Exterior Painting, The Visually-Appealing Maintenance

Exterior painting is a lot more than just maintenance. Applying a quality paint job on a house does more than simply improve its overall aesthetic. A quality paint job will protect a home from the elements thus increasing overall longevity and decreasing the need for repairs. Plus, if your house is for sale, it will also signal to prospective buyers that the home is well taken care of on the outside – which is usually synonymous with care on the inside. That’s curb appeal for you.

It is easy to assume that all paints are relatively similar to one another in this aspect, but experience shows that opting to go with cheaper alternatives usually increases the maintenance needed over time on top of increasing the need to reapply paints in the near future. Going with the cheaper and shorter lifespan paints is a double-cost burden undertaken in order to save money in the short term.

When you are taking the lifespan of a home and its repairs, decades typically, these burdens stack upon one another. A good well-applied paint job utilizing high-quality paints will save you countless dollars and hours of effort down the road.

Paint as a Maintenance Tool

Exterior paint on a home works a bit like your skin. It isn’t the toughest material, and it won’t stand up to direct damage well – but it helps shield the wall from the regular day to day damage of weathering, temperature changes, and sunlight. For example, without a good paint job, stucco is in danger of water seepage, a common cause of significant structural damage.

Good quality paint will also help reduce the risk of rot, mold and mildews on wood. Most exterior surfaces will last longer and look better when properly treated with paint. This ensures your building retains its value longer with less cost and may even help you avoid significant structural damage entirely.

Paint as a Curb Appeal Booster

Paint not only helps strengthen the resilience of your home, but it also improves its overall curb appeal. Though this may seem straightforward, it can actually get quite complicated. As any artist will tell you, color and style choices can have a significant effect on the viewer’s perception.

Many studies have been done, evaluating how color affects people’s perception. In a study called the Impact of Color in Marketing, up to 90% of first impressions made about products are based on color alone. The response to a color is dependent on the viewer’s relation to that very color. However, there is no denying that it has a dramatic effect on one’s initial impression of what they are looking at. Your house is no different.

A clean, bright and lively color will likely impress upon viewers those same feelings – making a home seem both more alive and welcoming.

Painting your house is one of the most suggested methods for a quick price boost by appraisers. Paying for a pro paint job can often return exponential returns on investment when putting a home on the market.

Choosing the Right Paint Color

Look at it in the Right Light

This is a relatively common mistake, even amongst professional designers. Your exterior paint will, of course, be on the outside of your home. If you are looking at swatches in indoor lighting rather than sunlight, you are likely looking at it with a skewed perception. You should make sure to examine and evaluate your colors in the same light as it will be viewed when applied – in this case in sunlight.

Pick the Right Color Scheme (Hint: Contrasting Colors Work)

Contrasting your primary color with the doors, windows, and trim will make those features pop. This method provides a good starting point when choosing a color scheme. It has been shown that better defining architectural features in this way typically leads to a bump in valuation.

Be Aware of the Permanent Features

Look at the environment your home is in. The features on it that won’t be painted, the landscape, etc. Make sure the colors you pick match with the surrounding area. If you want them to clash, you have to do so in a stylish way. Do you want something that really stands out, without looking garish? It may be best to get a professional consultant or maybe do a little test Photoshopping. Luckily, we do both of these things.