Exterior painting in St. Petersburg, written for salt air

Why exterior paint fails faster on this coast

Pinellas County is a peninsula with the Gulf on one side and Tampa Bay on the other. Almost every house in it lives with salt air, strong sun, high humidity and a long storm season. Each one attacks paint in its own way.

Salt air

Salt spray dries into a fine film on walls, trim and railings. On the barrier islands it is constant. Paint applied over that film can lose its grip and start to peel early, so washing salt off and letting the surface dry is the first step of any exterior job near the water. Salt also corrodes metal, which is why rust streaks show up under railings, light fixtures and fasteners on coastal homes.

Sun

Florida UV breaks down the binder in paint. The surface chalks, colour fades and the film gets thinner. South and west facing walls go first. That is also why a dark accent colour that looked perfect in the store can look washed out within a few seasons here.

Humidity and mildew

Damp air and shade feed mildew, and mildew under fresh paint grows straight back through it. It has to be killed and cleaned off before painting, and shaded walls often call for a coating with mildew resistance built in. Humidity also slows drying, so the time of day a coat goes on matters.

Storms

From June to September, afternoon thunderstorms arrive most days. Fresh exterior paint needs dry hours before rain hits it. Then there is hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, which decides when long exterior jobs can safely run.

Stucco and concrete block, the Florida walls

Drive through Kenwood, Shore Acres or Pinellas Point and most of what you see is concrete block, often finished in stucco. A lot of painting advice online is written for wood and vinyl siding in colder states. Masonry behaves differently.

• Cracks. Hairline cracks in stucco let water behind the paint. They get sealed before painting. Elastomeric coatings, which stretch, are often used on stucco because they can bridge hairline cracks.
• Chalk and efflorescence. Old paint that has chalked, and white salty deposits that come through masonry, both stop new paint from bonding. Both are cleaned off and the surface is primed where needed.
• Porous block. Bare or patched block soaks up paint unevenly. A block filler evens it out so the finish looks right.
• Moisture. Masonry holds water after rain or washing. It has to dry before paint goes on.

What a proper exterior job involves

Whoever you hire, the job should cover these steps. Ask any painter you are comparing, including us, how they handle each one.

1. Wash the surface to remove salt, dirt, chalk and mildew, then let it dry.
2. Scrape loose paint, and repair or seal cracks in stucco and gaps around windows and doors.
3. Treat rust on metal, and spot prime bare wood, patched stucco and stains.
4. Protect plants, pavers, pools, screens and windows.
5. Apply coatings made for the surface and the exposure, at the coverage the manufacturer specifies.
6. Walk the job with you at the end.

HOA and condo colour approval on the islands

On St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Tierra Verde, Madeira Beach and the other beach towns, a lot of homes and condos sit inside an association with rules about exterior colour. Approval can take time, because some boards only meet monthly. If that applies to you, start the approval before you book the work, keep the approved colour names and codes in writing, and give them to your painter. We are happy to work from an approved palette.

When to schedule an exterior repaint

The easiest months are late fall through spring, when humidity drops and afternoon storms are rare. That window is also when the most people want their house painted, so calling early helps. Summer jobs are absolutely doable but run on early starts and an eye on the radar. During hurricane season, avoid leaving a house half prepped for days when a storm is in the forecast.

What exterior painting costs in Pinellas County

Price depends on the size of the house, the height, the surface, how much repair it needs and the coating.

Questions people ask