Exterior Painting Tips: A Guide for Pittsburgh Residents

At ImageWorks Painting, Inc., we take pride in our deep-rooted expertise in the painting industry. Throughout our history, we’ve spent countless hours diagnosing paint failures for our customers and offering solutions to prevent these issues from happening again.

Pittsburgh’s climate presents unique challenges for exterior painting, including humidity, rain, snow, and fluctuating temperatures. Without proper preparation and paint selection, homeowners may find their fresh paint peeling, cracking, or fading sooner than expected.

A well-executed exterior paint job enhances durability, aesthetics, and home protection. This guide will cover key preparation steps, paint selection, ideal weather conditions, application techniques, maintenance, and common mistakes to avoid. Whether you're a DIY homeowner or considering professional painters, these tips will help you achieve the best results.

Prepare Your Home for Exterior Painting

Cleaning the Surface

Proper preparation ensures better paint adhesion and longevity. Even if a surface looks clean, it’s likely covered in contaminants that can affect paint adhesion. In Pittsburgh, wet and humid spring and fall seasons, combined with hot and dusty summers, create the perfect conditions for organic growth like mildew and algae. Additionally, surfactants like dust, pollen, and exhaust fumes accumulate on all outdoor surfaces. Depending on the level of contamination, you may need anything from a simple pressure wash, to a chemical cleaner, or in some cases even aggressive hand scrubbing. One thing is certain—don’t skip this step…it’s crucial for long-lasting results.

Repairing Damaged Areas

Inspect your home’s exterior for cracks, wood rot, and caulking gaps. Addressing these issues before painting prevents further deterioration and ensures a longer-lasting finish.

Scraping & Sanding

Old, peeling paint can ruin the longevity of your new coat. Whether it’s done by scraping, sanding, power washing, or chemical stripping (or most likely a combination multiple of these), removing any loose or damaged paint is essential before moving forward. The rule is, paint is only as good as the surface it’s applied to.

Choosing the Right Paint for Pittsburgh’s Weather

Best Types of Exterior Paint

100% acrylic paints with antimicrobial additives are ideal for Pittsburgh’s climate due to their durability, UV resistance, flexibility and resistance to moisture, while oil-based options provide excellent adhesion for specific surfaces and make better primers over bare wood and ferrous metals in some situations. Additionally, surfaces previously painted in glossy finishes and many factory-finished metals (roll-coats, fluoropolymers, etc.) often have a shiny finish that can prevent the new topcoat from bonding properly. Use a deglossing agent, sandpaper, or specialty surface prep tools to remove the sheen. A bonding primer may also be necessary for proper adhesion.

Weather-Resistant Paint Formulas

Look for paints with mold and mildew resistance, UV protection, and fade resistance to withstand Pittsburgh’s weather fluctuations.

Top Brands for Pittsburgh’s Climate

With so many options available, selecting the right paint can be overwhelming. But when it comes to quality, you often get what you pay for. Good paint not only looks great but performs over time. Consider factors like color and gloss retention, flexibility (important in freeze-thaw conditions), washability, moisture resistance, and VOC levels. At ImageWorks, we prefer specialty supplier paints like Sherwin-Williams and PPG over big-box store brands, as the extra upfront cost proves to be money well spent.

Ideal Weather Conditions for Painting in Pittsburgh

What is the Best Time of Year to Paint a House?

In the Pittsburgh area, all seasons bring their own difficulties and advantages. Spring (May-June) and early fall (September-October) generally offer paintable conditions, but often times you’re stopped by rainy conditions or waiting for surfaces to dry. Summer allows longer painting days, but you have to be cautious of hot surfaces causing paints to dry too quickly. Hot days can also make it very difficult to get a good-looking finish.

Temperature and Humidity Considerations

Avoid painting during extreme temperatures or high humidity, which can affect paint drying and adhesion. Never paint when the temperature is within 5^oF of the dew point. Lastly, some high quality acrylic paints can be used down to 35^o, while others require at least 50^o. The rule on cold temperature use is the paint should be used only when both the surface and ambient temperature are above the minimum required temperature of the paint and climbing, and will not drop below the minimum temperature for at least 24 hours after application. With the rapidly changing and inconsistent weather patterns of Pittsburgh and Western Pa, it’s important to really keep your eye on your weather app when making painting decisions.

