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Exterior House Paint
Exterior house paint is formulated to stand
up to harsh outdoor conditions (direct sun,
rain, humidity, mildew, wide temperature
ranges, etc). Manufacturers generally offer
a range of products from adequate to superior,
with the better products being tougher, longer
lasting, and better covering. Since the main
cost of house painting is labor, unless you
want to change the color of your home frequently,
buy a top grade exterior paint (never use
interior paint outdoors -- it won't stand
up) and save yourself the cost and trouble
of frequent repainting.
Oil or Latex
Latex paint is the modern choice because
of its durability and easy clean up spills
and your painting tools(just soap and water). Latex comes in a variety
of acrylic mixes with 100% acrylic the most
durable. Oil paints dry to a hard and waterproof
surface, can adhere better and resist stain
better. However, that hard shell may cause
the paint to crack since it can't breathe
like latex paint; for that reason and because
of the advancements in latex durability,
oil paints are generally used only on trim.
Cleaning up your painting tools after using oil based paints and stains
requires a solvent.
To Prime or Not to Prime
Priming is the process of putting on a coat
of special paint before the top coat. Priming
paint is a thicker paint that covers, fills,
seals, and provides a good surface for the
top coat to adhere to. If the last coat of
paint is in good condition, you can generally
skip the prime coat (thus, a good reason
to repaint your house before the paint gets bad). However, primers lack
the durability of a good top coat, so follow
them up with a top coat of exterior house
paint.
Finishes
Paint ranges from flat to satin, semi-gloss,
and gloss. Flat finish paint, as the name
implies, has virtually no reflectivity, a
soft appearance, and thus the choice for
most houses with wood siding. At the other
extreme, gloss paint is very shiny. Not only
does the shine affect the color (the more
shiny the paint, the more it will pick up
other colors from its environment), but it
also brings out more surface imperfections
and may have to be sanded before applying
a new coat. Flatter paints are harder to
clean than glossier paints because the glossy
finishes do not absorb dirt as readily.
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