How often should you repaint a house exterior?
Updated July 2026
Most homes need an exterior repaint every 5 to 10 years, but the honest answer is set by your siding, not the calendar. Wood clapboard and cedar want fresh paint every 3–7 years, stucco holds 5–10, and fiber cement can run 10–15. Sun exposure, moisture, and the quality of the last job move those numbers as much as the material does. Treat the coat as a maintenance layer with a job to do (keeping water out of the substrate) rather than a color you refresh when you are bored of it.
What changes the interval
| Your situation | Interval | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wood clapboard or cedar | Every 3–7 years | Wood moves with moisture and pushes paint off; it is the highest-maintenance siding |
| Stucco | Every 5–10 years | Masonry-friendly elastomeric coatings bridge hairline cracks and last on the longer end |
| Fiber cement (Hardie-type) | Every 10–15 years | Factory-primed board holds paint a long time; often just touch-ups between |
| Aluminum or vinyl siding | Every 8–12 years if painted at all | Usually left unpainted; repaint mainly to change color or after heavy fade |
| Brick with painted finish | Every 8–12 years | Breathable masonry paint only; the wrong product traps moisture and spalls brick |
| South and west walls (heavy sun) | Touch up 2–3 years early | UV chalks and fades those faces well before the shaded sides |
| Trim, fascia, and doors | Every 3–5 years | High-wear, high-exposure details fail before the main field of siding |
The cost of skipping it
What skipping it costs: once paint peels or cracks, wood siding and trim start drinking rainwater, and wet wood rots and invites carpenter ants and mold. Prep alone balloons on a neglected surface: a repaint that would have been mostly washing and coating turns into scraping, sanding, priming bare wood, and replacing rotted boards. A straightforward full exterior repaint runs $3,000–10,000+ (roughly $2–5 a square foot); let it go to bare, rotted wood and you add carpentry and can double that. Repainting on schedule is cheaper than repainting plus rebuilding.
How to do it (Multi-day job · DIY or $3,000–10,000+ pro)
- Do the yearly walk-around and note chalking (a powdery film on your hand), fading, hairline cracks, and any peeling or bare wood.
- Test a suspect area: if you can scrape a curl of paint off with a fingernail, adhesion is going and it is time.
- Prioritize the sun-beaten south and west walls and all trim, which fail first.
- When you repaint, wash first, scrape and sand loose paint, spot-prime bare spots, and caulk failed joints before the topcoat.
- Use a quality 100% acrylic exterior paint rated for your substrate; the coating is what buys you the extra years.
- Repaint before the old coat fails completely; painting over sound paint is a fraction of the work of stripping to bare wood.
Knowing the interval is the easy half. OnOtto reminds you at the right interval, and it won't let you snooze it into next year. Tasks persist until they're done, and completing exterior repainting schedules the next one automatically.
Put this on autopilot, free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
Can I just repaint the sun-beaten side of the house?
Yes, and it is often the smart move. South and west walls take the UV beating and can chalk and fade years before the shaded north and east sides. Repainting just those faces (plus all the trim, which also fails early) can stretch a full-house repaint out considerably. The catch is color match: paint fades over time, so a spot repaint in the "same" color can read as a patch. Buying a little extra and doing whole wall planes, not partial patches, keeps it looking intentional.
How long does exterior paint actually last by quality?
The paint itself is a smaller variable than prep and substrate, but it matters. Budget contractor-grade paint on wood might give you 4–6 years; a premium 100% acrylic properly applied over sound, primed wood can hold 7–10. On fiber cement or stucco, quality coatings reach the 10–15 year end. The bigger lever is prep: washing, scraping, priming bare spots, and caulking. A great paint over a bad prep job still peels early, which is why the cheapest repaint is rarely the cheapest over a decade.
What are the signs it is time to repaint?
Chalking (a chalky residue on your palm when you rub the siding), noticeable fading, hairline cracking of the film, and paint that peels or curls when you scrape it. Bare wood showing through, especially on trim and window sills, is a do-it-now signal because the wood is now unprotected. Gaps opening at the caulked joints often show up at the same time. Catch these at the yearly walk and you repaint sound siding; ignore them and you are into scraping and rot repair.