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Exterior paint keeps water out of the stucco and the wood trim. Once the paint cracks, water gets into the wall under it.
Why paint fades and fails in Valley sun
Strong, direct sun breaks down the binder in paint. The colour fades first, then the surface turns chalky, then the film cracks and lets moisture in. South and west walls usually show it first.
Signs your paint is failing
- Chalking: rub a dark cloth on the wall. If white powder comes off, the paint is breaking down.
- Fading that is much worse on one side of the house.
- Cracking or peeling, especially around windows, doors and at the bottom of walls.
- Bubbling or blistering, which suggests moisture behind the paint.
- Mildew or dark streaks under eaves and on shaded walls.
- Bare wood or stucco showing through on trim and fascia.
What a good repaint includes
- Washing the walls so paint can bond.
- Repairing cracks, rotted wood and failed caulk before any paint goes on.
- Priming bare patches.
- Two coats of a paint suited to exterior sun, applied in the right conditions.
- Protecting windows, plants and fixtures, and leaving the site clean.
Skipping the preparation is the most common reason a paint job fails early. The prep is the job.
Stucco and wood ask different things of paint
Most Valley houses are stucco with wood trim, fascia and eaves, and the two age differently. Stucco is porous: it needs a paint that lets moisture out of the wall, and its hairline cracks need filling so water does not sit in them. Wood moves with heat and moisture, so trim and fascia crack and peel first, especially where the sun hits all afternoon. A good repaint treats them as two jobs on one house.
Paint over a crack, or fix it first?
Paint can bridge a hairline. It cannot fix a crack that lets water into the wall, and painting over one only hides it until the next rainy season. Wide cracks, cracks that come back, stains under a crack, or stucco that sounds hollow when tapped are repairs first, paint second. We look at the stucco on the same visit: stucco repair.
When to paint in the Valley
- Avoid the hottest hours on sunny walls. Paint that dries too fast in direct sun can lap and fail early. Every can lists the temperature range it needs; good crews follow it.
- Not right before rain. Fresh exterior paint needs time to cure before it gets wet.
- Fall and spring are usually the easiest seasons here: mild days, cooler walls.
HOA colors and older homes
If your home is in an HOA, check the CC&Rs before choosing a color: many associations approve exterior colors in advance. And if the house was built before 1978, any work that disturbs the old paint falls under the EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (EPA RRP program), which sets how the prep must be done and cleaned up. Ask any painter how they handle it.
More about our exterior painting: what the repaint includes and a free look at your walls.
Get a look at yours
MAMOS Construction & Design looks at the walls on site and handles the prep and the paint. More about our exterior painting. Use the short form at the top of this page or call (818) 934-0075. See also our services.