When you pull up to your house does it make you smile? Do you love what you see?
Or does it make you cringe a little bit? Does it look kind of shabby? Do you wish you could improve the way it looks?
A quick way to improve the overall feel of your house is to repaint it. The fresh coat of paint will bring new life and a whole new energy.
Read on to find out how to pick the best exterior paint for your house.
If you have any questions regarding painting the exterior of your house, call Paisley Painting today.
When Painting is an Option
Now, admittedly, paint is not a cure-all for exterior problems. But there are certain situations where paint can make the difference you are looking for.
So how do you know when you need to repaint?
Some indicators of needing new paint are when there is obvious, visible damage to the current paint. This includes chipping, cracking, and missing sections.
You will also know that it is time to repaint if the color has faded or your tastes in color has changed.
Best Exterior Paint Qualities
For an exterior paint job to be successful, you have to choose the right house paint. What you need from an exterior paint is quite different from what you need for an interior paint.
The most important thing to factor in when choosing the best exterior house paint is the climate. Since the paint is going to be constantly exposed to the elements, it is important to pick a paint designed to withstand those specific things.
Exterior paints are made with different bases for this very purpose. Often a latex base is recommended because of its ability to expand and contract with the changing temperatures.
Latex paint also has the great ability to be washed clean without damaging the finish. This is obviously very helpful for an outdoor space that will inevitably get dirty.
Variety of Sheens
Just like interior paints, exterior paints come in a variety of sheens. Sheen is the amount of gloss in a paint, the higher the gloss the shinier the finish.
Just like the paint base, different sheens offer different benefits for the space. Let’s go over some of the options.
- High-gloss is the shiniest with a high reflective quality, this makes it easy to clean
- Semi-gloss is the next level down and offers the wipeable quality of high-gloss with less of the reflection.
- Satin loses most of the reflective quality but is still very washable and durable.
- Eggshell is very similar to satin but slightly closer to a matte finish.
- Flat has no reflective properties which makes it very hard to wipe clean and all scuffs or dings show.
The sheen of the paint is always important no matter the project, but is especially critical on exteriors because of the light outside. If you pick too reflective, it won’t look right in the sunshine. The most commonly recommended sheen for exteriors is eggshell or satin.
Next Step: Color
Deciding to paint the exterior of your house is a big one. It will be an investment that will make a huge difference in the appearance of your home, so you want to choose the best exterior paint.
Once you’ve made the right choice for base and sheen, you’re on to the trickiest part: color! Look through our site for advice on picking the best color!
