How to Paint a Denver Home Exterior…the Right Way!
Denver’s charm goes beyond its craft beer scene and breathtaking mountain landscapes. But the Mile High City throws curveballs at homeowners, especially when it comes to painting the exterior of a home. Choosing proper house paint and applying it correctly is paramount to protecting the surface but also making sure the paint adheres properly. Understanding Denver’s unique climate is crucial for a successful and long-lasting paint job.
On a broad scale, Colorado’s high plains desert climate plays a significant role in the impact of home repairs (aghem…nod to the hail and microbursts). This often translates to low humidity, intense sunshine, and dramatic temperature swings across the front range, plains, foothills, and well…pretty much everywhere across the state. These factors combine to wreak havoc on your home’s exterior but there are ways to update your home’s look white simultaneously protecting it from hard Colorado weather.
Denver’s Microclimates: A Tale of Two Houses
The Denver metro area is a land of microclimates: These are pockets and areas separated by land masses with distinct weather patterns, which can exist within just a few miles. Imagine your neighbor shoveling a foot of snow while you enjoy the sunshine on your patio. Places like Castle Rock and South to the Palmer Divide, have deep valleys and canyons before the foothills making for interesting updrafts and thermal layering. Denver metro area often experiences this fascinating microclimate phenomenon as well. These pockets within the city can have significantly different weather patterns so fully understanding these variations is crucial for Denver house painters. While downtown might see moderate snowfall, foothills can be blanketed white. This is all thanks to the complex interplay of elevation, topography, and prevailing winds.
The culprits? Topographic features like the Palmer Divide, a north-south ridge that splits Colorado, numerous valleys, and expansive foothills all play a role, in influencing wind patterns and precipitation. This complexity in the Colorado landscape is why experiencing painting a Denver home exterior can come with some unique challenges that a painter must during the planning process. The foothills, like the mountains offer even greater variation in weather patterns at times. Windy areas often produce driving rain and hail that can chip and peel paint quickly. Eastern plains in Colorado often experience this harsh paint weather.
Colorado vs. Everybody: A Climate Showdown
Let’s take a look at the unique climate differences and how this might provide some insight into choosing the right paint for a home in Denver:
- Temperature: Denver experiences significant swings, with hot summers (average highs in the 80s°F) and cold winters (average lows in the teens°F). This is a stark contrast to somewhere like Michigan where frigid winters and mild summers are common, or Florida’s consistent warmth and salty air, and Tennessee’s hot and humid summers with moderate winters. Heat softens the latex and resins in high-quality paints and makes it more susceptible to peeling away from caulk lines and edges. Also, just like heat, rapid temperature drops can make paint react. Cold paint risks a higher brittleness, increasing the risk of cracking under stress like driving polar winds or dry Colorado winters.
- Humidity: Colorado boasts low humidity year-round, unlike Michigan’s high moisture winters and Florida’s ever-present mugginess. Tennessee experiences moderate humidity levels. Application is key when the humidity is very high or very low. Low humidity risks drying too fast before the adhesives can bind to the surface properly. High humidity on the other hand causes a much longer drying time leaving the paint exposed to dirt collection but can also create moisture beneath the new coating.
- The Sun: The sun’s power is intense. The Colorado sun is one of the harshest due to its higher elevation and thus more intense UV rays.
- UV Rays: The culprit behind fading and chalking, UV rays break down the paint’s molecular structure. According to a study by the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), exterior paint exposed to high UV environments can experience a 50% color loss within just 2-3 years!
- Heat: Extreme heat accelerates paint degradation, causing it to become brittle and crack. Constant temperature fluctuations over time cause paint to lose some of its elasticity. The NPCA also reports that temperatures exceeding 90°F can significantly shorten paint lifespan.
Weather’s Wrath on Your Paint Job
- Adhesion: Rapid temperature fluctuations cause paint to contract and expand, stressing its adhesion to the surface. This can lead to cracking and peeling, a nightmare for any house painting project.
- Permeability: Low humidity demands exterior house paint that allows water vapor to escape from the house. Trapped moisture can cause blistering and peeling.
