How to Choose the Right Paint Finish for Your Home Exterior

We love helping our clients select the best paint and finish combination for their home exterior. The right finish can help your exterior paint last for years to come.

It’s important to know the different finishes available to you. We like to refer to finishes as sheen types, and these range from flat to high-gloss. The most popular sheen types are:

1. 1. Flat
   2. Eggshell
   3. Satin
   4. Semi-Gloss
   5. Gloss
   6. High-Gloss

As you can see, the glossier the sheen, the more reflective it is. It has that shiny, mirror-like appearance. Whereas the flatter sheens are more matte-like and don’t reflect much light. It gives off that subdued, traditional look. The sheen type also plays a role in color richness. The flatter the finish, the lighter the color looks, and the glossier the finish, the darker the color looks. If you were to view the same color but in different sheens, you’ll see the color gradient of high-gloss to flat go from dark to light (as seen in the images above).

Now that you understand the different sheen types and how their finish impacts color intensity based on their reflectivity, let’s discuss how we match a paint finish to exterior spaces—starting with the home’s exterior body.

The exterior body should be painted in a flat finish because this finish is less reflective and can hide the natural imperfections seen in the siding. This is true for any siding type, like hardy-plank, wood, stucco, synthetic stucco, etc., you name it; it should have a flat finish.

Whereas the exterior trim should be painted with a glossier finish, these areas help the smaller surface stand out and allow easier maintenance. As gloss finishes are easier to clean and last longer than flat finishes.

However, there is an exception to this rule. If you want to save money and like the white farmhouse look, you can paint the body and trim the same white glossy finish. This can be a massive savings of over 50%.

A frequently asked question clients ask is how often do I need to repaint the exterior of my home. The truth is it depends on the climate, quality of paint used, paint finish, paint color, sun exposure, routine maintenance, and surface type. However, we can give you averages to help you ballpark how long your exterior will last.

In general, the glossier the finish, the longer the paint will last compared to a flat finish. Also, the lighter the color, the longer the color will last. Here’s the paint-life forecast keeping these factors in mind:

• • Decorator colors
    • These are usually on-trend colors, like your current navy, black, green, etc.
    • Trending colors usually last 5 years because of color trend changes, so normally, people repaint not because of finish degradation but to update the color. With high-quality paint and routine maintenance, these trendy colors can last up to 10+ years; however, you may see color degradation in 7 years with darker colors.
  • Flat-like finishes can last up to 10+ years; however, with direct sun exposure, the color will fade more quickly than on other sides of the house. You’ll know it’s time to repaint because you’ll see a chalk-like substance on your hand after you touch the paint. This happens because the sun and exposure to the elements break down the paint to its mineral form, which is why you get that chalk-like substance on your hand. As mentioned before, the lighter the color, the longer the color will last.
  • Glossy finishes can last longer than flat-like finishes, about 12-15 years. You’ll know it’s time to repaint because you’ll see its reflectivity decrease, and the color won’t be as vibrant. And same goes for glossy finishes; the lighter the color, the longer the color will last compared to darker colors.
  • Usually, metal-painted finishes, like downspouts, will need to be painted way before the body or trim. Painted metal surfaces don’t hold up well to the sun and environmental exposure for long periods of time.

So, to sum up. You’ll want the body of your home to have a flat finish and your trim spaces a glossy finish (except for white on white, you can paint the entire exterior in a glossy finish). If you want to keep your paint color looking fresh, you can plan on repainting every 7-10 years. If you want to protect your paint finish from wear and are ok with some color degradation, you can plan on repainting every 12-15 years.

Keeping your exterior looking fresh is the most effective way to boost your home’s curb appeal. At CertaPro CSRA, we make it easier than ever to give your home a makeover without hassle, headaches, or worries.

Our team of highly experienced exterior painting professionals delivers the highest quality results so you get a final product you can be proud of and that your neighbors will envy. Click here to learn more about our exterior painting services or click the button below to schedule a free, no obligation estimate!