The exterior of your home has a lot to do with how people perceive it – and even the way you relate to the home, yourself.

In a strictly financial context, your home’s “curb appeal” is largely driven by the way it looks from the street – and even the most elegant, stylish, comfortable, and appealing home can be badly let down by exterior features that make it look less well-maintained than it actually is.

Exterior home painting is just one way of ensuring that you can keep your home looking its best at all times, and this can have major benefits ranging from financial benefits if and when you plan to resell, to the more personal and immediate benefits that come with feeling happy about the place you live, and having the sense that it represents you well.

So, if you’re interested in exterior home painting, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Home Exterior Paint Ideas

When it comes to painting the exterior of your home, the first thing to keep in mind is that there’s a particular process to follow, if you want the paint job to be done effectively and without a hitch, and to last for a good length of time.

Here are some home exterior paint ideas beginning with the right process to follow in order to ensure the job is done properly.

The Right Painting Process To Follow

For a paint job to be done well, it’s essential to start with a clean surface. The most efficient way to make sure that your exterior siding is thoroughly cleaned is by using a pressure washer with appropriate detergent.

It’s important here to pay attention to some details, starting with the nozzle that you use. Concentrated steam has the potential to damage wood, break windows, and seep under lapped siding -- so you need to mind your aim.

On surfaces that aren’t experiencing significant paint flaking or peeling, washing with a regular scrub brush and garden house will work. And trisodium phosphate might prove to be a good cleaning agent.

Once the exterior of your home is clean, you need to make sure that you apply primer before getting down to the real painting itself, particularly when it comes to painting over bare wood, new wood, or painting over bright or dark colors.

Primer will help your new layer of paint to stick to the surface properly and will lead to a more uniform and aesthetically pleasing appearance.

When it comes to the painting itself, you should begin by painting the siding first, starting at the top and working horizontally as you go down. A scaffold is a much safer option than a ladder here. Always be extremely careful when working at any sort of heights. One slip can have devastating consequences.

After the siding, move on to painting the windows and trim. Be sure to leave the windows slightly open after painting to avoid them sticking in place.

You should paint the foundation last.

Paint Selection

The paint you choose to use for the exterior of your home will largely be down to personal preference, although it’s important to make sure that you choose a paint that is actually suitable for the outdoors, the kind of material that you are painting on, and the weather that you are expecting the paint to be exposed to over time.

Home exterior paint ideas, beyond this, will largely be a matter of color choice.

Some people find that having their home painted in fairly conventional colors is the most aesthetically pleasing thing for them, while also helping to keep the house’s curb appeal up, and ensuring that it blends in with the general atmosphere of the neighborhood.

Then again, other people like their homes to be colorful and to stand out – including on the outside. In this case, we encourage you to still go with a more neutral house color, but then opt for bright and bold colors for the trim, whether a blue, red, green or any number of other options.

Cost To Paint Exterior Of Home

The cost to paint the exterior of your home will, of course, depend a lot on the size of your home first and foremost.

Nonetheless, HomeAdvisor.com states that the average cost to paint the exterior of a home ranges from $1,775 - $4,314, with the average price per square foot ranging from $0.50 to $3.50 depending on the condition of the exterior, and the location and accessibility of the home for painting.

Of course, the Covid pandemic has caused all sorts of supply delays, and cost increases, so don’t be surprised if the cost of painting your home exterior ends up being more than you think. Talk to your builder about this, as they’ll have a pulse on what the current market is doing right now. 

Conclusion

Exterior home painting can make a major impact on the aesthetic appeal of your home, the price it will fetch on the market, and how comfortable you will feel living there.

The specific style that you choose to go for when painting will largely be a matter of personal taste, although it’s important to follow the right pre-painting routine, and to be aware of the average costs involved in the whole process. If you’re working with Bianchi-Tillett Developers to build your new custom home, you’re in good hands. They work with excellent home painters and always focus on quality. Contact us today for a free consultation.


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