Painting the Exterior of Your Home

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Paint is an invaluable resource for homeowners. It is a quick and easy way to dress up, repair, and transform a home's appearance. Inside and out, it works miracles on old walls, helping to hide and disguise blemishes. Paint can aid in creating the illusion of a larger space, can help a room appear brighter, and can bring an older home up to date.

If completed correctly the first time, the exterior of our homes doesn't require fresh paint as often as the interior. Exterior paint is normally oil-based, and can withstand the elements for several years. The initial application is important. The painter needs to carefully caulk and prime the building, and then apply two or three coats of a good-quality exterior paint.

Choosing exterior colors can be a bit tricky. It never ceases to amaze me when I see an extremely loud and obnoxious paint color on a home. You wonder what possessed someone to paint their home a fluorescent green or turquoise blue. Whether they are color blind or simply hate their neighbors, here are a few tips to help you avoid this scenario.

• Take a drive; some of your best inspiration can come from simply taking a drive and observing how others have combined colors on their homes. We are instinctively visual, and being able to see a color already displayed can be very helpful.
• Try a test spot; once you have chosen a color, ask your paint store for a small sample that you can take home and apply to the building before purchasing all of the paint for the project. Paint almost always looks different applied to the building than it does in a brochure.
• Look online; utilize the handy brochures and websites devoted to presenting new ideas. You can gain a lot of inspiration from the color combinations put together by experts.

Street appeal is very important, both to our pride of ownership and for marketing our homes when we're ready to sell. A quality paint job can work wonders for your home. Request free estimates from prescreened painting contractors in your area today.

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