The US Exterior Painting Magazine

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.

Featured US topics this month

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.

Benjamin Moore Cloud White OC-130: 2026 Colonial and Cape Cod Heritage White Color Inspiration
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Cloud White OC-130: 2026 Colonial and Cape Cod Heritage White

Benjamin Moore Cloud White OC-130 is the East-Coast heritage warm white that anchors Colonial revival, Federal, Cape Cod, and Greek revival exteriors. HEX #E8E7DD, LRV 85, Off-White Collection. Where White Dove OC-17 owns the modern farmhouse intent and Simply White OC-117 owns the contemporary minimalist intent, Cloud White owns the historic East-Coast architectural intent: the warm white that flatters 18th and 19th century body proportions, divided-light windows, and original masonry foundations without ever reading too creamy or too modern. This 2026 guide covers full specs, the 4-orientation Boston Colonial behavior test, navy + brick + slate accent pairings calibrated for heritage builds, and an 8-question FAQ for owners of pre-1930 homes.

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BM Decorator's White OC-149: 2026 Exterior Guide Color Inspiration
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

BM Decorator's White OC-149: 2026 Exterior Guide

Benjamin Moore Decorator's White OC-149 is the cool, clean exterior white that anchors modern minimalist and contemporary architecture: LRV 84, hex approximately #EAEAE0, neutral with a subtle blue-gray pull. Full spec sheet, four-orientation light behavior, comparisons against Cloud White, Chantilly Lace OC-65, and Simply White OC-117, trim recipes, and a free way to preview OC-149 on your own home photo.

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Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17: 2026 Exterior Guide Color Inspiration
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17: 2026 Exterior Guide

Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 (HEX #ECEAE0, LRV 85) is the most-specified warm creamy white in modern farmhouse exteriors, ranked #1 in our 16,983-simulation dataset at 14% of all BM warm-white renders. Full spec sheet, four-orientation behavior, comparisons against Cloud White OC-130, Simply White OC-117 and SW Alabaster, plus eight trim pairings and a free way to preview White Dove on your house photo in 30 seconds.

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Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81 Exterior 2026 Color Inspiration
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81 Exterior 2026

Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81 is the #1 warm tan-beige Benjamin Moore exterior pick of 2026 and a top-three choice on traditional and ranch facades from Cincinnati to Kansas City. A warm mid-light tan at LRV 60 with a soft caramel-cream cast, it sits between the cooler greige of Revere Pewter HC-172 and the deeper beige of Bleeker Beige HC-80. Of 16,983 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Manchester Tan ranked the #1 Benjamin Moore tan exterior color at 11% of all BM tan-family tests. Full spec, four-orientation light behavior, comparisons against Revere Pewter, Bleeker Beige, and SW Accessible Beige 7036, trim and shutter pairings, and a free 30-second photo preview.

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BM Stone House 1083: Best Benjamin Moore Stucco Color 2026 Color Inspiration
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

BM Stone House 1083: Best Benjamin Moore Stucco Color 2026

Benjamin Moore Stone House 1083 is a warm soft greige at HEX #D6CFC0, LRV 64, and the single most-tested stucco color in our 16,983-simulation Benjamin Moore dataset (8% share, #1 of all BM stucco picks). This guide covers the full spec sheet, 4-orientation behavior, comparisons to Manchester Tan HC-81 and Revere Pewter HC-172 and SW Accessible Beige 7036, and the Spanish Mission and Mediterranean Revival fit we tested on a Santa Barbara facade for 14 months.

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Behr Sculptor Clay PPU5-08 Exterior Guide 2026 Paint Colors
2026-06-04 Hugo Dumoulin

Behr Sculptor Clay PPU5-08 Exterior Guide 2026

Behr Sculptor Clay PPU5-08 is a warm clay-beige with HEX #B5A187 and LRV 36, the #1 Behr terracotta-warm pick across 16,983 previews at 7% share. Ideal for Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Pueblo Revival exteriors. See it on your home with a free AI preview in 30 seconds.

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