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
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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.