Average cost of painting the exterior of your home

Unlike interior painting, an exterior painting quote is dependent on a limited number of factors. In this article, we explain our price formula which has been fine tuned over the last decade and proven to produce the most satisfied clients, as well as sustain ELEGANT PAINTING® as a successful local employer.

#1 factor: condition of current paint

Allowing paint to chip and peel before requesting the services of a professional painter comes with two complications;

1) Increased labor costs Removing loose paint is costly. Peeling layers must be manually removed and primer must be hand painted to ensure proper adhesion. This is old fashioned manual labor and it will cost you.

2) Decreased durability. Once your current coat of paint stops being protective, your substrate begins to deteriorate. Even with proper preparation you still run the risk of the new paint job failing prematurely. You also run the risk of ending up with a painting company that does not perform a proper preparation service.

#2 factor: Height

A three story house will always cost more to paint. Roofing, gutter cleaning and window cleaning will all cost more if you own a three story house. Another factor is the amount of trim to be painted on your three story house.

#3 factor: Roof pitch

If there are surfaces only reached by walking on the roof, then the pitch of your roof comes into question. Most Northwest homes have roof pitch of bellow 12/12 which can be walked on with OSHA approved safety gear. Roof pitch 12/12 (not common) cannot be walked on and require ladder hooks.

#4 factor: Slope of your lot

Has your home been built on a steep slopes? Most homes are on semi-level lots and are easily painted using ladder leveler. We have encountered a few dozen projects where a ladder-trench had to be dug in order to secure our ladder legs.

#1 factor: Siding type

There are only a few common siding types on Northwest homes

1) Beveled cedar siding. The most common type of siding used on homes constructed prior to the 1990’s. While this material is still in use, it has been widely replaced with Hardie Board siding. You can expect to pay a bit more to paint your house if you have rough-cut cedar siding. The roughness of this surface is what makes it a durable product as it holds on lots of paint and also cools down faster. Back-rolling or back-brushing is an absolute must with this type of siding. Paint must be pushed into the texture to ensure a strong bond.

2) Hardie board siding. Used on nearly all new homes, this material is easy to maintain, fairly inexpensive to paint, and it holds on to paint for many years. It is crucial that Hardie Board siding is painted using spray & back-roll method to ensure enhanced adhesion and an even spread of paint.

3)Tongue and groove siding. Less common cedar siding that general costs more to paint d

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Brown Exterior paint colors

Since almost all homes in Washington state have some sort of ever green tree background, brown exterior paint colors are our most popular and pleasant earth tone.

We have spent years experimenting with different shades of Brown Exterior paint colors, and would like to share some of our findings with anyone in the process of deciding exterior house colors.

You may also be interested in our article on popular exterior gray colors for the Northwest.

Dark, deep brown exterior paint colors

Not to be confused with “slate”, which is actually a dark deep gray, our darker browns are more suitable for either larger homes, or homes with what I call “interesting fronts”.

That is a house with lots of features in the front; plenty of trim to break up all the darkness of the brown, and maybe some rocks or other features to take away some of the strength of the dark color.

In most cases, I would not recommend dark Brown Exterior paint colors for ramblers. Darker colors can miniaturize the house further, and give it a more aged look.

Of course, your house color represents your personality, and if you do not plan on selling your home anytime soon, you must simply choose something you enjoy looking at.

Body: Benjamin Moore HC-85
Trim: Benjamin Moore Bone white

If you do plan on selling, I suggest choosing exterior colors similar to what new home builders are using these days.

Keep in mind, your potential buyers might be looking at newer homes before stoping by at your listing. The goal is to avoid any colors that might not appeal to certain personalities.

Favorite Brown Exterior paint colors

A braver approach to brown exterior paint colors

We also use plenty of fun and exiting browns. These browns usually have plenty of red in them, making them very attractive in the right situation.

You really have to have the right house for this kind of color. You need plenty of other features in the front so the unique color does not overwhelm the senses.

In the first image below, the huge brick surface draws some much of your attention.

You almost must have a unique color to keep the rest of the house from disappearing.

Second photo, this house has a very unique shape with multiple dormers on the roof, and also the roof is highly visible from the street, allowing this homeowner to choose as unique of a color as they please.

The third house, it was the shear size of it that allowed us to get away with pretty much any exterior paint color.

Neutral, earthy, & mild brown exterior paint colors

Here are a few brown exterior paint colors that appeal to every taste, and most importantly, do not offend anyones preferences.

