There are several variables that will all affect exactly how long your exterior house paint will last and each variable needs to be taken into consideration. The variables are; surface preparation, how good a quality the paint is and the extremes of weather in your local area. Most types of paint are due to last around 15 years; however this time is only achieved if you buy good quality paint.

The surface your Oxford painter will apply the paint to will need to prepared before any painting is done. New surfaces should be primed; priming the wood seals it and bonds the surface of the top coat of paint to the wood. Any surfaces that are not bonded allow moisture through to the wood; this causes internal rotting of the wood and damages it.

If the surface your Oxford painter and decorator is applying paint to has once had or still does have a previous paint on then it's essential it does not have any cracks on or peeling paint. Using a wire brush and scraper your Oxford decorator should remove the peeling paint from the surface. The surface should then be sanded down; this gives it a smooth texture that allows the paint to be evenly applied.

As mentioned earlier the quality of the paint used will affect how long the paint lasts; a good quality paint will contain more bonding materials than a lesser quality tin of paint. Good quality tins of paint will only cost around 15 so ensure your Oxford painters purchase good quality paint to use for your home. If they use a poor quality paint it could mean that you will need to repaint your house sooner then you should have to.

Extremities in weather can also affect the length that the paint on your home will last. Paint should not be applied if the temperature outside is over 32'C, in Oxfordshire the weather is rarely at this temperature but beware of applying paint on a really hot summers day. This is because hot temperatures cause paint to dry much quicker than it would in a mild temperature; the bonding materials are not as effective and do not bond to the surface like they should. Paint that doesn't bond will weaken quicker.

Moving to the other end of the scale; very cold temperature can also affect your paint. Your Oxford painter should not apply paint if the temperature outside is under 16'C unless they are using special paint that allows it to be applied at temperatures as low as 10'C. Although make sure you never hire an Oxford painter and decorator on a bitterly cold day; this is because when the temperature is low there's more moisture in the air, moisture in the air causes paint to take longer to bond. If your painter applies the second coat too fast it can result in the paint weakening as it hasn't settled properly.