US exterior painting trends, color guides, costs per sq ft and HOA-friendly palettes. Articles written by US-based contractors covering Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr, with region-specific tips for Sun Belt, Pacific Northwest and New England climates.
Exterior painting & siding: cost per square foot across Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Denver and Seattle. Hardie board vs vinyl siding vs stucco repaint comparisons.
US paint brands in depth: Sherwin-Williams Emerald, Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior, Behr Marquee, PPG Timeless - paint sheen guides and climate durability from Sun Belt heat to Pacific Northwest rain.
HOA, permits & climate: HOA-approved palettes, city permit requirements, and picking exterior colors that hold up in Florida humidity, Arizona sun, or New England winters.
Is Hawthorne Yellow HC-4 too bold? See its real golden undertone, LRV near 63, best rooms, trim pairings and how it reads in north vs south light.
Benjamin Moore Hunter Green 2041-10 reviewed: real LRV near 6, hex, undertones, best rooms, and how it differs from Essex, Black Forest and Newburg.
Is Black Forest Green 2047-10 black or green? See its real undertone, LRV near 6, hex near #2B3A2F, best rooms, trim pairings, and how it beats Hunter Green.
Is Dark Olive 2140-10 too brown or too dark? See its real yellow-green undertone, LRV near 6, best rooms, trim pairings, and how it differs from Hunter Green.
Benjamin Moore Essex Green is a near-black forest green for shutters and doors. See its real LRV near 6, undertones, best uses and how it beats Hunter Green.
Is Silver Sage 506 green or gray? See its real dusty gray-green undertone, LRV near 46, best rooms and trim pairings, plus how it reads in north vs south light.
Is Shaker Beige HC-45 too gold? See its real warm undertone, LRV near 57, best rooms and trim pairings, plus how it reads in north vs south light.
Latte SW 6108 indoors: a warm tan greige with a pink-gray base, its LRV of 33, the rooms it flatters, how it shifts by light, and the trim and twins to know.
Riverway SW 6222 indoors: the deep teal-blue that balances on the line between blue and green, its LRV 24, the rooms it suits, lighting, and trim pairings.
Rosemary SW 6187 indoors: the deep sage green, its true LRV, the rooms it suits, how it shifts under N/S/E/W light and warm vs cool bulbs, and trim pairings.
Softened Green SW 6177 indoors: the gray-sage with a gentle gray-green read, its LRV and hex, the rooms it suits, lighting behavior, and trim pairings.
White Sand SW 7551 indoors: the soft warm off-white, its real LRV and hex, undertones, the rooms it flatters, lighting behavior, and trim pairings.
Soft Sage SW 9647 indoors: the muted gray-green sage, its LRV, how it reads N/S/E/W, best rooms, trim pairings, and how it differs from Svelte Sage and Softened Green.
Svelte Sage SW 6164 indoors: the grounded gray-sage with khaki warmth, its true LRV and hex, the rooms it suits, light behavior, trim pairings and look-alikes.
West Highland White SW 7566 indoors: a soft warm white with a yellow-cream cast. Its LRV, undertones, best rooms, lighting behavior, and trim pairings.
Colonnade Gray SW 7641 indoors: the balanced mid-depth greige, its LRV and undertones, the rooms and light it suits, trim pairings, and how it beats Agreeable, Repose, and Worldly Gray.
Light French Gray SW 0055 indoors: the blue-violet undertone, LRV 53, the rooms it suits, lighting behavior, trim pairings, and Morning Fog vs Big Chill.
Morning Fog SW 6255 indoors: the soft blue-violet gray, its LRV, the rooms it flatters, how it reads in N/S/E/W light, and the trims and near-twins to know.
Natural Choice SW 7011 indoors: the warm off-white greige, its LRV 73, hex, the rooms it flatters, how it shifts by light, trim pairings, and how it differs from White Sand and Shoji White.
Perfect Greige SW 6073 indoors: a warm mid-tone greige with a taupe-violet base, its LRV, the rooms it suits, lighting behavior, and trim pairings.
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