Exterior Painting: The Final Coat

Please Note: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links

If you haven’t already, check out Exterior Painting Project: Priming to see some before pictures and some good tips on getting started!

Given that it has been well over a year since I updated you all regarding the painting of our home…I feel compelled to provide some thoughts on this process.

It is hell.

I should probably just end with that statement, and warn anyone who has textured cedar shakes that it will literally take FOREVER.

If that works for you, then go for it.

I have a countless excuses why this project is not done, the primary being that it basically rained from March-June this year, and then immediately jumped into 90-100 degree days.

I took two weeks off in June, and finished most of the front trim, and siding, and then took another two weeks off at the end of July into August, and worked on the driveway side of the house.  The trim is complete, with the exception of where we are putting our new porch, and the siding is going to get done before I return to work next week.  Or I am going to quit my job and commit my life to painting fulltime.

Given that the house was primed, I was ready to jump right into painting.  However, if it had not been, a good wash and walk-by check to scrape any chipping paint may have been needed.

I started with the trim.  I read several articles that talked about doing trim second, however, I found it difficult to cut in around the siding color with the trim color.  It felt much more natural for me to paint from the top down.

This meant, trim first, siding last. And I am okay with that!

After removing all the gutters I did a quick sand of the trim in a few spots to clean off some small chips, and smooth out the older sections of wood.  In hopes that it would blend well with the new trim on the addition side of the house.

I used Sherwin Williams Resilience Paint for the trim.  You can read more about the product on their website, here, but two of the key features of this paint is that it dries fast (did I mention the weather this June?) and it levels nicely, which would mean a smooth finish over the old wood trim.

I have zero affiliation with Sherwin Williams, they conveniently have a store down the street from us, and I have always been impressed with their paint products. This exterior paint, did not disappoint! I love crisp white trim, inside and out, so I did not even tint the paint, I went right for the “Super White” base.

They also introduced a 25% discount for first responders in 2021, and have 40% off promotions every few months.  This is a great time to stalk up.  

Pro Tip: Buy un-tinted paint while it is on sale! Then when you are ready to paint, bring it back in and they will tint it for you [Free of Charge!]

The trim against the roof, looks amazing.  The glossy finish makes it shine, and I can already tell that it will naturally keep cleaner than a matte texture might.

After finishing most of the trim, I was dying to get the paint on the siding. I scoured the internet for inspiration of blues with brown roofs. What a difficult color combo to find!! I did come across several images that were exactly what I was looking for, but it was difficult to figure out what the colors actually were.

At one point I got this idea to look at James Hardie siding, knowing that if they had blues in their palette, that they were likely shades that would go with any roof color.  Sure enough they had a gorgeous blue called “Boothbay Blue”, you can check it out here.  It was exactly what I was looking for, and I was able to order a free sample to see it in person!

I took my sample down to Sherwin Williams and asked them to look up the color code.

For those of you that don’t know, colors exist regardless of what company gave it a name and marketed it.  This means you can get any color, at any supplier.  You can find out the mixture formula for a color just by asking, and many paint suppliers can look up other companies in their computer.

The girl behind the counter opted for using the Sherwin Williams color scanning tool (perhaps there is a technical name for this?) rather than looking up the actual color mixture. I immediately felt nervous about this, why use your “mostly accurate” tool when we could find out the exact mixture with a few extra steps. I must have been in a complacent mood that day, because I just went with it.

She took the 5 gallon bucket of untinted paint, that I had bought during their 40% off sale the previous year, and mixed it up. I could immediately tell that something was off, but the girl had just mixed 5 gallons, I wasn’t about to ask for my money back!

At the very least I could take it home and give it a try. Turns out, I actually really like the color. It is a bit like the “Boothbay Blue” but seems to have a little more gray to it.

Despite it not being the exact color I was looking for, it looks beautiful next to the bright white trim!

I am hoping that one day I will completely finish painting the house AND both sheds, but for now this update will have to do!

If this week has been any indication of what is to come, I think I may have a few good painting days ahead of me.

I am thinking a bright yellowish mustard door!

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Are you looking for more home or craft inspiration? Check out how I built this adorable Wooden Book Bin for my nephew, or how I transformed this old window into a Wedding Seating Chart!