Best Exterior Home Paint: Top Choices for 2024

Choosing the best exterior home paint involves understanding how it enhances curb appeal, boosts property value, and stands up to weather conditions. Here’s a quick snapshot if you’re in a hurry:

1. Best Overall Durability: Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex
2. Best for Budget: Behr Marquee
3. Top Fade Resistance: Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint

Boosting the curb appeal of your home is more than just aesthetic. It’s about picking the right paint that not only looks good but also provides protection from the elements and adds value to your property. The best exterior home paint offers a combination of durability, aesthetic appeal, and weather resistance, making it a smart investment for any homeowner. A high-quality paint job using well-chosen products can protect your home’s exterior from UV rays, moisture, and temperature changes, which in turn preserves your property’s value over time.

Selecting the right paint is paramount, whether you’re preparing your house for sale or just updating its appearance. Properly painted surfaces can prevent damage from weather exposure, potentially saving you thousands in future repair costs. Let’s explore the nuances of selecting the best paints that align with your needs for aesthetics, longevity, and protection.

Best Overall Exterior Home Paints

When it comes to the best overall exterior home paints, two products stand out due to their exceptional durability, impressive color retention, and ease of application. These are Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex and Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior Paint. Each offers unique benefits that make them top choices for homeowners seeking long-lasting beauty and protection for their homes.

Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex

Durability: Sherwin Williams Duration is renowned for its robustness. This paint is formulated to withstand harsh weather conditions without chipping, cracking, or peeling. It’s a popular choice among professionals and DIYers alike for its reliable performance over time.

Color Retention: One of the standout features of Duration is its superior color retention. This paint maintains its vibrancy for years, resisting the fading effects of sunlight exposure. This makes it an excellent choice for maintaining the aesthetic appeal of your home’s exterior.

Ease of Application: Duration is also praised for its ease of application. It’s a self-priming paint, which means you can apply it directly over a previously painted surface without the need for a separate primer. This saves time and effort, making your painting project more straightforward.

Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior Paint

Durability: Benjamin Moore Aura is another top contender known for its exceptional durability. It features advanced Color Lock technology, which ensures that the paint adheres securely to various surfaces, protecting against the elements in all climates.

Color Retention: Aura is designed to resist fading, keeping your home looking freshly painted for longer. The vibrant, true-to-sample colors do not fade, even under intense sunlight, ensuring that your home stays looking great.

Ease of Application: This paint is celebrated for its smooth application. It easily covers imperfections and offers excellent coverage with fewer coats, which means less work and a stunning finish.

Both Sherwin Williams Duration and Benjamin Moore Aura stand out in the market for their advanced formulations that cater to both aesthetic desires and practical needs. They ensure that your home not only looks appealing but is also well-protected against environmental factors, making them the best overall choices for exterior home paints.

Budget-Friendly Options for Exterior Home Paint

When it comes to painting your home’s exterior without breaking the bank, there are some standout choices that combine affordability, quality, and ease of use. Let’s dive into two budget-friendly options that are perfect for DIY enthusiasts looking to refresh their home’s appearance efficiently and economically.

Behr Marquee

Affordability: Available at Home Depot, Behr Marquee is priced to appeal to the budget-conscious homeowner. It offers a good balance between cost and performance, making it a popular choice for those looking to maximize value.

Quality: Despite its lower price point, Behr Marquee doesn’t skimp on quality. It’s known for its one-coat coverage promise, assuming the right conditions and colors are chosen. This can significantly reduce the amount of paint required and cut down on the labor involved.

DIY-friendly: With its user-friendly application, Behr Marquee is ideal for those who prefer to tackle painting projects themselves. The paint is designed to go on smoothly and cover evenly, which is great for amateurs aiming for professional-looking results. Plus, the one-coat coverage can be a real time-saver.

Valspar Duramax

Affordability: Sold at Lowe’s, Valspar Duramax offers another cost-effective solution for exterior painting projects. Its competitive pricing makes it accessible for a wide range of budgets.

