MAINTENANCE
“Do We Really Need to Paint?” By Jared Knight
P
erhaps one of the easiest things to defer when considering association finances is the repainting schedule. The reason is that many communities still look decent at their scheduled re-paint intervals. I’ve walked my share of projects where everything still looks really good on the day of inspection. Of course, there are exceptions like when very dark colors are used, or moisture is a persistent issue.
that takes priority. Perhaps the painting can wait another year. However, as a rule of thumb, sticking as closely as possible to the established painting schedule and performing the needed maintenance in between repaints is critically important to maintain the value of our communities. Maintaining the paint in our community is like maintaining our cars. We don’t expect our car to start driving dif-
"Maintaining the paint in our community is like maintaining our cars. We don’t expect our car to start driving differently at that recommended oil change threshold, but we know it needs to be done and we know the point is to change that oil before there are any negative issues." For the majority of associations, the light desert neutrals that are so popular here in the Valley tend to hold up really well. So, when the board stands back to assess existing paint, it can be tempting to ask, “Why in the world do we need to paint now?” There is, of course, some flexibility to the repainting schedule. If a board is struggling with a roofing emergency, then 42
Quorum September, 2018
ferently at that recommended oil change threshold, but we know it needs to be done and we know the point is to change that oil before there are any negative issues. The goal of paint maintenance and repainting is not only to keep the community looking nice, but to keep the surfaces protected adequately.
PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE Most of the time, proactive maintenance has more to do with managing the things paint is exposed to like water rather than simply repainting. The number one element that works against paint is excessive moisture. You may think, “Great! It doesn't rain here very often, we should be fine!” Unfortunately, the amount of rain is not the primary reason for water exposure. In the Valley, we see a lot of paint deterioration from misdirected sprinklers and overwatering.
STUCCO WALLS Frequent exposure to excessive moisture can lead to peeling or bubbling paint, mildew issues, efflorescence, and even stucco deterioration. This can happen to the surface with misdirected sprinkler spray. Adding to the problem, older communities were built before stucco weep screeds were standard. If you were able to read the article by Dan Stites “What the Heck is Stucco Screed?” from the July 2018 issue of Quorum, you know that stucco screed functions to let moisture escape from stucco walls. If your community doesn’t have stucco screeds or if they are