If you want to keep things simple, blend in a little bit, or just want a nice normal color, here are few of our favorites from Benjamin Moore.

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Elegant Painting

11717 NE 144TH PL
KIRKLAND, WA98034

Phone: (425) 242-4646

Monday-Friday 4-8pm

Painting previously stained or varnished surfaces

Step 1; Power washing

Pressure washing assures we have a substrate that is clear of dust, dirt, and pollution. We apply one coat of 30 second house cleaner If any visible mildew is growing on the surface. The amount of water pressure is determined by the type of surface being washed. If we are working with delicate cedar chokes, pressure is lowered to make sure shingles do not detach. When washing tougher types of siding materials, pressure can be increased. We always use an angled pressure washer tip to direct the flow down wards and prevent moisture from being forced under the siding.

Drying time is determined based on temperature and humidity. On average, we wait one week to resume our preparation. Often painters are in a rush to complete project and start painting 1-2 days after power washing which can cause premature failure of the paint job.

Preparing 20 year old garage doors to be painted for the very first time.

Step 2; Masking and cover up

Every project starts with masking and cover-up. We protect windows, roofing, walkways, plants, or any other surface that is not being painted. Exterior lights, thermometers, and other similar items are removed from the house, while other items, such as patio furniture are placed a safe distance away.

Sanding – Round 1

While major sanding takes place after the primer is applied, we give a rough pass to the entire surface to remove any splinters raised by the pressure washer. Sanding dust is removed by dusters, vacuums, and powerful gas blowers. NOTE on lead based paints: this type of clean up applies to home build after 1978.

Primer – First coat

Once the surface is clean and dust is removed from the surface and surrounding areas, we apply our first coat of oil based exterior stain to seal the substrate. Primer can be brushed or spray/back/rushed to ensure proper adhesion. Drying time is determined based on temperature and humidity.

After 2 coats of primer, and sanded before and after each coat.

Sanding – Round 2

Once our fast drying oil primer is fully dry, we sand the entire surface to flatten cedar pores, and restore the surface to original condition as much as possible. Again, the surface and surrounding areas are clean of all sanding dust.

Primer – Second Coat

Now we apply a second coat of oil primer and allow sufficient drying time. Back-brushing may be needed for rough surfaces.

Paint Application

We back-roll the paint on the siding. While most painting companies believe a sprayed on coat suffices, Elegant painting takes durability to another level. Our application method includes bankrolling the entire siding twice. Paint is applied using airless sprayers, and is spread using rollers. Back-rolling forces the paint into the surface, filling all microscopic “moisture pockets”. Back-rolling also improves adhesion and produces an even spread. Gutters, corner boards, belly bands, fascia boards and other trim pieces are then hand painted twice using brush and rollers.
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Elegant Painting

11717 NE 144TH PL
KIRKLAND, WA98034

Phone: (425) 242-4646

Monday-Friday 4-8pm

Sammamish WA Exterior painting – Columbia Neighborhood – Sammamish, WA

Starting Date: July 15th, 2013

Completion Date: July 19th, 2013

Our most recent project in the beautiful Columbia neighborhood of Sammamish, WA. We are thrilled to have 10 or more clients in this neighborhood.

Colors

Preparation

We masked windows, concrete patios, power outlets, front rocks, etc. We also caulked all imperfections on the wood trim, and all butt-joints on the fiver cement siding boards.

Protecting the neighbor’s plants, while spraying the fence.

Paint Application

As always, we Apply two coats and back-roll both coats to ensure the material is being rubbed into the surface, as supposed to a quick one day spray job.

Finished Product

Thank you for choosing ELEGANT PAINTING

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Exterior Painting – Seattle

Complete Exterior Painting – Seattle, WA

Colors

Step 1 – Power Washing

Pressure washing was completed on Tuesday May 28th. We removed some mildew from siding and gutters, spider webs, bee’s nests, etc. As with all our cedar siding projects, we allow plenty of drying time.

Step 2 – Preparation and painting

July 1st, 2013

We started with masking windows and covering up plants, walkways, front porch, rear deck, etc.

What we’ve done so far:

Apply 2 coats on siding, two coats on spindles front and back. 1st coat on Garage retainer walls, 1st coat on about 30% of the trim and windows.

Application started with spraying, and back-brushing 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Solid Oil based stain on cedar shakes. Why not use paint on the shakes? If paint ever fails (chips) on shakes, then they would need to be replaced. Paint is never recommended for exterior cedar shakes. The correct product for shakes is solid stain, which looks like paint but it does not chip or peel. Next time, the shakes simply need to be washed, and re-stained.

