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 Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior worth $75-90/gal in 2026? Color Lock, dark color fade, lifetime warranty, vs Regal Select & SW Emerald.
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior is the brand's best-selling mid-premium tier at $55 to $70 per gallon, a 100% acrylic with a soft-touch finish, dirt-pickup resistance, and a limited lifetime warranty. Full spec sheet, MPI 38 detail, price and availability at authorized BM dealers, application tips for siding and trim, head-to-head with Aura Exterior, and 8 FAQs from a tester who tracked Regal Select across 16,983 facade simulations.
The 6 best blue house exterior paint colors with white trim for a 2026 coastal look: Hale Navy HC-154 + Simply White, SW Naval 6244 + Pure White, Newburyport Blue + Cloud White and 3 more, with salt-air durability tips. Test free in 30s.
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 is the single best-selling Benjamin Moore color of the last decade and a top-three exterior choice in 38 US states. A warm mid-light greige at LRV 55.51 with a slight olive shift in flat north light, it works on Cape Cod, Colonial, Craftsman, and modern farmhouse facades. Of 16,983 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Revere Pewter ranked the #2 most-tested Benjamin Moore exterior color (8.4% of all BM tests). Full spec, 12 trim pairings, paint product recommendations, and a free 30-second photo preview.
Brown house with cream trim 2026: 5 period-authentic SW + BM pairings for 1905-1930 Craftsman bungalows, Tudor Revival half-timber homes and English Cottage facades. Preview free in 30s.
Charcoal house with wood accent: 6 tested SW and BM dark gray + cedar, mahogany, walnut, teak, and ipe pairings for 2026. Placement strategy, NIR cool-paint notes, and maintenance math. Preview free on your photo.
Coastal HOA paint requirements 2026: salt-air durability, hurricane-zone certifications, MPI 311 specs, BM Aura and SW Emerald approved palettes for Nantucket, Hilton Head, 30A, Naples, La Jolla and Cape May.
The 8 best New England Colonial paint colors for 2026: Williamsburg palette (BM CW-150, CW-690, CW-205), SW Sea Salt, Tricorn Black, Cottage Red. Massachusetts heritage rules covered.
Top 8 contemporary urban exterior paint colors for 2026 with SW and BM codes, monochrome black and minimalist white schemes, and material pairings for concrete, metal, and glass.
Cream house with burgundy shutters: 5 tested Colonial and Cape Cod combos with exact SW and BM codes. Preview each pairing free on your home photo in 30 seconds.
Glidden Essentials runs about $18 to $28 per gallon, Fundamentals about $35 to $45, and Glidden Premium about $45 to $55, all at The Home Depot and Walmart. Essentials is acceptable for sheds, garages, and short-hold rentals; Fundamentals is the sweet spot for a true budget exterior with a 15-year limited warranty.
The 8 best gray-house red-door pairings for 2026: SW Repose Gray + BM Caliente AF-290, BM Coventry Gray + Heritage Red HC-181, SW Agreeable Gray + Crimson, BM Stonington Gray + Currant Red, SW Pewter Cast + Garnet Red, BM Edgecomb Gray + Cottage Red, SW Light French Gray + Burgundy, BM Charcoal Slate + Brick Red. Color theory + style guide.
North Carolina HOA exterior paint approval process for 2026: NC Planned Community Act §47F rules, step-by-step ARC submission, top 8 NC-approved palettes, and city-specific guidance for Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, Wilmington, and the Outer Banks.
Arizona HOA-approved exterior paint colors for 2026: 8 desert palettes, ARS Title 33 rules, cool-paint NIR requirements, Scottsdale to Sun City community guidelines.
California HOA-approved exterior colors for 2026 under the Davis-Stirling Act: 8 winning palettes, city-by-city rules for LA, SF, SD, OC, Sacramento, plus wildfire defensible-space requirements.
Colorado HOA-approved exterior paint colors for 2026, CCIOA compliance, altitude UV concerns, and mountain-rustic palettes for Denver, Aspen, Vail, and Boulder.
Florida HOA exterior paint approval under Chapter 720: top 8 approved palettes (SW Antique White, BM Pale Powder, SW Sea Salt), Miami/Tampa/Orlando/Jacksonville/Naples variations, hurricane and salt-air paint specs.
HOA-approved exterior paint colors for Texas in 2026: top 8 palettes (SW Accessible Beige, BM Manchester Tan, Behr Smokey Cream), Property Code Chapter 202 rules, city-by-city differences for Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
Mid Century Modern paint colors for Arizona homes: cool desert whites, turquoise and avocado accents, heat-reflective formulas. Phoenix MCM palette with SW and BM codes.
Mushroom greige with charcoal trim is the top transitional facade trend for 2026: warm body, cool anchor, no commitment to either farmhouse or modern. This guide lists the 5 best mushroom/greige + charcoal pairings with exact SW and BM codes, garage and door placement, roof matches, and the architectural styles where each pairing wins. Of 16,983 previews, mushroom/greige + charcoal accounted for 18 percent of all greige tests, making it the single most-tested transitional combination on the platform.
Upload a photo and see the result in 30 seconds. 1 free HD simulation with 3 variations (magic wand), no sign-up required.
Upload my photo nowFree - no credit card required