When my husband and I bought our home, we knew we wanted to paint the worn, slightly mismatched exteriors. We knew next to nothing about the process, but figured it couldn’t be too different from painting inside your house—right? Wrong. As we started planning, we learned that exterior house painting is actually a much bigger job than we expected.
Consider it a PSA (painting service announcement): Here are all the questions we should have asked beforehand.
What is the best time of year to paint the outside of my house?
According to Andre Kazimierski, CEO of Improovy Painters Denver, temperature and weather can impact how paint adheres to a surface. In other words, even if you’re ready to take the plunge and paint your house right this instant, it’s important to wait for optimal conditions. “Typically, your paint will list the optimal temperature range for a good coat,” he says. “General advice tends to be between 50 and 70 degrees, although 40 to 90 degrees will work as well.”
Can I paint the outside of my house myself, or do I need to call a professional?
Painting your own home can save time and money, but if you want to book a professional, know that it might be weeks (or even months) before they can start your project. “Too often we have people who call and want work done that week,” says Tila Lee, owner of Pretty in Paint. While some companies may be able to fit you in on short notice, Lee says it’s standard to wait at least two to four weeks—or longer, depending on your climate and the local demand.
How should I pick a color for the outside of my house?
When choosing exterior paint colors, another factor to consider is the rest of your home. You’ll want to make sure the color complements (or at least doesn’t clash with) your roof and any stone or brick, if you have them. If your stone is an earthy color like beige, for example, then Michelle Marceny, lead color consultant at The Color Concierge, recommends opting for earthy colors, such as warm whites and beiges.
Lee also recommends looking around your neighborhood before you commit to a color. You may not want to be the exact color as your next-door neighbors, but you also may not want to stick out like a sore thumb in a sea of neutral houses.
How do I know if I picked the right color for my home exterior?
Marceny says the most common mistake homeowners make with exterior house paint is picking colors that are too light. “The bright sunshine washes out paint colors,” she explains, adding that this is especially true with white paint colors and in sunnier areas, like the southern U.S. or in the mountains where the sunlight is stronger.
The key metric to be aware of is a color’s light reference value (LRV). According to Marceny, an LRV of 100 is pure white, and 0 is the darkest black. As a general rule, Marceny recommends an LRV between 70 and 75 for whites and an LRV between 60 and 70 for colors.
But definitely test your paint colors out! You can get away with a lighter color—or higher LRV—if your house doesn’t get much sun.
Can I use color matching for exterior paint?
Even though many companies claim they can match anything, Marceny warns against paint matching. “It’s not 100% accurate,” she says, warning that white paint colors are especially notorious for bad matches—they often turn green. Your best bet is always to choose a paint color from the company you plan to buy from to avoid surprises.