Getting into tight spots

We had to get a little creative to get behind all the plants to paint every square inch of the siding.

A fully protected plant was gently peeled away from the house and covered up. Once paint is dry, it will simply be pushed back into place.

An extension pole was used to push a covered plant away from the surface while the paint dries.

Application

We spray and back-roll or back-brush to add 3-5 years to an already durable Benjamin Moore paint job. Manufacturer recommends “knocking out” the sheen seen in this photo to improve durability.

Second coat

As always, we apply two coats, and back-roll both coats to increase adhesion, and produce an even layer.

Before

After

Exterior Painting – Seattle

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Major exterior makeover – Redmond – Fallcity

An Elegant Makeover in the Northwest

Sample progress report from an actual project in Redmond/Fall City WA

This Classic Northwest home is being prepared to go through a major Elegant Makeover. This house belongs to one of our all time favorite clients who we have known for many years. We painted the interior about 6 years ago and refinished the decks in 2009. Now it is time for the exterior to go through what we like to call…..An Elegant Exterior Makeover!

Power washing

Power washing was completed on June 3, 2013. We were able to remove a large number of bee’s nests and massive spider webs. We also removed any of the previous stain that was in poor shape. Luckily we were able to accomplish this task without any water going inside the house through any of the doors or windows.

Next step of this project begins on June 13th, 2013. Plan is to Mask off all windows, roof, decks, patios, and driveway, and prime all exterior surfaces, including eaves, porch ceilings, dormers, and trim. for this paint job, we will be using an oil based exterior grade primer to seal, protect, bond, and produce a workable surface.

Once the primer is dried, we will have some fun installing window trim on all windows. We will be using 1×4 pre-primed spruce, attached with 3.5 inch 16 gauge finish nails. Then the nail holes will be filled with “HM Ready Exterior” and edges caulked with our Benjamin Moore Morelastic adhesive. At that time, we will go through every square inch of each wall, and fill any cracks, gaps, joints, etc.

Possible color choices

Looks like we will be going with some shade of grey. Like all our exterior projects, we applied several popular Benjamin Moore samples for our home-owner to live with for a few days, and view in different lighting, and different times of the day.

Day 1; Preparation

By the end of our first day, we managed to mask all windows, mask roof, front porch, and deck, and apply a coat of oil based primer to about 70% of the house.

Priming complete! Since this beautiful house has never been painted before, we applied one solid coat of oil based primer on every square inch of the siding and eaves.

As always, we did a thorough job of cover-up. So far, zero primer on any plants. We take covering-up very seriously. A flawless and durable paint-job looses all of it’s value if there are drops of paint on plant, decks, or patios.

We used a roof pad to place a ladder on top of the hot tub, this is a piece of plywood with a 4″ sponge glued on the bottom to spread the weight and protect the surface.

Day 2; Rain….and window trim.

By the end of day #2, we managed to install trim on about 70% of the windows, and unmask front windows. The rain finally stopped by the end of the day, allowing us to finish priming the siding 🙂

Caulking

Once primer was dry, we went through every square inch of the siding and caulked any imperfections. Caulking must be done after primer. Similar to paint, caulking materials adhere better to primer than they do to the previous finish. These imperfections include cracks, nail holes, dents, bumps, bruises, or anything else that might allow the wood surface to hold moisture. Butt-joints are not caulked to allow the siding to move freely in changing temperatures. The only time we caulk butt-joints is when it has been done previously and we have no choice but to repeat the mistake.

Day 3; More rain….

Window trim Installation is complete and colors have been selected. 100% chance of rain tomorrow….We cleaned up well knowing we will be rained out tomorrow and are now hoping to complete most of the painting on Friday and Saturday.

Day 4; Painting

We finally had some nice weather and made some great progress. We now expect to finish this project on Monday June 24th. Plan for Saturday: finish the house. Plan for Monday: Finish doors and deck.

Back Rolling

This photo shows how effective back-rolling is. The effect is not just cosmetic. While the sprayer lays the paint on top of the grain, the roller forces it into the grain, making it one with the surface, Making it difficult for the siding to release the paint as time goes on. We believe this method adds 3-5 years to the already durable Benjamin Moore paint job. Corners, where the roller may not reach, are back brushed to make sure all surfaces receive the same treatment.

Second Coat

As always, we apply 2 coats, whether it is needed or not. Both coats are back-rolled to ensure an even spread.

