Exterior painting is something most homeowners will need to deal with every few years. Most homeowners will need to repaint their home every 8-12 years to protect the surfaces, seal all joints, and help keep up the look of the home. Depending on the type of siding you have and the age of the home the years between paint jobs can vary a lot. It is always better to maintain your home rather than wait for something to go wrong. Maintenance is always less expensive than fixing major issues.
Getting Started with Exterior Paint
So you want or need to get the exterior of your home painted. Now what? You can call your friends and family and see who wants to give up a few days to come help you prep and paint your home. You can tackle the project on your own and it may take a few weeks to complete. Or you can call a professional painting company that does this work all the time.
Our Favorite Exterior Paint Brands
Customers often ask us why we like to use Sherwin Williams paint for exterior painting. They wonder if we get special discounts or kickbacks for selling their paint. The answer is we get special pricing that we pass along to our customers but it is not less expensive than other brands of paint.
The reason we like to use their products is because we don’t have issues with the paint. The products work very well and cover very well in two coats. Sherwin Williams will always take good care of our customers if they ever have any problems and we can’t say that about many of the other paint companies. Our business is built on taking care of customers and Sherwin Williams is always willing to do the same.
Key Considerations for Exterior Paint
When choosing an exterior paint you want something that will hold up to our weather in the pacific northwest. It needs to resist fading, and mildew, and be easily cleaned. Every paint brand makes different levels of exterior paint. Some paints are made for builders to use on new homes that are not meant to last very long. Other paints are high-end products that may be good in some circumstances but not always the right fit for your home. We always try to recommend the paints that will hold up the longest for your siding. You don’t need to always buy the most expensive paint to get great results!
Our Picks for Exterior Trim Paint
We have been using Sherwin Williams Duration paint on trim for many years now. It is a very high-build paint that is easy to clean and lasts for many years on trim. It may not be the best paint for all types of siding but for gutters and trim it is hard to beat!
Our Preferred Exterior Paint for Wood
If you are painting wood siding we normally recommend paint that is not too thick. Why do we recommend not using the thickest paint? If you put many layers of paint on wood siding it will eventually start to get paint blisters in many cases. A thinner build paint like Sherwin Williams Super Paint will help avoid some of these issues. If the home already has multiple coats of paint it may not matter which paint you choose as it may have problems beyond your control.
Some customers choose to use a solid color stain on older wood siding to help avoid paint blisters. Solid stains are great as they are very thin but they typically only come in a flat sheen so they won’t clean well or resist fading.
The Best Exterior Paint for Siding
Fiber cement siding is extremely popular these days. It has been around for over 20 years now and does extremely well in our climate. It loves to be painted and does not have many of the problems that wood siding does. You can paint fiber cement siding with almost any product so we recommend using Sherwin Williams Super Paint or Duration as they will both hold up great. Darker colors are likely to fade faster than lighter colors so that is something to keep in mind.
Exterior Painting in the Portland, Oregon Area
When getting your home painted you need to understand that the prep work is everything. Yes, you need to apply two coats of paint but the level of prep is what makes the job last longer. Cleaning the home the correct way is critical for adhesion. Prepping the peeling areas and caulking correctly are so important. Do not take on painting your own home unless you really understand what goes into doing it right.
