Exterior walls are commonly used in residential and commercial properties. They help prevent water damage, keep heat inside the house during cold weather, and insulate homes during hot weather.
However, exterior walls are susceptible to damage from harsh elements like wind, rain, snow, and sun. Below is a list of common maintenance needs that homeowners should consider when maintaining their exterior walls.
Cleaning the exterior walls
Cleaning the exterior walls is a simple process. You can use a pressure washer to clean the exterior walls, or you can scrub them with a brush. Next, rinse off your wall with a hose and take care not to get any water on your house’s interior. If you want help cleaning your home’s exterior, consider hiring an expert in retaining walls like retaining wall services in Melbourne to help you out.
Painting or staining exterior walls
Before you decide to change the style of your wall, you should prepare wall planning. If you prefer a different color for your exterior walls, painting or staining is an effective way to achieve the desired effect. If you want the color of your exterior wall to match another area of the house, such as its trim, it’s best to paint rather than stain.
The painting will give you more flexibility in terms of choosing shades and tones, whereas staining provides a more limited range of colors. Be sure to consider whether this matters before selecting a technique for updating your home’s exterior walls.
Painting and staining both protect exteriors from moisture penetration by forming a protective barrier on their surfaces; however, they differ in how well they perform this function due to differences in their chemical makeup (paint relies on solvents while stains use resins).
While both may be used similarly when first applied; over time paints tend to harden while stains remain flexible so that they’re less likely than paints to make cracks appear along joints where two materials meet (such as between wood siding pieces).
Repairing cracks in drywall located on the interior side of a wall
If you have a crack in your drywall that is located on the interior side of a wall, remove the drywall by cutting along the line between it and the remaining drywall. Sand down any rough edges and use a patching compound to fill in any holes or cracks.
When finished, sand it again until smooth, then paint over it with a coat of primer and paint that matches the rest of your house’s walls. Reinstall your new piece of drywall into place by nailing it back onto its studs or screwing it into place if you’re using screws instead of nails for attachment purposes.
Caulking window frames
Window frames are a great place for air infiltration, so it’s important to ensure that there is no old caulk around the window frame. If you see old or cracked caulk, remove it and replace it with new caulking. This will help prevent water from getting into the wall, as well as prevent air infiltration through cracks in old caulking.
Roof and flashing maintenance
The roof is the most important part of your home’s exterior. It protects your home from the elements and keeps it in good working order. For these reasons, it’s important to monitor and maintain it periodically.
Roof maintenance includes checking for leaks and lose shingles, as well as replacing any damaged flashing that may be causing water infiltration into the structure of your house. If you notice signs of water intrusion, such as peeling paint or dampness inside walls or ceilings, contact a professional for help getting them repaired quickly to prevent further damage.
Inspecting and repairing gutters
Gutter repair is one of the most common home repairs, but that doesn’t mean it’s a DIY job. If you’re not familiar with what makes for a properly functioning gutter system and how to keep them in tip-top shape, this can be an easy job to botch.
- Inspect the slope of your gutters annually. Gutters should slope down at least 2 inches per foot (1 inch per 30 cm) on both sides of your house; if they don’t, you’ll need to hire someone with experience in roofing repairs or construction to correct the problem.
- Clean out clogs from time to time every few years should suffice for most people. This may sound like an easy task, but make sure you’ve got gloves on before grabbing any tools. The last thing you want is a nasty cut from accidentally coming into contact with dirty metal shavings or sharp nails sticking out from inside those joints where two pieces come together (and there will be more than one).
You can solve several exterior wall maintenance issues with routine maintenance.
You can solve several exterior wall maintenance issues with routine maintenance. These include:
- Preventing water damage by preventing leaks, cracks, and holes in the walls or roof.
- Preserving the value of your property if you plan to sell it in a few years. A well-maintained home is more appealing to potential buyers than one that needs repairs.
- Avoiding mold growth on your walls (which could be very expensive to remove).
Conclusion
As you can see from this list, several exterior wall maintenance issues are easy to solve. If you want to keep your home looking good and avoid expensive repairs down the road, it’s important to know these fixes. Leilani Concrete And Landscape offer home renovation, remodeling services and also retaining walls west jordan.