Although quality painting is pleasing to the eye, its primary function is to preserve and weatherproof your home. Newer elastomeric caulking, sealants, and paints, not only protect your house against moisture and rot, but also help control your energy cost.
 
The better insulation afforded by these materials is the reason our house painter crew is so fuzzy about sealing with caulk! A residential structure that has been caulked and sealed well is more energy efficient. See what the experts say

All the above is even more relevant when you consider the temperature extremes of paint in the San Gabriel Valley. Some mornings can be very cold, yet a little after midday can feel just like summertime. However, there's much more...please read the following exciting paragraph.

Hi-Tech Energy Saving Coatings:
Our painting company is very proud to introduce these new energy saving coatings into the San Gabriel Valley house painter community. These Hi-Tech coatings are the same ones used by the University of Colorado, the 2002 and 2005 first place winner of the Solar Decathlon.

These energy saving coatings can be used on roofs, attics, ceilings, interior and exterior walls. They achieve energy savings by allowing less of a "footprint" for energy to radiate into or out of a given area.

Houses painted with these Hi-Tech coatings will cost less to heat during winter, and less to cool during summer. The negligible cost of using these paint coatings will more than pay for itself in energy savings, year after year. Another benefit of using these paints is that they are longer lasting, with better resistance to scuff, wear, and abrasion.

Want a small, no cost demonstration?
Our painting company will be more than glad to setup a 15 minute demonstration so that you can personally witness the energy savings, just ask us!                  Copyright D. Aloy
 

• How long should a paint job last?
• Flaking paint in less than a year?
• Can the paint you put on your house save energy?

Perhaps you have a good reason to feel that way! Let's face it: Many residential painting contractors skimp on surface preparation. Heck, we've seen many a house painter that didn't care enough to simply dust off the area to be painted! They will paint right over dirt, dust, and scum! Much less will they clean, sand, prime, and caulk!
This near-absolute lack of surface preparation is called a "blow and go" in the house painter trade.

The unsuspecting homeowners are then fooled into paying the painting contractor for substandard work, since most freshly painted structures look good. However, upon the first change of season the lack of good painting preparation will be very noticeable, showing areas of bubbling, cracking, and peeling paint.

Relevant to San Gabriel Valley Residential Painting:
When you consider the temperature extremes of house painting in the San Gabriel Valley, with cool mornings and hot summertime conditions at noon, paint materials will not tolerate the temperature-induced flexing, expanding, and shrinking, unless the surface preparation is first class.
How long should your paint job last?
If a residential painting contractor has prepared a house well, there is no reason a paint job shouldn't last at least 5 to 7 years. The newer acrylic paints have superior color retention qualities and are less prone to dulling when compared to alkyd oil based paints. The most common reason many paint jobs lack durability is poor surface preparation by the painting contractor.
Latex over oil:
This is one of the biggest reasons for lack of adhesion and durability. Once a structure is painted with oil based paint - like a kitchen or bathroom - latex paint will not stick to it unless a primer is used between the new latex paint and the old oil based paint. If you've ever seen paint that comes right off with just the touch of your fingernail, that's possibly the reason why.
Problem Prep:
Badly prepared painting surfaces can have mildew, tree sap, and wood knots show up again and again. Stains such as pencil and ink marks, crayon, coloring pencil, and grease can surface again when not treated with a stain blocking primer.
Excessive Thinning:
Other bad painting contractor practices involve the excess thinning of paint. If you've ever seen paint that started to come off in very thin sheets, over-thinning the paint is what causes that. Stucco and foundation areas can start flaking and crumbling due to excess moisture because they were not sealed correctly. When your house painter turns 10 gallons of paint into 15 - by over thinning with solvent - that is what happens!

Your home is perhaps your greatest investment and the proper painting methods will give it many extra years of long-lasting value. Don't be a victim of "blow and go."