Choosing the Correct Exterior Paint for Your Home
Choosing the right exterior paint for your Home by Greg Pelt of Superior Painting Company
Considering the expensive nature of paint, choosing the correct exterior paint is as important as surface preparation and the actual painting. These days, you may have to spend thousands of dollars to get the exterior of your house professionally painted. To get the most out of your money, painting should be done correctly so that it can last as long as it should. In order to choose the correct paint, you need to consider the color of the paint and decide whether to use an Acrylic Latex paint, Oil-Based paint or Exterior Stain. once you use high-quality paint that matches the color of your house and your environment, you will never regret the amount of money you have spent on it. Let as have a look at each of these factors that will influence the choice of the exterior paint you will use.
Color
The beautiful part of paint is supposed to show off the architectural features of your exterior. For you to come up with the best effect, you have to establish a vivid scale that guides you on which color to use on the different areas of you exterior. For example, green can be made to extend and cover all walls that are not stone. This includes half-wall, around the second-floor porch and the base of your bay windows. You can use white for the innermost trim and red for the rest of the trim.
The color scheme for your exterior should lean more on the colors that are already present in the immediate exterior environment. You can use the grey color wherever there are lots of stone and rocks. However, if you use excess grey, it will give a dismal effect. You can counter this effect with a warm rich color like burgundy red, which can be applied on the doors and windows.
To make your house look lighthearted, a light shade of a neutral color will never fail you when you apply it on the walls. In this case, you should use white for the window trim and other small details that do not belong to the structure. details such as barge board on the roof edge. white color will always look clean and fresh when used around windows. It helps to reflect more light to the interior. You can then use a darker color on add-on features such as shutters. This allows them to work as accents.
When you want to use blue, remember that it is not rooted on any earthy color. Therefore, it is a daring color to use for the exterior. If you have to use blue, make sure you use the grey shades to be on the safe side. Grey shades of blue usually resemble the colors of slate. Unlike the use of blue indoors where it creates a cool feeling, using blue outdoors has a lesser degree of this psychological effect. To be creative, you can combine blue with white and surround it with some greenery. This will make it look crisp and calm.
Acrylic Latex Paint
This is a favored choice for exterior surfaces for both DIY warriors and paint professionals. It is a water-based paint that is manufactured in lots of different colors with three finishes. The flat paint is commonly used for the interior because it has the least resistant against the elements. On the other hand, Satin, which is a slightly higher sheen is perfect for wooden sidings. Semi-gloss and gloss paint have the maximum resistance and work well when used on the window and door trim.
Acrylic latex paint area easy to work with and can be easily cleaned up with water. The paint film is always flexible even after the paint has dried out. Therefore latex paint can breathe and move slightly without breaking to accommodate changes in temperature. The acrylic latex paint is perfect when used to cover wood and sidings made of vinyl, fiber, aluminum, stucco, fiber cement, metal and bricks.
This type of paint always produces very strong fumes that can last from the time you open its container until the paint is completely dry. These unpleasant odors come from volatile organic compounds from which the paint is made. When in high quantities, these fumes are very toxic and pollutes the air. Another drawback of latex paint is that it does not bond well to previous coats of oil-based paint. This means that before you apply this paint, you have to do a thorough job in surface preparation. You must strip all the old paint off the surface, which is time-consuming.
Oil-Based Paint
This is an expensive and highly durable type of paint. It used to be the ultimate standard for outdoor painting and indoor areas that exhibit high traffic such as hand rails, doors and floor.
Oil based paint do not dry easily and they get harder with time. This makes them the perfect choice for high traffic surfaces. You can use oil-based paint on porch floors, metals handrails, steps, and even the front door. With time, oil-based paint may become brittle and crack, leaving and alligator effect. Oil paint should never be used on top of latex paint. These two types of paint never bond easily. If you need to use it to replace latex paint, a good job on surface preparation must be done. When painting using oil-based paint, you will have to use toxic solvents to clean the brushes and any other equipment that you have used with the paint.
Exterior Stain
You might want to let the natural features of food shine and at the same time, shield your investment from the effects of the elements. In such a case you will use Stain. You can use stain on various kinds of wood such as redwood, cedar, ash, and other beautiful varieties of wood. Generally, stain is less protective than the oil-based paint and latex paint. sunlight and harsh weather can penetrate stain and discolor the wood.
Stain is also manufactured in oil-based and latex versions. This means that you can not apply oil-based stain on surfaces painted with latex, neither can you apply latex stain on oil surfaces. Stain is manufactured in three finishes. The clear stain, semi-transparent stain, opaque stain. Clear stain is totally translucent. When applied on wood, you are able to see more of the wood. Clear stain needs to be reapplied after every two or three years. When choosing your favorite stain product, you need to experiment on a waste piece of wood shingle.
Semi-transparent stains are usually thicker and provide more protection, unlike clear stains. This is because a hint of pigment has been added to it to produce different colors. With this type of stain, the choice of color is almost similar to those of the latex paint. This type of stain should be applied within five to seven years. Opaque stains are more or less like paint. With opaque stains, you can get maximum protection from the elements. Unfortunately, much of the wood's look is hidden although you can still see the texture. They are manufactured in many colors just like paint and can last up to 10 years of more. Although staining may require frequent reapplication, they do not need as much surface preparation as paint. All you need to do is wash the surface and let it dry properly, then scrape any uneven or cracked areas.
Step by Step Process on how to paint the exterior of your home...
Here are some more great tips for painting the exterior of your home.
In conclusion, these are some of the most important factors that you must consider if you are to choose the correct paint for the exterior of your house. You must consider the color, and the type of paint you want to apply. Whether it is the Acrylic Latex paint, Oil-based paint or any of the different kinds of stain available for outdoor surfaces. The color of the paint is significant in that it shows off the beauty of the architectural features of the building in relation to the immediate environment. The Acrylic Latex paint is easy to work with and remains flexible even after it dries up. The Oil-based paint is thicker stronger and much more durable. You can use stain instead of paint when you want to see the beauty of your wooden surfaces and protect them from the elements at the same time. If you have any questions please feel free and give us a call!
SUPERIOR PAINTING COMPANY
Phone: (972) 617-2380
P.O. Box 2547
Red Oak, TX, 75154
ARTICLE SOURCES
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/pro-confides-his-best-tips-painting-exteriors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_paint
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