Peeling paint is a symptom
When paint peels, the first question isn't which paint to buy. It's why the old coat let go. Paint fails for a handful of reasons: water getting behind it, a coat put over a dirty or chalky surface, too many layers built up over the years, or a new paint that couldn't grip an old glossy one. Repainting without dealing with the cause gives you the same peeling within a few seasons, and paying for the job twice.
That's why peeling exteriors cost more to repaint than sound ones. Most of the extra money goes into diagnosis, removal and repair, not into the topcoat.
Where water comes from
NOAA's engineering weather data for Moody AFB/Valdosta lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 100 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.3 inches per hour and about 11 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Those are design figures for rare extremes, but they're a fair reminder that walls take rain from the side as well as from above.
Signs that water is the culprit:
- peeling concentrated under leaking gutters, at the bottom of siding, or around window sills;
- blisters with water inside, or bare wood showing under the paint;
- paint peeling outward from a bathroom or kitchen wall, where indoor moisture passes through.
Fixes like gutter repairs, flashing, caulking and exhaust fans may fall outside the painter's job, but a good painter will point them out, and they should come before paint.
Scraping, sanding and stripping
The price of a peeling exterior depends heavily on how much paint has to come off. Light peeling needs scraping and sanding of the edges so the new coat lies flat. Widespread failure may need stripping down to bare wood on whole sections, with heat tools or chemical strippers, which is slow work. Ask the painter to show you which areas they'll scrape and which they'll strip.
Repair and priming
After removal, rotten wood is replaced and smaller defects filled. Bare wood is primed with a product chosen for the wood and the old coatings. Edges of sound paint next to bare areas are feathered so the topcoat doesn't telegraph them. Spot-priming adds labour; full priming adds labour and material. Our surface preparation guide explains why primer matters.
Lead-safe work on older houses
Removing failed paint is the kind of work the federal lead rule addresses. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. EPA lists Georgia among the states that run their own EPA-authorized programs.
On a house built before 1978, lead-safe exterior work usually means sheeting on the ground, wetting paint before scraping, limits on open-flame burning and high-speed power sanding, and collecting debris carefully. That slows the job and adds disposal. You can ask the painter whether the firm holds RRP certification.
The topcoat
With the cause fixed and the surface sound, the topcoat choice is straightforward: a good exterior acrylic, usually two coats over primed areas. Our exterior painting page covers product classes.
What moves the total
- how much of the house is peeling, and how badly;
- whether stripping to bare wood is needed;
- amount of wood replacement;
- lead-safe set-up and cleanup;
- access to second-floor walls.
Comparing proposals
Ask each painter what they think caused the peeling, how they'll remove failed paint, what repairs are included, and how they'll handle lead-safe work. The pricing guide explains how a heavy-prep job compares with a simple repaint.