Quality: Valspar Duramax is revered for its weather-resistant properties and excellent adhesion, which means it can withstand various climatic conditions without fading or peeling prematurely. It also offers superb coverage, which enhances its overall value.

DIY-friendly: This paint is formulated to be easy to apply, making it another great option for DIYers. It spreads evenly and consistently, reducing the likelihood of streaks or splotches, which can often frustrate less experienced painters.

Both Behr Marquee and Valspar Duramax provide homeowners with affordable, high-quality options for revamping their home’s exterior. They are particularly appealing to those who enjoy DIY projects, as both brands offer products that are easy to work with and yield reliable results. By choosing either of these paints, you can achieve a fresh, new look for your home without stretching your budget.

Top Picks for Specific Climates and Materials

When selecting the best exterior home paint, it’s crucial to consider the specific challenges posed by your local climate and the materials making up your home’s exterior. Different environments and surfaces require paints with specialized properties to ensure long-lasting protection and aesthetics. Below, we discuss top picks tailored for various climates and materials.

Best for Harsh Climates: PPG Timeless

For homes located in areas with extreme weather conditions—be it the scorching heat of the desert or the icy cold of northern winters—PPG Timeless stands out. This paint is celebrated for its durability and excellent weather resistance. It’s formulated to withstand the fading effects of strong sunlight and the damage caused by heavy rain and snow, ensuring your home’s exterior remains in pristine condition year after year.

Best for Wood Siding: Sherwin Williams Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex

Wood siding, while beautiful, requires a paint that can penetrate deeply and offer protection from moisture and pests. Sherwin Williams Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex is highly recommended for this purpose. It forms a durable, flexible barrier that moves with the wood as it expands and contracts with changing temperatures, preventing cracks and peeling. Its superior adhesion properties ensure that the paint lasts, maintaining the aesthetic appeal of your wood siding.

Best for Vinyl: Sherwin Williams VinylSafe SuperPaint

Vinyl siding is a popular choice for its durability and low maintenance, but not all paints are suitable for this material. Sherwin Williams VinylSafe SuperPaint is specially formulated to adhere to vinyl without causing warping or buckling, a common issue with standard paints that aren’t designed for the thermal expansion properties of vinyl. This paint comes in a variety of colors that remain vibrant, even under intense sunlight.

Best for Stucco or Brick: Behr Interior/Exterior Masonry, Stucco, and Brick Paint

Stucco and brick surfaces require a paint that can handle their porous nature and irregular texture. Behr Interior/Exterior Masonry, Stucco, and Brick Paint is tailored for these materials, providing excellent coverage and a breathable finish that helps prevent moisture buildup—a common problem in masonry materials that can lead to mold and deterioration. This paint ensures that your stucco or brick surfaces not only look great but are also well-protected from environmental elements.

Each of these products has been formulated to address the unique demands of different building materials and climatic challenges, ensuring that no matter the condition or construction of your home, there is an optimal painting solution available. By choosing the right paint, you safeguard your home’s exterior and enhance its curb appeal, making it stand out in your neighborhood.

Fade-Resistant and Long-Lasting Exterior Paints

When looking for the best exterior home paint that stands the test of time and maintains its beauty, focusing on fade resistance, longevity, and color stability is crucial. Two standout options in this category are Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint and Benjamin Moore Ben Exterior Paint. Let’s delve into how these products meet these critical criteria.

Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint

Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint is celebrated for its exceptional fade-resistant qualities. This paint is a top choice for homeowners who want to keep their exteriors looking vibrant year after year. Here’s why:

• Longevity: SuperPaint is designed with Advanced Resin Technology, enhancing its adhesion and overall durability. This technology helps the paint withstand various weather conditions, from intense sun to freezing temperatures, without peeling, cracking, or blistering.

• UV Resistance: The paint contains specific additives that effectively block harmful UV rays, preventing the color from fading. This is particularly beneficial for homes in areas with high sun exposure.