- Breathability: Similar to permeability, breathable paints prevent moisture buildup behind the paint film, which can lead to rot and mold growth. High-humidity climates like Michigan or Florida often experience paint peeling.
Brush vs. Spray: Which is Better for Colorado Exteriors?
Painting a Denver Home Exterior can be done by any method realistically. A brush, roller, or sprayer will all get the job done but some applications may be better suited for one than another.
Exterior Painting with a Brush
While sprayers provide speed, a brush allows for greater precision and control, especially in intricate areas like trim, window frames, and architectural details. This manual approach ensures thorough coverage, preventing runs and sags. Additionally, an exterior painting by brush can better distribute paint into textured surfaces, providing superior adhesion and durability. For homeowners seeking a high-quality, detailed finish, a brush-applied coat often surpasses the results achieved by spraying.
The one downside of course can be cost due to application time. Skilled painters will often use multiple methods, however. Ask your Colorado painting company their preference to ensure you are getting the best quality paint for your home.
Exterior Painting with a Sprayer
Primarily, sprayers deliver a fast, even coat, significantly reducing labor time. This efficiency is particularly beneficial for large surfaces like homes or commercial buildings. Additionally, sprayers create a finer finish with fewer brushstrokes, resulting in a more professional appearance. However, it’s crucial to note that careful preparation and masking are essential to prevent overspray and achieve optimal results. Good masking not only protects surfaces from unwanted paint, it creates fast, clean lines when done properly.
Roll Painting a Home Exterior
Using a paint roller for exterior painting is also a commonly use application method. It provides excellent coverage, ensuring a smooth and even finish. Rollers are versatile and capable of handling various textures and surfaces commonly found on exteriors. Additionally, they are generally faster than brushes for large areas, leading to increased efficiency. Rollers also tend to be less physically demanding than brushes, reducing fatigue for the painter. One downside to rollers however is that to be the most effective, large flat surfaces are best. Lap siding, beveled edges, and deeper textures often won’t get proper coverage with a roller method on a home exterior. That’s where spray or brush painting will help fill the gaps for a weather-resistant surface.
Color Matters in Colorado
Sunlight and UV rays can significantly impact the longevity and appearance of exterior paint colors. Lighter colors tend to reflect sunlight, which can help protect the underlying surface from heat damage. However, they are more susceptible to fading over time due to the constant exposure to UV rays. Darker colors absorb more sunlight, potentially leading to increased heat on the surface and quicker fading. Additionally, the specific pigments used in a color will influence its resistance to fading. For instance, colors with high concentrations of organic pigments are generally more prone to color loss than those with inorganic pigments. Same with the resins used to create paint sheen. Matte finishes will collect much more surface dirt but absorb light whereas shinier paints will resist fine particle dirt much easier.
Ultimately, the choice of paint color should consider factors like the home’s orientation, climate, and desired aesthetic to mitigate the effects of sunlight and UV rays.
A note on the reds…
The primary reason red paint tends to fade faster than other colors on exterior surfaces is due to its interaction with ultraviolet (UV) light. Remember though that we’re not just talking about RED paint. Many paints have red pigments and the higher concentration of those red pigments, the more susceptible the red paint will be to the effects of UV light. All brown/tan/earth tones will have some amount of red.
- Pigment Composition: Red pigments, especially those derived from organic sources, are more susceptible to breaking down when exposed to UV radiation. This breakdown alters the pigment’s molecular structure, resulting in a loss of color intensity.
- Light Absorption: Red pigments absorb significant light energy, particularly in the blue and violet spectrum. This absorbed energy can accelerate the degradation process.
- Chemical Instability: Certain red pigments are inherently less stable compared to other colors. They are more prone to oxidation and chemical reactions triggered by sunlight and environmental factors.
- Not all red paints fade at the same rate. Some modern formulations with enhanced UV protection can mitigate fading.
- Other factors such as climate, paint quality, and application method also influence paint durability.
By understanding the unique challenges of Denver’s climate, you can ensure your Denver house painting project is a success. Choosing the right paint and application method will keep your home looking beautiful and protected for years to come.