Exterior Guide

How to Paint Your Home Exterior

Painting a home exterior is a major project. For most homes, hiring a professional painting contractor is the best choice, but if you are committed to a DIY approach, proper planning, preparation, product selection, and timing are essential.

Exterior paint does more than change colour. It helps beautify and protect your home from sunlight, wind-driven rain, mildew, dirt pickup, expansion, contraction, and everyday weather exposure.

Before You Start

Exterior painting is highly weather dependent. Rain, low temperatures, high humidity, direct sunlight, and poor drying conditions can all affect the result.

Always read the paint can label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for temperature, surface preparation, application, drying time, recoating, and safety.

Recommended Exterior Paint Products

Acrylic/latex exterior paints are generally a strong choice for popular exterior surfaces such as wood siding, brick, fibre cement, stucco, and EIFS. Higher quality exterior paints typically offer stronger UV resistance, fade resistance, expansion and contraction performance, resistance to wind-driven rain, mildew resistance, and dirt pickup resistance.

Aura® Exterior Paint

A premium exterior paint choice for homeowners who want strong colour, durability, fade resistance, and long-lasting protection.

Regal® Select High Build

A high-build exterior paint option that can help create a durable finish on suitable exterior surfaces.

1

Plan Around the Weather

The ideal exterior painting day would be around 25°C with no humidity, but real weather is rarely perfect. Planning around the forecast matters.

  • Avoid painting if rain is expected before the paint has had proper time to dry.
  • Do not paint when the temperature drops below 4.4°C or 40°F.
  • Always check the paint label for product-specific weather guidance.
  • Remember that low temperatures and high humidity can slow drying.
  • Plan your work so each section has enough time to dry properly.

Tip: Low temperature plus high humidity is a bad combination because the coating may dry much more slowly.

2

Choose Paint, Primer, Finish, and Tools

Take time before the job starts to choose the correct paint, primer, sheen, and tools for your exterior surface.

  • Acrylic/latex exterior paint works on many common exterior surfaces.
  • Exterior primer should be chosen based on the substrate.
  • Low lustre and satin are common exterior finishes because they help resist dirt pickup better than flatter finishes.
  • Semi-gloss is often used on trim, shutters, doors, and mouldings for added shine.
  • Use high-quality brushes and rollers for better results.
  • Sprayers can speed up the job but require experience and careful control.
3

Prep: Clean, Dry, and Dull

Clean, dry, and dull is one of the most important exterior painting rules.

  • Clean: Remove dirt, mildew, chalking, residue, loose paint, and contamination before painting.
  • Dry: Do not paint until the exterior surface is fully dry.
  • Dull: Sand or degloss glossy surfaces so new paint can adhere properly.
  • Mask plants, landscaping, windows, and areas that need protection before cleaning or painting.
  • If power washing with a cleaner, protect landscaping with secured plastic drop cloths.
  • Smooth the edges of any peeling paint areas after sanding.

Tip: For wood surfaces, moisture content should generally be below 15% before painting. Ask Colour Land for help choosing or using a moisture meter.

4

Prime Problem Areas

Primer helps with adhesion, sealing, uniformity, and problem areas. It is especially important where the existing coating is not sound.

  • Prime before caulking and patching.
  • Spot prime bare, sanded, repaired, or peeling areas that are not in sound condition.
  • Choose primer based on the surface you are painting.
  • Brick should generally be primed entirely before painting.
  • Let primer dry according to the label before moving forward.
5

Caulk Gaps and Cracks

Caulking helps seal minor cracks and gaps and can make the finished paint job look more uniform.

  • Use a high-quality paintable exterior caulk.
  • Fill minor cracks and gaps around windows and doors.
  • Caulk between siding pieces where appropriate.
  • Caulk around flashing where needed to help keep water out.
  • Smooth caulk lines for a cleaner final appearance.
6

Paint the Exterior

Start on the side of the house that will stay shaded until you finish. Direct sunlight can cause paint to dry too quickly, which may lead to lap marks or blistering.

  • Work from the top down.
  • Paint gutters and eaves first if they will match the siding colour.
  • Paint trim before painting the main body surface.
  • Use brush, roller, or spray application depending on the project and skill level.
  • Be prepared to apply two coats of premium exterior paint.
  • Follow the label for dry time, recoat time, and application temperature.

Tip: Exterior paint is formulated for brush, roller, and spray application. Choose the method that best fits the surface and your experience level.

Painting Tips for Wood Siding

  • Start by using a paintbrush to cut in around the trim.
  • Cut in below drips, edges, or decorative mouldings.
  • Use a roller to paint from side to side over a 3- to 4-foot section of wood siding.
  • After rolling, use a brush to feather the paint and smooth the finish.
  • Keep working in manageable sections so the coating blends evenly.

Painting Tips for Brick

Acrylic/latex paint is a strong choice for many exterior brick projects, but brick must be properly cleaned and primed before painting.

  • Do not paint over efflorescence.
  • Efflorescence is a crystalline salt deposit that can appear when moisture is present.
  • Remove efflorescence with a wire brush or suitable tool before painting.
  • Prime brick entirely before applying finish paint.
  • Make sure moisture issues are addressed before painting brick.

Quick Exterior Painting Checklist

  • Check the weather forecast before starting.
  • Avoid rain, low temperature, high humidity, and direct sun where possible.
  • Choose the right exterior paint, primer, sheen, brush, and roller.
  • Clean the exterior surface thoroughly.
  • Let the surface dry fully before painting.
  • Sand or degloss shiny surfaces.
  • Scrape and sand peeling paint.
  • Spot prime problem areas and prime brick fully.
  • Caulk gaps and cracks around windows, doors, siding, and flashing.
  • Paint from the top down.
  • Work in shaded areas when possible.
  • Apply two coats of premium exterior paint where needed.

Need Help With Exterior Paint?

Visit Colour Land and we can help you choose the right Benjamin Moore exterior paint, primer, sheen, caulk, brush, roller, and prep products for your home’s exterior surface.