The sun provides the world with warmth, food, and abundant beauty. However, its powerful UV rays can wear down the many buildings people have built. The paint peels, roofs lose their shingles, and siding fades.
Fortunately, it’s possible to protect your home’s exterior from the sun. Continue reading below to learn how you can safeguard your house!
Protecting the Siding
The trick to protecting the house’s siding is to repaint the surface. Choose a UV-resistant paint and a high-quality brand that’s more likely to retain a vibrant color over time. The fresh paint will erase previous years of damage and let you start fresh with a coat of paint you can trust.
Another benefit is that you can pick a brand-new color to paint your house! Although white and beige are the most common choices, there’s no limit to the colors you can choose.
Protecting Brick
Many houses use solely bricks or both brick and siding in their composition. Bricks are notorious for absorbing heat and holding it. Direct sunlight only expedites the damage to bricks.
Painting
One solution is to paint the bricks a lighter shade. Dark colors will consume the sunlight. You’ll feel it in the temperature of the house, and you’ll notice the effects of fading outside. White, ivory, beige, and light gray are some options to spark painting ideas.
Limewashing
Another alternative to painting is the process of limewashing. The inexpensive treatment uses heat-treated powdered limestone added to water. It’s a centuries-old technique that preserves the look of brick buildings.
Limewashing every five to seven years will protect bricks from UV damage, rain, and harsh storms. It’s important to remember that limewashing will slightly alter the bricks’ color. Don’t be surprised if the bricks appear a shade or two brighter than before.
Staining
If you love the rustic color of the bricks, perhaps painting or limewashing aren’t favorable ideas. The last option to protect your home’s exterior from the sun is to stain the bricks.
The stain establishes a strong barrier that’ll stand up against moisture and UV rays. Not to mention, staining will maintain the adored shade and look of the naturally textured bricks.
Protecting the Roof
Roofs take the bulk of the UV rays. The angled surface catches sunlight all day long.
Homeowners with metal roofs may need to paint an existing metal roof to minimize the visibility of sun damage. While it’s highly unlikely to fade, a touchup of PVDF resin-based paint is the strongest option that adheres to metal and supplies unmatched UV protection.
Asphalt roofs might not have much luck at a makeover. When it’s time to install a new roof, you can opt for a lighter color to reduce heat absorption and fading. You can also plant trees around the house to increase shading and minimize sun damage.