• Color Stability: SuperPaint maintains its color thanks to its high-quality pigments and resin technology. Even when exposed to harsh elements, the paint’s color remains stable, ensuring that your home looks freshly painted for longer.

Benjamin Moore Ben Exterior Paint

Benjamin Moore Ben Exterior Paint is another excellent choice for durability and aesthetic preservation. It stands out for its:

• Longevity: Known for its robust formulation, Ben Exterior Paint resists common problems like cracking and peeling. It’s a reliable choice for various exterior surfaces, ensuring long-lasting protection and beauty.

• UV Resistance: This paint is formulated with high-quality pigments that are engineered to resist fading under UV light. This makes it an ideal option for homes in sunny climates, where prolonged sun exposure is a concern.

• Color Stability: Benjamin Moore’s proprietary Gennex color technology ensures that the paint not only applies in a true color but also retains this hue over time. This technology minimizes color fading, keeping the exterior looking great with minimal maintenance.

Both Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint and Benjamin Moore Ben Exterior Paint offer solutions that address the challenges of maintaining a stunning home exterior in various climates and conditions. By choosing either of these products, you invest in a long-term aesthetic for your home, ensuring it looks inviting and well-maintained year after year.

As we continue to explore the best exterior home paints, let’s answer some common questions that homeowners might have when selecting the right paint for their needs.

Frequently Asked Questions about Best Exterior Home Paint

Which paint finish is best for exterior house?

Choosing the right paint finish for your home’s exterior depends largely on the durability you need and the look you want to achieve. Satin and eggshell finishes are popular because they help conceal surface imperfections and clean easily. Glossy finishes are less common for entire exteriors but are great for trim and areas that require frequent washing. However, they can highlight imperfections, so preparation is key.

Is Sherwin Williams exterior paint better than Behr?

This question often comes up among homeowners. Both Sherwin Williams and Behr offer high-quality paints, but they have different strengths. Sherwin Williams is often praised for its durability and extensive color options, particularly with lines like Duration and Emerald. Behr, on the other hand, is known for its Marquee line, which offers excellent one-coat coverage and is very DIY-friendly. The best choice depends on your specific project needs, budget, and whether you prioritize coverage over long-term durability.

What is the best quality exterior paint brand?

Determining the “best” can vary based on what you value most—durability, color range, eco-friendliness, or price. However, based on overall performance, customer satisfaction, and expert reviews, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore consistently rank at the top for the best quality exterior paints. Both brands offer products that provide excellent coverage, long-lasting durability, and resistance to weathering. For those looking for eco-friendly options, Dunn-Edwards provides high-quality sustainable paints.

As you consider which paint to use for your home’s exterior, the right choice often depends on a balance of factors, including climate, the material of your home, and how long you want the finish to last. Don’t hesitate to consult with a professional painter to get tailored advice for your specific situation.

Conclusion

Choosing the best exterior home paint is a significant decision that impacts not just the aesthetics of your home but also its protection against the elements and its overall value. At Earthly Matters Contracting, Inc., we understand the complexities involved in selecting the perfect paint for your home. Our team of experts is committed to guiding you through every step of this crucial process.

We highly recommend consulting with professional painters who can provide insights specific to your home’s environment, material, and your personal preferences. Our professionals are well-versed in the latest products and techniques, ensuring that you not only achieve the look you desire but also receive the best protection for your home.

For more detailed information and to see how we can transform your home with our top-notch painting services, visit our residential exterior painting services. Here, you’ll find more about what we offer and how we can help bring your vision to life.

The longevity and beauty of your home’s exterior require more than just buying paint; it requires expert application and an understanding of the materials and conditions. At Earthly Matters Contracting, Inc., we pride ourselves on our commitment to customer satisfaction and quality craftsmanship.

For any inquiries or to schedule a consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team is ready to assist you in making the best choices for your home and ensuring a smooth and successful painting project. Call us today and let us help you enhance the curb appeal and value of your property. Happy painting!