Condo Media - September 2011 - 26

PAINTING

by Fred Schernecker

A Painting Primer
Insider Tips on Hiring a Contractor to Do the Job Right
s the owner of a contracting firm that has painted New England condo properties for nearly 25 years, what I’m about to tell you is considered heresy among most painters. But the truth is the truth. And if a paint job does not last as long as you expect it to last, the truth is that your painter has screwed up. That’s right. I said it. If paint is peeling from your association’s siding or trim sooner than expected, it’s your painter’s fault. But it’s not necessarily because your painter did a poor job of preparation or application — although that is always a possibility. Your painter screwed up because they either did not understand the factors that determine paint longevity for your property, or they failed to share that knowledge with you. If your property is due for another painting cycle, here are three insider tips that will help you avoid unnecessary frustration and do the job right. well-built wooden property in New England — where external paint takes a real beating from ultraviolet rays, freezing and thawing cycles, and moisture — why. Beware of generic responses. What you’re looking for is an honest assessment based on the specific condition of your property’s siding and trim. Do not hire a contractor just because they provided you with the longest estimated interval between painting cycles. Ask each contractor to explain their reasoning and compare their answers. Important: If a contractor tells you to expect five years or less from your next paint application — or that your siding and trim requires extensive spot replacement — think twice before spending funds on another painting cycle. Hire a qualified contractor or engineer to take a careful look at your siding and trim. If their analysis predicts frequent spot replacement and shorter painting cycles, it might be time to replace failed siding and trim with longer life, low maintenance materials, such as vinyl or fiber-cement siding and PVC trim. Ask your contractor or engineer to run a cost analysis that shows the projected long-term savings of full replacement over the next 15 and 30 years. In general, the closer your siding and trim is to the end of its natural lifecycle, the more financially compelling complete siding and trim replacement becomes. But the only way to make an informed decision is to do the math.

Some owners only see painting as a way to preserve or improve curb appeal. But the paint on your siding and trim does much more than that. It’s your property’s first line of defense against the elements. When paint fails, exposed wood is much more easily degraded by water damage and ultraviolet rays. That’s why well-managed associations budget painting as a regular maintenance item. The exact interval between painting cycles is determined by the expected lifespan for a new coat of paint. For a

Set Realistic Expectations
that lifespan is typically between six and eight years. But a number of factors can shave years off paint longevity. Paint applied to pine trim and low-quality shingles or clapboards will not last as long as paint applied to PVC trim and highquality wooden siding. And paint on improperly installed and flashed siding and trim has been known to fail within just two or three years. Ask each painting contractor who submits a bid how long they expect this new paint application to last and

Another reason paint may fail prematurely is that the application was based on poor or boilerplate specifications. This scenario is even more likely

Use the Best Painting Specs

CONDO MEDIA • SEPTEMBER 2011

Condo Media - September 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2011