Can You Paint New Construction?

Question

I just purchased a house that is new construction. Some people are telling me not to paint for the first year because the place needs to settle and there may be cracks. Others are telling me to go ahead and paint. Any advice on what I should do?

Answer 1

I presume that you are talking about the exterior...stucco?

Assuming so, it is completely ok to paint in the first year. That said, there is a probability of stucco cracking. And, of course, when it does, you'll want to patch/caulk the cracks, then repaint/touchup. You can avoid much of that by trying an elastomeric paint, which actually has a rubber-like, stretching quality, and will completely hide smaller cracks that develop after the house is painted. It also is a much more durable paint, and will repel water, etc...

If, on the other hand, you are talking about the inside, there is no reason not to paint immediately...

Answer 2

I've been in this business a long time, and I assume that the contractor at least primed the entire interior,,,IE: White, and certainly since you don't describe the siding, I can't say what you should do other than if it's brick leave it alone. If it's any other material,,,IE: Block, shakes, planks for siding it should also be primed at the very least.

I can't imagine a professional organization selling a house unpainted in or out, or at least they should have primed everything.


Part of the question is too vague to judge.

Wait to paint??? Hmmm I don't know where you got that info, but it couldn't have been from any reputable contractor, and certainly not from anywhere that paint is sold.

Settling? Hmmmm. Not knowing what the house is built on, Slab, foundation blocks, wood pilings, etc, Or the land it's on, I have to say that a certain amount of settling is possible, hopefully not enough to open wide cracks anywhere, or you better get that contractor back.

Beyond that, there is caulk, etc sold for the purpose.

Waiting is silly, as the house ages, no matter its construction, some wear lines, cracks, flaws, will present themselves anyway, just from normal, unseen, unoticed shifting, slamming of doors, etc.

Rev. Steven

Answer 3

Go ahead and paint, the house may settle the first year, but these areas are easy to patch prime and repaint unless you have a major foundation problem in which case you would have a good case against the contractor!

Answer 4

It is best to get a protective barrier on new construction before the elements do damage. On exterior you need to first prime all bare surfaces (I recommend re-priming all surfaces for a better base for the paint to bond to), followed by 2 finish coats of quality paint or stain.
Interior you must wait a minimum of 3-5 days if plaster. If drywall prime right away, then sand. If you can do this before you put up the trim it will save you the time of cutting in along all the trim. You want to prime interior walls before caulking the trim to the walls to give the caulk a better surface to adhere to.
When dealing with pressure treated wood, you must wait for it to dry. I recommend about 6 months of fairly good drying weather.

Answer 5

You can go ahead and paint anytime you like. However, if the material being painted has cement in it (e.g., render, or mortar joints in brickwork) you will have to wait around 28 days for the alkalinity in the cement to settle down, as it may cause the paint to separate from the material it is applied to.

Answer 6

Of course you can paint! These days, new construction, if done properly, won't settle enough to cause cracks. However, even if it does, you can spackle those and repaint!

Answer 7

If you are talking exterior I have heard that but while you are waiting for it to dry out it can be damaged. You can use a wood preservative or use a oil base primer and add turpentine to it, maybe half pint to a gallon. Then you can wait to top coat it if you want

Answer 8

Paint whenever you want too!...the walls weren't bare when you moved in were they?