Colorado’s climate is brutal on your home’s exterior.  UV rays at altitude, freeze-thaw cycles, and the temperature extremes we’ve experienced this winter all contribute to the degradation of concrete, sealers, and exterior paints.  Late winter or early spring is the perfect time to walk around your home’s exterior to check for needed maintenance and repairs.

Driveways and Sidewalks

Pitting and spalling are signs of a weakened top layer of concrete.  If addressed early on, there are resurfacing and sealing systems which will halt the deterioration.  If left untreated, moisture and chemicals will penetrate through the damaged surface, increasing the deterioration to the point where replacement will eventually be the only option.

Stamped Concrete

If your stamped concrete looks dull, faded, or is chipped, it can be restored to its original beauty.  The process and expense to restore it, however, depends on how the color of your stamped concrete was incorporated into the original pour.  If the color pigment was integrally mixed into the concrete at the time of the pour, it can be brought back to life by simply cleaning and sealing the surface.  On the other hand, if the color was applied and troweled into the top layer using a color hardener and the color is chipping off, the fix is a more involved process.

Decorative Concrete

If left untreated and not regularly maintained, concrete and decorative concrete will crack, flake, and show signs of pitting and spalling.  Once open to moisture penetration, any concrete slab will be subject to freeze-thaw damage and rapid structural degradation.  All points for potential moisture penetration (cracks, pitted and spalled areas, etc.) must be filled with an appropriate filler, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned, recolored if necessary, and then resealed with an appropriate sealer.

Paint

If you notice excessive chalking or fading of color, cracks in substrates or between substrates, peeling, flaking, etc., it’s time to repaint!  Southern and western exposures as well as horizontal surfaces are more susceptible and will show signs earlier.  Typically, a quality exterior paint job should last five to seven years.

It’s important to maintain your home’s exterior coatings consistently and regularly.  Coatings are there for a reason – to protect the surface or substrate underneath.  When those coatings degrade, the surfaces beneath those coatings degrade as well.  It’s much less expensive to replace coatings than it is to replace siding, trim, or concrete!