CHARLESTON, SC – September 02, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

Across Charleston-area subdivisions built between the mid-2000s and the late 2010s, the factory-applied color finish on fiber cement siding is now reaching or past the end of its typical 15-year warranted life. Wade Paint Co. is advising affected homeowners to repaint now, because doing it while the board underneath is still sound keeps the work an exterior repaint instead of a siding replacement.

Wade Paint Co. has handled exterior repaints across West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and James Island since 2019. The company bases the advisory on what its crews find in the field rather than a formal survey.

Fiber cement siding, a cement-and-cellulose board, has been the dominant exterior cladding in Charleston-area new construction since the mid-2000s. Some of it arrives already colored, the finish baked on at the factory rather than brushed or sprayed on at the house. James Hardie sells that pre-finished option under the name ColorPlus, with separate warranties on the finish and on the board underneath.

The finish is covered by a 15-year prorated limited warranty against peeling, cracking and chipping. Prorated means the value of that coverage declines every year it is in force.

The board itself carries a separate 30-year non-prorated limited warranty that holds its full value for the entire term. A house built in 2009 has run out the finish warranty and still has more than a decade left on the board warranty.

Because production subdivisions go up in tight phases rather than one house at a time, whole streets cross that 15-year mark within a year or two of each other. Carolina Bay in West Ashley is one example the company points to. The community holds more than 1,800 homes clad in cement plank siding, built from late 2008 through build-out in 2020, and its earliest phases are now 15 to 18 years old. Other Charleston-area communities built in the same years are on the same clock.

Coastal exposure pulls that timeline forward. Salt particles carried inland settle on painted surfaces and draw moisture out of the air. That weakens the paint film and brings on early fading and chalking, the powdery residue that comes off on a hand run along the siding. Homes in coastal and high-humidity climates generally need exterior repainting every five to seven years, well inside the 15-year finish warranty.

Once a coating opens up, fiber cement absorbs moisture through exposed cuts and damaged edges, and swelling and cracking follow. At that point the job is a board replacement, a far larger project than the repaint that would have prevented it.

The company is licensed, bonded and insured and was named a Charleston’s Best Finalist in 2022 and 2023. Exterior work carries a two-year limited workmanship warranty that covers peeling, blistering or chipping caused by defective workmanship on vertical surfaces where the company supplied the materials.

“The board on most of these houses is fine. The paint that came on it has aged out, and that is the part you can still get ahead of.” Elliott Hall, owner of Wade Paint Co., said homeowners often miss that difference. “We get the call after the coating has already split and water has been sitting behind it a season or two. By then we are pulling boards off the wall. Anybody in a neighborhood that went up around 2009 ought to walk their siding this year.”

Recent Charleston-area projects and customer feedback are posted publicly. Homeowners can request an exterior estimate by calling (843) 474-5353 or visiting https://wadepaintco.com.

About Wade Paint Co.

Wade Paint Co. is a licensed, bonded, and insured residential and commercial painting company founded in 2019 and headquartered at 10 Wesley Dr, Charleston, SC 29407. The company serves homeowners across the Charleston, SC metro area, including Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, Daniel Island, James Island, Sullivan’s Island, and the surrounding communities. Services include exterior painting, interior painting, cabinet refinishing, deck and fence staining, pressure washing, wood rot repair, and historic home restoration. Wade Paint Co. was named a Charleston’s Best Finalist in 2022 and 2023 and has earned more than 100 five-star reviews. More information is available at https://wadepaintco.com.

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For more information about Wade Paint Co., contact the company here:

Wade Paint Co.
Elliott Hall
(843) 474-5353
contact@wadepaintco.com
10 Wesley Dr, Charleston, SC 29407

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