The best exterior paint
Picking the best paint colors for your property’s exterior is a process that involves more than finding the right colors because not all exterior paints are equally suited to different surfaces. Before we get to our recommendations, here are some things to keep in mind.
Latex-based exterior paints are generally the best choice for outdoor painting projects like a home’s walls and trim. Latex paints dry quickly, imperfections caught during the process are easy to clean, and latex paint expands and contracts well with seasonal temperature changes. However, it will bubble and peel if applied over existing oil-based paint.
As for the finish, it’s mainly a matter of aesthetic choice, but there are a few things to note. Gloss paints are the most resistant to damage and the easiest to clean, but a gloss finish shows imperfections and looks out of place when used on a larger scale. Gloss or semi-gloss paints are ideal for window trim and doorframes, while semi-gloss is a good choice for exterior doors, provided the door to be painted is in good condition. This is also a good choice for brick, as it helps seal the porous material.
Eggshell finish exterior paint, also often called satin finish, is well suited to vinyl, wood planks, or fiber cement siding that’s newer and/or in good repair.
Flat paint finishes are generally less popular for exteriors these days, with one exception: Older homes, or those with a fair amount of wear-and-tear and imperfections on the exterior regardless of age, can benefit from the flaw-masking ability of flat paint finishes. Flat paint probably won’t last as long as glossier options, but it can make the place look better in the shorter term, and it’s easy to touch up
Ideas for Your Exterior House Colors
Painting your home is a big investment and there are a lot of exterior house colors to choose from. Because of this, it can be hard to choose what color to paint your home. But we’re here to help. We’ve compiled this list to not only get you excited about painting your home’s exterior, but to also help guide your thinking process.
Exterior house colors that will make you want to paint
Here’s a list of the trendiest house paint colors that will inspire you to move ahead with your painting project. You’ll notice we also included a Pinterest link so you can get an idea of what these best exterior house paint colors look like in real life.
There’s a lot of debate over the perfect white for your home’s exterior, but you can’t go wrong with a classic, crisp shade, especially with a pop of color on your front door
A shade of ivory for your exterior paint gives you the sleekness of white without its harshness.
Taupe paint comes in a range of tints, like green or grey, making it easy to totally customize your home’s exterior.
Painting and product advice
When to paint
The temperature of your house affects the performance of paint. The wall temperature can vary from the weather temperature and must be above 10°C and below 35°C throughout the painting process. You should generally avoid painting in extremely hot or cold conditions. If it looks like rain, remember the painter’s rule; if you wouldn’t hang the washing out or wash the car, don’t paint outside.
Using acrylics in hot weather
Most acrylics are touch dry in twenty minutes at 25°C and 50% humidity, this means the hottest weather in the summer months will accelerate the drying process. To slow down the drying rate, Hot Weather Thinner may be added to the paint at the rate of 50ml per litre
Here are some tips for painting in summer:
Don’t paint in direct sunlight or onto a hot surface.
Try to follow the shade where possible.
You can add up to approx 5% water to your paint to change consistency.
Use 2 brushes. Keeping one in a bucket of water and alternating them, stops them drying out.
Choosing enamels or acrylics for exterior use
We would generally recommend the use of acrylics in exterior situations. As oil based enamels age they become very brittle and chalky and therefore have a tendency to crack and flake off the surface. Acrylics, however, retain their colour better, do not chalk to any great extent and do not become brittle, giving a longer lasting, more durable paint finish.
Preparing the room
If you haven’t already done so, take down curtains, mirrors and pictures. Move lightweight furniture out of the room. Cover remaining furniture with plastic sheets or drop cloths and tape plastic around pendant light fittings. Or if painting outside, tie back plants so you have clear access to the areas to be painted.
Most Important Things to Consider When Buying Exterior Paint
Whether you just bought a home or want to change the looks of your existing residence in Horsham, PA, painting the exterior of your home comes with a wide range of benefits. It increases the curb appeal and the value of your home prevents water and mildew damage and gives your exterior a fresh new look. In short, exterior painting is the most inexpensive and transformative renovation you can do your home.
But before those transformations happen, you have a few choices to make –and the most important decisions include picking the paint and paint color. While the color you want to use on your exterior primarily depends on your preferences, there’re a lot of considerations you should keep in mind when choosing the actual product –the paint. Here are 5 things you should consider when buying exterior paint.
Durability
Unlike the interiors, your home’s exterior is exposed to the most damaging factors such as rain, harsh UV rays, frost, sleet, strong winds, and insects. The durability of your exterior paint, therefore, will determine how well your paint job stands against these elements. If you’re going to spend a large amount of money painting your exterior, you want to make sure that it lasts longer.
Endurance
This goes hand in hand with durability. Good quality paint should be able to endure a wide range of abuses. For instance, harsh stains such as red lipstick should be easy to clean using water and soap. Good quality paint also has high rub resistance –which means it can better withstand scratching, wiping, and friction in high-traffic areas.
Better coverage
High-quality paint offers better coverage (hide) of the previous wall color with minimal coats. Many top-of-the-line house paints even have priming qualities, which means a single coat can go a long way in hiding the previous hues. Exterior paints with great coverage are also best at disguising underlying flaws, such as small nicks or dents in the siding. With a well-prepped surface and good primer, high-quality paint should not require more than two coats to have the job done.
Things You Must Know When Painting Your Home’s Exterior
House painting should be done professionally because it not only preserves your house, but beautifies it. Exterior home painting gives your house its final appearance while also adding value. It is very important for a home owner to carry out thorough research on how to paint your home’s exterior. You need to be sure about the exterior home painting cost, your budget, and the exterior paint color scheme you are using. The outer walls should be painted with great care just like the interior walls.
The following are the major things that you must know when painting your exterior to ensure that you get good results from the painting company you choose.
Only Qualified Painters Can Give Good Results
Just because your friend or family member is a painter doesn’t mean that he or she will give you a great service. You need to ensure that your home’s exterior is painted by reputable painters from a reputable painting company. It is wise to go for a painting company that you are sure their painters have adequate skills and experience on exterior house painting. If you are not sure you should call at least three painting companies that you feel can give good services and consult them. It is important that price is not the only consideration when planning for exterior home painting.
Always Use Quality Paints
Use only quality paints from reputable paint manufacturers to ensure that you have exterior paint color schemes that matches with your home and the surrounding environment. Avoid cheap paints that will fade shortly after painting leaving your house looking worse than even before it was painted.
Ensure That The Walls Are Well Cleaned Before Painting
How clean your house exterior walls are determines the outcome of painting project. It is therefore important to ensure that the walls of your house are well cleaned before they are painted. Always ask whether the painting company that you are about to hire offers power washing before painting.