Best Exterior Paint For Houses

What Is The Most Popular Color For A House Exterior

The most popular color for a house exterior is Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams. The creamy off-white exterior color looks great on every type of siding including wood, vinyl, brick, fiber cement, and stucco. Alabaster also works as a siding or trim color so it’s quite a versatile exterior paint color as well.

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How To Choose The Right Color

Use your house and its surroundings as your guide.

House: Pick complements to colors that already exist on your home, such as a honey hue on a cedar-shingle roof, red on a brick foundation, or gray on a stone stoop.Neighborhood: Survey your block. Painting your house a tropical turquoise among a sea of gray and beige will make it stand outin a bad way. A muted blue or green would be a better fit but still distinguish it. Landscape: Play off nature. A light green, for instance, might be just the ticket for a property thick with trees and sun-dappled shade, while a dusky ocher would complement the sun-scorched deserts of the southwest.Weather: The farther south you go, the more intense the sun. So use bright, saturated colors that won’t appear washed out in the harsh light. In wintry northern climates, where the landscape is leafless and the sky is gray for much of the year, cooler hues prevail.

Paint Coating For Your External Walls

The best paints for outside walls often have a high resin content, which provides exceptional elasticity flexibility and good adherence. Polite, Alkyd, Polyester, and Acrylic are some reasons for different coating systems. Exterior wall coatings are cosmetic treatments designed for masonry surfaces outside a building. Outside wall coatings assist in creating an appealing finish to the exterior of a structure while also allowing for longer life spans, making them often highly hard-wearing and durable. Acrylic paint is a good option since it is UV resistant. However, paint deteriorates when exposed to wind, rain, humidity, and sunshine over an extended period. Choose paint that is resistant to the predominant weather condition. For example, use oil-based paints to defend against wind and rain if it rains for most of the year.

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The Best Exterior Paint In 202: Our Top 13 Picks

With so many options to choose from, you may be wondering how to narrow down the giant list of the best exterior paint choices to ensure youre selecting the best exterior paint for your specific home, location, and needs. Were here to help you with that step, too.

Here we provide a few quick tips on things to consider when choosing from the wide range of paint options on the market. You want the best of the best for your exterior paint joband well help you narrow it down!

The 16 Best Sherwin Williams Exterior Paint Colors For 2023

Are you considering repainting your homes exterior in the year ahead but unsure what shade to select? Dont worry our roundup of the best Sherwin Williams exterior paint colors for 2023 is full of inspiration. To compile this list, we examined the colors were loving right now that we expect to remain popular in 2023, as well as hues were excited to use more often going forward.

Whether you want to see what your home could look like painted with a trending Sherwin Williams shade or are interested in updating other aspects of your exterior, our designers are here to help. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.

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The 17 Best Exterior White Paint Shades For Your Home

Choosing to paint the exterior of your house white may seem simple, but white is more complicated than you might at first think. White paint comes in many shades and tones, and some colors that look wonderful indoors are too bright for an exterior.

Dont worry if this seems complicated, were here to help you find the best exterior white paint for your project!

Best For Stucco: Behr Indoor/exterior Masonry Stucco & Brick Paint

Courtesy of Home Depot

Size: 1 gallon | Coverage Area: 250-400 square feet | Color: White | Finish: Satin

• Longer drying time

• Coverage may take more paint than anticipated

If you’re looking to freshen up your exterior painted stucco, then youre going to need a product like the Behr Premium Masonry, Stucco and Brick Paint. This paint comes in flat and satin finishes. It has an alkali- and mildew-resistant finish, an ideal option for new or weathered stucco.

This self-priming latex paint provides excellent adhesion, water-repellency, and color retention, and you can get up to 400 square feet of coverage per gallon. Its available in both 1- and 5-gallon containers. It’s so durable that Behr offers a 20-year satisfaction guarantee.

For superior coverage, easy application, and long-lasting durability, you can’t go wrong with the BEHR Premium Plus Exterior Paint and Primer in One . However, if you’re hoping to minimize costs, the Diamond Brite Oil Base All-Purpose Enamel Paint is another solid choice, although it has a longer dry time since it’s oil-based.

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The Best Exterior Paint For Dessert/high Sun

If you live in Arizona, Texas, or another similarly hot region, you know how quickly a brand-new paint job can fade. Its disheartening to go to all the trouble to paint your whole homes exterior while knowing it will fade in a couple of years.

But fortunately, a few paint brands such as Benjamin Moore and Behr have developed the best exterior paint formulations that are resistant to fading. If youre looking for a type of paint that will keep your dessert-region home exterior looking freshly painted for many years to come, look no further than these two paints below.

