Selling Your Home? An Exterior Paint Job Can Increase Its Value

Posted Sunday, April 21st, 2019 | 2,235 views

Every home owner would like to increase the value of their home and an exterior paint job is just the way to do it. Anyone selling their home knows that looks and presentation matter. If the outside of your home looks rusty and dried up, it’s going to take a lot longer to sell it, and you may even lose money in the process.

Painting the deckBut what should you paint? Well as it turns out there’s quite a few areas on the outside of your house that could probably use a makeover. A new external paint job will not only potentially increase the value of your home but will make it look beautiful and more pleasing to the eye too. Your neighbours will appreciate the new look, passers-by will admire it, buyers will be more inclined to purchase it, and you’ll enjoy living in it too.

Readers note: it’s important that you speak to a professional painter to get some advice on external colour schemes so you don’t mix-match colours all over the place. You’re going to want to make sure you’ve got a proper colour scheme in mind so everything matches when you’re done. If you don’t seek the advice from an actual painter, you can also visit your local paint supply shop and ask them for advice. They’re usually always willing to help home owners in these kinds of situations.

So are you ready to get started? Below are the top 10 parts on the outside of your home you can paint which will increase its value.

1. Siding

Siding that needs new paint jobThis part of your home may be the most complicated paint job you’ll undertake and you’ll probably want to get a siding contractor in to make any repairs before you start just in case there’s a problem with it. Even if you’re painting your siding white or the same colour that it already is, you don’t want to paint over any problems with your siding because it will only make the problem worse and look bad after a season or two. If your siding is in tip-top condition, and you’ve figured out which colours you’re going to be using, then you can get started.

Giving your home siding a new makeover is one of the best ways of making your home look cleaner and brighter again, and almost brand new. Siding usually takes year and years of abuse but if you don’t maintain it, eventually its going to look old and ugly, and definitely make selling your home a difficult task.

You can paint vinyl, wood, fibre cement, stucco, and synthetic stone. You’ll want to avoid painting brick because it’s a painstaking job that involves shellacking, and its best to avoid painting the mortar as well.

Remember to hire a professional painter in case you’re not to experienced, and don’t want to mess up the job.

2. Shutters

Painting your shutters is generally a very straight-forward project. You want to be careful not to paint them the same colour as your siding, and if you’ve picked the right colour-patterns the outcome is usually quite a gorgeous look. Shutters come in paneled, louvered, board and baton and Bahama styles, and you can paint shutters made out of medium density fiber (MDF), synthetic foam, vinyl, regular wooden, faux wood and basswood.

When you paint your shutters in conjunction with your home siding, you’re definitely going to give your home a brand new look even if you stopped here but we suggest you don’t. We suggest you continue reading on cause we have a lot of extras for you.

3. Entrance Railings

Your family and everyone that visits your home uses the railings on your front porch all the time – it’s one of the first features of your home that they see. The problem is that years of weather-wear can really take it’s toll on it’s finish but a new paint job can make them look new and attractive again.

Painting different types of railings

If you have wood railings and their in generally good condition, you could lightly sand them over with light-grade sand paper. If there’s really out of shape, sand them as much as you can until their smoother and in better looking condition. You could consider priming them first and then adding a paint job. You could also consider staining them if you want to retain a natural look. Either way new-looking railings do make a difference and add to curb appeal.

If your railings are metal, do the same. Wash them down, lightly sand them, prime them if you like and give them a new paint job.

You’ve got two colour-scheme options with painting railings: paint them all one colour or be daring and paint them in two. If you use two colours, the hand-railing will look good if it’s the home’s external accent colour, while the bars are the main colour of the home.

4. The Stepping Stones

If you’re not tacky about it, you can actually increase the visual appeal of your walkway by applying some paint to it. Brown, white and mild-green are typical colours people use when painting their stepping stones because they more or less reflect the natural surroundings. Avoid black, red and purple unless you’re seeking to create a more extravagant look.

Painting stepping stones may seem a little extreme at first thought but if the colours are gentle and can match the surroundings, it could really compliment the experience of walking down the path to your backyard.

Adding colour to your stepping stones can be easily done with a small can of paint and a small roller which will only cost you less than twenty dollars.

5. Window Sills & Trim

Painted window sills are great at making the outside of a house look great, and they’re quick and easy to paint too. The idea is not to paint the window sill the same colour as your brick or siding colour. You want a contrast of some sort. You can paint your window sill if it’s made with cement, limestone, wood or slate.

You also have to decide what colour you’re going to paint the window trim. It can be the same colour as the sill or it can be in contrast. Before you paint your sill or any other part of your home make sure to investigate your colour options first so you don’t improperly mismatch colours and end up making your paint job look tacky.

6. Front door

Newly painted front doorSometimes the front door can be painted the same colour as the accent colours (like the window sill) of the outside of your home, or it can be painted a darker colour, or not even match the external colour at all and stand right out. Whatever your preference are, a newly painted front door combined with a fresh paint job on the rest of the outside of your home will make it look that much better and almost new again.

If your door has glass or a window, make sure to tape it off so you don’t get any paint on it. You can bet that a person who is considering buying your home will examine all the small details, and painted-over glass easily stands right out and looks unprofessional.

7. Garage door

Like the front door, the garage is a perfect part of your home to paint especially if it’s been neglected or it looks worn out. Like the window sills, you don’t want to paint your garage door the same colour as the trim, but you can be creative when choosing a colour. A lot of people like to go the traditional route and paint it the same colour as the front door, but we’ve found that painting it close to the same colour as your roofing really creates a sharp and positive visual impact on the look of your home. Try to resist the temptation of painting your garage the same colour as your brick or siding. Your options are to paint it one full colour or use two colours. Never use three.

When painting your garage you’ll want to use a primer that is specially made for metal and an acrylic based latex exterior paint for the final coat.

8. Fence

If your fence is a little worn and fading a new paint job or staining job will definitely increase curb appeal. Don’t go overboard in this area. If you choose to forgo a simple and clean staining and decide to actually paint it a colour, be careful and be aware of exactly what you’re doing. Most fences don’t look quite right when painted with a solid colour, and doing so could ruin the look of your home even though you may have painted other parts.

Our advice is to avoid painting your fence, and stick with giving it a nice power-wash and a simple staining. You have options for dark, medium and light stains which will look natural gives you a few more colour options.

9. Deck

One of the best ways to increase the visual appeal of your home is by painting and staining your deck. Talk with your painter about the shade of stain you should use because you’ll also want it to compliment the colours of the rest of your home. Along with increasing the visual appeal of your backyard, the following are some benefits to staining your deck:

  • creates and retains a natural looking finish
  • you can interchange from sealer to stain
  • much easier to work with than paint
  • more forgiving when it comes to mistakes
  • more easily change the colour range of stains (dark or light)

10. Mailbox

If you paint your mailbox, you’ll want to make sure it pretty much matches some part of the outside of your home. Choose two of the colours and go to town. Don’t use three colours unless you’re really able to pull it off without looking tacky, and definitely don’t paint it only one colour. Make sure it looks pretty and inviting because that’s one of the first things new buyers see when pulling up to your house, and it’s the type of emotion buyers like to feel when prospecting for a new home.

One Last Tip

Make sure that before you do any painting to the outside of your home that you do some research on painting styles and best practices. Doing this will give you a better idea of what colours work together and how much of each of them you should use at particular parts of your project. You don’t want to go overboard with any particular colour and it will only take a few hours of research to get a grasp of how external painting should be done.

You can also speak to a professional painter who would be glad to give you some tips, and some help if you need it.

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