior wood, especially surfaces that will be directly exposed to winter snow and ice. This includes deck boards, porch flooring, entry doors, window frames, and trim.
4. What are some signs that a home’s exterior needs to be painted?
Any wood surface that doesn’t look new probably needs maintenance. Signs of damage include blistering, cracking or peeling paint, fading or discolored stained wood, and mold or mildew. Damaged surfaces should be cleaned, repaired if needed, and repainted, stained or sealed to protect them from moisture.
5. How often does a home need exterior maintenance?
Homes in Wisconsin need exterior maintenance every fall and spring. While you're out raking leaves, cleaning gutters, trimming landscaping, etc., you should inspect the siding, window frames, doors, soffit, fascia, deck, porch, etc. and address any painting and weatherization needs before the weather gets too cold again.
6. When should exterior painting and staining projects be scheduled?
Reputable painting contractors book ahead. If you want a project done in the spring you need to get it estimated and contracted before then, ideally by late fall or winter. If you wait until spring to call for an estimate (when a lot of other homeowners are thinking about home improvements), it could be late summer or early fall before it’s done. It’s important to plan ahead.