9. Aura Exterior Paint Flat

The Aura Exterior Paint Flat has Benjamin Moores Color Lock technology that allows colors to appear rich even in bright sunlight and comes with superior fade resistance. If you live in a place like Arizona, or even if you just dont have any trees or tall buildings around and want the best exterior paint that will hold up to frequent sunshine, then the Aura Exterior Paint Flat is a great choice for you.

Aura Exterior Paint is available in other finishes besides flat, but flat is an excellent choice for sunny areas to reduce glare. And while flat has more microscopic surface area on which mold and mildew could try to grow, you dont have to worry about that so much if your main concern is hot sun exposure.

This paint is 100% acrylic and available in thousands of colors from Benjamin Moore.

10. Behr Marquee Flat Exterior Paint and Primer

Best Aerosol Spray Paint

Aerosols are something Ive been using a lot of lately. I like using them for smaller bits of exterior trim such as hanging basket brackets, garden furniture, door knockers, planters and various other bits. I have used many brands over the years, but the best by miles is Maston 2K.

Available online, this is the only multi-use 2K product of its type. It does come with a primer, but to be honest, the topcoat bonds to pretty much any surface unaided. Being a 2K product, Maston is perfect to use outside the home. The finish is not only flawless, but its also resilient to toxins such as petrol and oil.

We do have a full review, which you can see here.

I wont spend too long on each of these.

The best exterior caulk Ive ever used is Onetime from Ciret. Not because of the application or the aesthetics, but because I know it will not fail over time as other products will.

The best masking film I have used is Indasa Coverall. This is a blue plastic film with masking tape at the top. You simply roll it out over a window, door, or whatever else you want to cover, cut it to length and unfold the plastic. Electrostatic will cause the film to drop flush to the surface long enough for you to tape around it.

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The Bottom Line On The Best Sherwin Williams Exterior Paint Colors For 2023

Earth tones, near-black hues, and greiges are among some of the shades we plan to see lots more of in 2023. We hope this roundup has provided you with plenty of inspiration for your exterior home project.

If your home is due for a fresh coat of paint or other exterior updates, enlist our team of expert virtual designers to help. Get started today.

Bright And Cheery Yellow

A light yellow hue is cheery and inviting and is always a solid choice for house owners. Accents of white and gray can make the yellow stand out even more. Yellow plays nicely with greenery surrounding the homea healthy green lawn, a stand of trees, a well-manicured landscape, and a cottage garden.

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Best Overall: Behr Premium Plus Ultra Pure White Exterior Paint And Primer In One

Size: 1 gallon | Coverage Area: 400 square feet | Color: White | Finish: Semi-gloss

• Paint and primer in one

• Can be applied in temperatures as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit

• May require second coat for even coverage

• Goes on too thick for some

What do buyers say? 52,900+ Home Depot reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

If you’re looking for exterior paint that makes your work easier, our best overall pickBEHR Premium Plus Ultra Pure White Exterioris an effective two-in-one paint and primer. You can skip the priming step altogether with this product, saving your time and energy. This 100 percent acrylic paint is also long-lasting, resists stains, mildew, peeling, and fading, and is Greenguard Gold Certified .

This sleek low VOC paint is available in semi-gloss, flat, and satin finishes and is suitable for numerous applications, including many types of sidings, stucco, brick, and fences. Maintenance is easy, too: Use soap and water to clean the surface. One coat should be all you’ll need to touch up any nicks or scratches. Although, you may want an additional coat for the best coverage.

While the price is pretty consistent with others on our list, it might add up quickly if you have a large surface area to paint. Depending on application and surface porousness, a 1-gallon can cover about 400 square feet. This dual paint and primer is also available in 1-quart, 1-gallon, or 5-gallon containers.

Exterior Wall Paint With Elongation Qualities

Internal tension has often been recognised as a significant cause of deterioration of the paint used for the exterior wall. The flexibility and tensile strength of various kinds of coatings vary greatly. As shown by epoxy, acrylic, and Poly siloxane coatings, high-strength films are less flexible. The polyurethanes were very malleable. As a result, elongation qualities become vital in the choice of exterior paint. The elongation of material establishes its flexibility and, as a result, its capacity to withstand deformation without breaking. Combining a high ultimate tensile strength with a high elongation results in materials with a high degree of toughness.

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Finding The Best Quality House Paint

The premium line from any manufacturer will almost certainly cover better and last longer than its less-expensive versions. Because the expense of painting is mostly in the labor, it makes sense to buy premium paint. But suppose you plan to move or want to change the color scheme of your home in the next few years. Here’s where you can save with a midlevel paint that’s backed for 10 years or so versus 15 or more for many top-of-the-line paints.

