You know, even though Granny always warned us not to judge a book by its cover, we seldom heed that advice. And it’s not just books we’re getting judgmental with. It’s movies and restaurants and even potential mates! Not even the outside of a house is free from judgment these days!

Be honest. How often have you looked at your neighbour’s house and wished they’d fix their paint-peeling eave? Or been turned off a place at an inspection because the paint on the outside walls made it look run-down, only discover it was a palace inside? Or maybe it’s your house that is getting under your skin with paint that’s started to chalk and fade.

Silly as it sounds, the exterior of a home can make or break it – particularly when it comes to selling. But the harsh nature of the Queensland climate—hot humid temperatures, monsoonal wet seasons and the salty sea air on the coast—can make exterior-paint choice one of the most important decisions you can make.

If your home is looking a little worse for wear, we’ve diagnosed some of the common problems causing your shabby exterior that’ll make your next paint choice a little more straightforward:
Cracking/Flaking is the splitting of a dry paint film through at least one coat.
Causes
-Painting under hot or windy conditions that make water-based paints dry too fast.

Efflorescence/Mottling is crusty, white salt deposits, leached from mortar or masonry as water passes through it.
Causes
-Excess moisture escaping through the exterior masonry walls from the inside.

Fading is premature or excessive lightening of the paint colour.
Causes
-Use of a paint colour that is particularly vulnerable to UV radiation (most notably, certain bright reds, blues and yellows).
-Use of an interior grade of paint for an outdoor application.

Tannin Staining is the brownish or tan discoloration on the paint surface due to migration of tannins from the substrate through the paint film.
Causes
-Excess moisture escaping through the exterior walls, which can carry the stain to the paint surface.

Mould is black, grey or brown areas on the painted surface.
Causes
-Forms most often on areas that tend to be damp, and receive little or no direct sunlight (the underside of eaves are particularly vulnerable).
-Use of low quality paint.