If the old paint isn’t peeling, new paint on top won’t damage it. HOWEVER, the new paint might not adhere well to the old stuff, and peel off in a year or two. In my opinion, best practice is to scrape any loose paint off, and sand the edges of the painted areas smooth. Prime the areas to be painted (it will help new paint adhere to old), then finally paint the areas with new paint.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
19 points (100.0% liked)
Home Improvement
12025 readers
133 users here now
Home Improvement
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Before sanding, seeing the age of the building, and considering this is exterior paint. Make sure there isn't a layer of lead paint in the mix.
Don't get swabs they suck. Either get it tested by a lab, or get a methylammonium bromide based detector from detectlead.com or similar.
I would recommend power washing to remove any peeling paint and grime. Then sand/fill/sand the necessary spots. You can safely paint over the old paint as long as the old paint's adherence to the wood is good and your new paint will stick to it. If in doubt start with a primer coat. The primer coat would probably be recommended for the patched areas anyway.