“We find customers really don’t believe warranty claims,” says Lane Blackburn, vice president of architectural marketing for Sherwin-Williams. “But they do use the warranty as a guide to quality.” For example, Ace Hardware, like most retailers, offers two exterior-paint lines: Royal Shield and Quality Shield .

There are other ways to pick quality exterior paint out of a lineup:

Proper pigments. Quality pigments allow a good paint to cover fully with just one coat. Paints with lower-cost pigments often must be applied in several coats. That means more work, which makes buying low-quality paint a poor financial decision. The best pigment is titanium dioxide. Look for it when ingredients are listed on the can.

Watch Now: Exterior Paint Colors And Design Ideas For Your House

Here are 20 gorgeous exterior house color scheme ideas that might spark your vision for your home.

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Like A Cracked Desert Scene

Its hard to take it seriously when you joke like that, smiles Sarah.

Jason smiles back bashfully. I cant help it, they just pop out before I can stop them. Also, it wasnt really a joke. The last painter didnt use one of the best exterior house paints. Its obvious with these cracks in our paint.

Sarah sighs. Well, I guess nows a great time to switch to the trending exterior house colors for Ann Arbor. Guess we should start shopping for a better local painting contractor.

First, we need to find out which paint to use, points out Jason. We should make sure theyre using quality paint this time. Sarah pulls her phone out. Then lets get on Google. We should be able to find an answer there.

Heres what the couple finds out:

It Helps You Get A Better Price On Your House

When your homes exterior is in tip-top shape, it may have a significant influence on its worth. So, if you are going to place your house on the market, painting your outside walls is a terrific approach to boost your propertys worth. It may also raise the desirability of your home to prospective purchasers tenfold.

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Best Exterior Paints From Consumer Reports’ Tests

These finishes from Behr, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and other brands last longest and resist grime the best

When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission.Learn more.

Exterior paints have improved significantly over the past several years. In the past, very few formulas would be aesthetically intact after nine years, mainly because they begin to crack. Today, most paints resist cracking and fading so well that they could last longer than a decade.

Still, there are considerable differences among the 16 products in Consumer Reports exterior paint ratings.

To determine which paints are likely to last the longest on your house, CRs test engineers paint pine panels and place them on the roof of our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters, where they sit for three years. Panel boards are positioned to face south and are tilted to intensify the effects of sun and weather. One year of CRs severe testing is equivalent to about three years in real time. The results give a sense of how paints will look after nine years on a house.

How To Choose An Exterior Paint

Painting the exterior structures of your home isnt always a small task. The job also takes money, time, and hard work, so you want your paint to last as long as possible. That way, you dont have to deal with the same process too soon. This is why its vital to choose the best exterior paint to ensure the longevity of your paint job.

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Best For Brick: Romabio Bianco White Limewash Interior/exterior Paint

Courtesy of Home Depot

Size: 1 gallon | Coverage Area: 200-450 square feet | Color: White | Finish: Matte

• Variable coverage per gallon

• Application process might be confusing

Painting the exterior of brick homes is a popular trend. If youre hoping to transform your masonry, the ROMABIO Limewash Interior/Exterior Paint is specially designed for the job. This product is an authentic slaked-lime paint that allows brick, stone, and other masonry surfaces to breathe, reducing moisture build-up. Its UV-resistant and durable, resisting peeling and chipping.

This zero-VOC formula has a flat finish that emulates the natural limewash look of historic Europe. You can use a garden hose or spray bottle after painting to achieve this style. One gallon covers up to around 450 square feet and dries in 10 to 60 minutes, depending on the conditions.

Types Of Exterior Paints

When it comes to painting the exterior of your home, appropriate surface preparation is important. Furthermore, the type of paint matters as well. So, heres your guide to the different types of exterior paints that you can buy, as well as the right type of surface each of them should be painted on:

Acrylic paint

In essence, acrylic paints are water-based paints but with added acrylic that works as a binding agent. This type of paint is known for its durability and versatility. It is long-lasting, flexible, and best used on porch floors, drywall, plaster, stucco, and siding, whether its wood, aluminum, or fiber cement. When you shop for acrylic paint, youll also find a few varieties including acrylic latex enamel, acrylic enamel, and acrylic latex.

Latex paint

There is actually no latex in latex paint as it only refers to the water-based paint. It is very easy to work with and dries more quickly than oil-based paints, although not as durable. But the best exterior latex paint has undergone many improvements and can be used outdoors like your porch or fences. When used with a paint sprayer, it can deliver an even, smooth finish.

Oil-based paint

The most durable among the three, oil-based paints create a strong and long-lasting finish, making it an ideal option for a variety of exterior projects. For years, oil-based paints have been the get-go choice for many exterior paint jobs, but the only downside is that they take longer to dry than water-based ones.

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