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MyHouse@elegantpainting.com

ELEGANT PAITNING®

11717 NE 144th pL

Kirkland, WA 98034

Phone: (425) 242-4646

Painting a perfect front door

Elegant Painting produces the most flawless front doors on the eastside. We know your front door is the first thing your guests see, and we want it to be as perfect as the rest of the house.

As with most exterior projects, we start by rinsing off that fine layer of pollution with a pressure washer and allowing it to dry out. Preparation is key to producing a perfect front door. We start by removing the hardware, and any flaws we see on the door including runs left by previous painters, nail holes, cracks, chipping paint, bubble, etc.

If the door has major dried paint runs or drips, we employ the services of our trusty fiber disk sanders to flatten them out. If there are cracks, we speckle then using MH Ready Patch Professional formula speckling and patching compound. This product is Shrink and crack resistant, dries rock solid, yet it is easy to sand and easy to apply.

If cracks are visible in the joints, we use our premium Sherwin Williams® caulk, or the very durable WhiteLighting caulking material to make sure the cracks do not reappear after a few years. With flexible caulking, even if the crack continues to expand due to the settling of the house, the caulking expands and continues to seal the crack, stopping moisture from entering the joint.

After the speckling, and filling of the nail holes, and the grinding of the runs, we hand sand the door with fine 2sandpapernd paper to remove any sanding marks and to smooth out any patching compounds.

Cleaning sanding dust is not as easy as you would think. The most effective way of making sure there is no trace of dust left behind is to first direct a garden blower at the door while brushing every square inch with a clean dry brush. Once we are convinced all the dust is gone, the door is wiped with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth. Now the door is ready to be primed.

Masking the area around the front door

There are 2 ways of making a front door. The first option is painting the door before the rest of the house is painted. This means we only have to cover the porch and not have to worry about getting paint on the siding, but if we are painting only the door, or if the door is being painted after the rest of the house is completed, then we mask off a six foot area all around the door and the casing. For this, we use 3M window masking plastic and tack it down to make sure the wind does not blow it off the surface. Then we open the door and mask the casing from the inside to make sure no paint can make it passed the surface of the door.

Priming the front door

Unless you have a fiberglass or metal door in decent shape, you need a primer. Doors are often painted with high-gloss paints, which means your new coat has nothing to grab. Shiny paints do not allow anything to penetrate into them, hence the need for a good quality oil based primer. We have two nearly identical products to choose from; KILZ Complete, or Zinsser exterior oil based primer. How do we decide if a primer is needed or not?

We make this decision after the preparation. You do not need a primer if your sanding has removed all the sheen out of the current finish and if you are working with a door that is currently in good shape. We also consider how protected the door is from the elements. If the front porch ceiling is protecting the door from rain and US exposure, then there might be a chance you do not need to prime it. If you are working with a wood door that has been sanded and speckled, then skipping primer is a mistake.
We spray the oil primer using a Titan Airless Sprayer. This fast drying primer can be sanded in 1-3 hours.

Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black SW-6258

Paint color Tricorn Black SW-6258

Sanding…round 2

Once the primer is fully dried, we sand with a fine 220 grid sprayer and repeat the dust removing techniques mentioned above. Now we inspect the masking to make sure everything is intact and start painting our perfect front door.

Painting a Perfect front Door

We like to use a Titan440i airless sprayer, with a 410 fine finish tip. The 410 fine finish tip puts out a very small amount of paint, so we count on applying 2-4 coats depending on color. Our paint of choice for front doors is Sherwin Williams Emerald. This paint dries out to resemble a layer of vinyl that is not too shiny, yet offers extreme protection for any surface. The paint is sprayed on in a checkered pattern. The spray gun trigger is pulled away from the door, then the gun is run up or down the height of the door until the entire door is covered. Then the process is repeated horizontally.

After the paint has dried, The door is opened and the inside edge is painted with a brush, taking special care not to allow the brush to touch the sprayed areas.

How do we know which edge should be painted the interior color and which edge exterior? Here’s a simple method; Stand outside and open the door. The edge you see should be painted the exterior color. If the interior of the door is being painted, simply repeat this method from the inside; any edge visible from the inside should be painted interior color.

Once all surfaces are completely dried, which can take a few hours depending on humidity, we carefully remove the masking plastic and inspect the door and surrounding areas to make sure we have achieved the type of perfection Elegant Painting is known to offer.

Preparing the front door for painting

See my article on wikiHow: https://www.wikihow.com/Paint-a-Screen-Door

By ELEGANT PAINTING Kirkland, WA

Woodinville, WA 98077

Phone: (425) 588-9288

Eastside painting®