Avoiding Rain Damage

Check forecasts before starting your project to prevent rain from ruining freshly applied paint. If unplanned rain hits your paint, it could sag and/or run down the wall. If your paint has dried to the touch but not cured and it gets rained on, you may see a phenomenon called surfactant leeching, which presents as color spots all over the surface. Surfactant leeching happens when moisture (rain or dew) pulls the tint to the surface of the paint where the water sits. People understandably get very worried when they see this, thinking their new paint is ruined and will need repainted. The vast majority of the time, a little patience will fix this as future rains will wash away the color spots (or a light power wash after the paint has cured for a month).

Application Techniques for a Long-Lasting Finish

Primer Selection & When to Use It

Priming is essential for raw wood, stucco, and many bare surfaces, enhancing adhesion and improving coverage. Primer is not normally necessary on good condition, low-sheen, previously painted surfaces.

Brush vs. Roller vs. Spray Painting

For rough or porous surfaces like wood, cedar, or brick, spraying the paint is usually the best option to achieve an even coat. Be sure to follow up with a back-brush or back-roll to ensure the paint penetrates the surface for maximum adhesion. For smooth, non-porous surfaces like aluminum or vinyl, spraying alone is sufficient—brush strokes or roller marks can create an uneven finish and cause the surface to get dirtier faster.

One Coat, or Two?

Despite common misconception, two coats of paint is not always better. There is a saying in paint, “thin to win”. The idea of adding additional coats of paint to an already painted surface often times causes more harm than good. The first time a surface is painted, you almost always want two coats of paint. On subsequent repaints, you only want the amount necessary to produce a great visual appearance. Extra coats won’t make it last longer (if applied correctly), but they will cause premature peeling after multiple repaints.

Maintenance Tips to Extend Paint Life

Annual Inspections

Regularly check for signs of peeling, chipping, or mold growth to address issues before they worsen.

Regular Cleaning

Wash dirt and pollutants off painted surfaces using a mild detergent and water to maintain a fresh look. Aggressive pressure washing is not a good idea… treat your paint job delicately.

Touch-Ups and Repainting Timeline

Pittsburgh homes typically require repainting every 10-15 years, depending on exposure to elements, age of the home, and paint quality.

Hiring a Professional vs. DIY

When to Consider a Professional Painter

For complex jobs, high elevations, or large-scale projects, hiring a professional ensures a high-quality result. A good professional crew may get done in a few days what a homeowner will spend a summer’s worth of weekends to do.

How to Choose a Reputable Painter in Pittsburgh

Check reviews, verify licenses, and assess past projects before hiring a professional painter. Above all, understand that a painter “being insured” is not a one-size-fits-all statement. Liability insurance is inexpensive and doesn’t cover the homeowner from liability if a worker is hurt on their property. MAKE SURE that your painter carries Worker’s Compensation insurance. If you’re contractor tells you they don’t need it because they have their workers “carry their own insurance”, they are transferring the bulk of financial risk to their customer. See our more extensive blog on contractor insurance here.

Common Questions about Exterior Painting

How often should I repaint my home’s exterior in Pittsburgh?

Most homes need repainting every 10-15 years, though there are situations where a home could need attention every 5-7 years depending on age, weather exposure and paint quality. Additionally, some paint jobs with high quality materials and the right conditions could go well over 15 years before needing a recoat.

What type of paint holds up best against Pittsburgh’s weather?

10% Acrylic latex paint with mold, mildew, and UV resistance is ideal for Pittsburgh’s climate. Look for high end options from Sherwin-Williams and PPG Paints.

How can I prevent mold and mildew on my home’s exterior in Pittsburgh?

Regular cleaning, using mold-resistant paint, and proper ventilation help prevent mold and mildew buildup. Additionally, keeping large shrubbery and trees a good distance from you home helps tremendously.

Make Your Home’s Exterior Look Like New with These Tips

By following these exterior painting tips, Pittsburgh homeowners can achieve a durable and aesthetically pleasing finish. Whether you choose to DIY or hire a professional, the right preparation, materials, and maintenance make all the difference.

For expert services, consult your favorite exterior painter in Pittsburgh (that means ImageWorks!!) to ensure a professional, long-lasting paint job. If you’d like peace of mind knowing that your project is being handled by a team of reputable professionals, give us a call or fill out the form below—we’re happy to assist you! Schedule an estimate today!