Painting exterior trim obviously will cost less than completely painting all exterior surfaces, but there are a few things to consider from your Athens painting contractor’s point of view.
Most of us look to save where we can, especially in this day and economic conditions. Exterior house painting is no different when it comes to saving money. A home exterior weathers from harsh elements of heat, cold, sun, and snow, and exterior paint ages over time needing repainting. Exterior trim, being that of solid wood is normally the first to show signs of need for painting maintenance. Many times an Athens homeowner happens to call, asking for only painting the trim. Trim paint jobs sound good at first, but take a moment to consider these points when opting to have only the exterior trim painted.
1) Most homes exterior trim is painted on the front only, more commonly called front-facing the trim. Sides of trim is normally painted with main body color. Few homes have trim painted on all 3 visible surfaces, called in the painting industry as 3-D’ed painting.
2) Either edge of trim is painted with body color, and is where caulking is applied at most 90 degree angles. Painting trim only cannot feasibly include caulking, as this fails and opens up over time. Most homes need new caulking when painting the exterior, and a close inspection by your Athens painting contractor will determine if this is the case for your home.
3) If new caulk is applied, the main body portion will need to be touched up, and most of the time new paint will not match aged paint even when using exactly the same paint out of the same paint can, as sheen difference will come into play.
4) Painting trim is normally done by roller and brush, not sprayed, so more manual labor is required and in most cases costs 60% of the total exterior painting job.
5) Since the trim is the first to go, the main body of your Athens home will follow closely in needing a paint job. If the trim was recently painted, and a few years later the body is ready for paint, all the trim will need to be covered, commonly referred to as masking off. Masking off expends time, labor and material, which adds to the bottom line cost to the remaining 40%, typically costing an additional 25% for masking trim. Thus costing 25% more after both trim and body portions are painted in separate years.
6) When painting Athens exteriors completely, the first thing to be painted after all preparations have been accomplished is generally spraying the body with 2 coats wet on dry. Allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second coat. In doing this, trim is over-sprayed, giving initial coat as well, thereby getting a total of 3 paint coatings instead of the actual 2 coats required for maximum protection. This over spray is not charged in the painting cost, but adds to the elements of exterior duration and warranties.
7) Set up costs are normally included with any Athens home improvement job and painting the trim and the exterior separately can essentially cost double unless agreed before work begins.
The main thing to consider when painting the exterior of your Athens home is how long you plan to reside in the home. If your answer is any longer than 1 year, you may reconsider painting trim only to painting exterior completely. From a quick glance, fresh trim paint will work from an aesthetic point of view, but not even close from complete protection and value points.
