Paint Life Check: How Long Exterior Paint and Stain Last

How to read the paint life check

The years come from Table 16-4 of the Wood Handbook’s chapter on finishing wood. They are estimates compiled from many researchers’ observations for an average location in the contiguous United States; the handbook notes that the real life depends on climate and exposure. It also calls the Pacific Northwest a mild climate for finishes compared with places with severe seasonal changes.

Paint figures assume an ideal three-coat system: one primer and two top-coats. The handbook says a two-coat system, primer and one top-coat, cuts the service life to about half, which is what the check shows when you tick that box.

Texture matters. Saw-textured wood holds more finish and keeps it longer than smooth-planed wood, which is why saw-textured cedar shows the longest life for paint. Clear and lightly tinted water-repellent finishes last only a year or two on smooth wood but are easy to renew, especially on decks and fences; see Finishing a Deck or Fence in the Pacific Northwest: Stain, Paint and End Grain.

Exposure changes everything: paint on the north side of a house lasts about twice as long as on the south side. When the top-coats wear thin, one or two new top-coats over sound paint are often enough; see How Long Exterior Paint Lasts in Washington, and What Makes It Last Longer.

Wood Handbook Table 16-4: expected service life in years, with suitability