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.

Behr Masonry, Stucco & Brick Paint 2026: Premium Plus Review
Paint Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Behr Masonry, Stucco & Brick Paint 2026: Premium Plus Review

Behr Premium Plus Masonry, Stucco, Brick and Block Paint is Behr's dedicated 100% acrylic masonry topcoat, roughly $36 to $48 per gallon at The Home Depot. It is the right pick for sound, properly prepped stucco, brick, block, and cement surfaces in light-to-mid colors, with Behr Marquee Masonry as the premium step up for harsh sun, dark shades, and one-coat hide.

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Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray HC-165 Exterior 2026: #1 BM Coastal Blue-Gray
Color Inspiration
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray HC-165 Exterior 2026: #1 BM Coastal Blue-Gray

Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray HC-165 is the single most-used Benjamin Moore coastal blue-gray on US exteriors, the soft blue-gray with a slate undertone that anchors Maine, Cape Cod, and Mid-Atlantic shingle facades into a 2026 magazine-cover read. HEX #ACB7BB, LRV 47, the mid-tone value that holds its blue cast in flat coastal light without ever crossing into a true gray. Of 16,983 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Boothbay Gray ranked the #1 Benjamin Moore coastal blue-gray at 7% of all BM tests, ahead of Wedgewood Gray HC-146 and Pleasant Valley 1424. Full spec, eight trim pairings, four-orientation NIR behavior, a side-by-side comparison versus SW Sea Salt 6204 on a Cape Cod shingle property, and a free 30-second photo preview.

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Glidden Exterior Paint Colors 2026: Top 15 Popular Picks
Paint Brands & Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Glidden Exterior Paint Colors 2026: Top 15 Popular Picks

The 15 most popular Glidden exterior paint colors for 2026 with HEX, LRV, the Glidden 2026 Color of the Year, Home Depot and Walmart availability, and how Glidden stacks up against PPG and Behr similar tiers. Test any Glidden shade free on your own house photo.

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Benjamin Moore Stucco Paint 2026: Aura, Element Guard, Top Colors
Paint Brands & Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Stucco Paint 2026: Aura, Element Guard, Top Colors

Benjamin Moore stucco paint 2026: Aura Exterior with Color Lock proprietary mineral acrylic resin is the top recommendation for cement and lime stucco bodies, Element Guard handles high-humidity coastal Florida and Gulf Coast facades, and BM Texture variants cover repair patches. This guide covers the full product ladder, the top 10 BM stucco-friendly colors led by Stone House 1083 (8% share of 16,983 previews), competitive matchups against SW Loxon XP, Behr Premium Plus Masonry, and Dunn-Edwards Evershield, retail pricing from authorized BM dealers, application protocol on rough-troweled stucco, and an 8-question FAQ. Field-tested on a Santa Barbara Spanish Mission Revival facade for 14 months.

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SW VinylSafe Paint 2026: Exterior Guide (LRV 55+ Rule)
Paint Products
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

SW VinylSafe Paint 2026: Exterior Guide (LRV 55+ Rule)

Sherwin-Williams VinylSafe exterior guide 2026: the LRV 55+ rule that stops vinyl siding from warping, the 100+ approved colors (Polar Bear, Alabaster, Snowbound), how to apply on vinyl siding, head-to-head vs BM Aura Vinyl, real Home Depot and SW store pricing, and the dark-color heat-warp mistake to avoid.

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Painted Brick Exterior: Complete Guide 2026
Stucco & Siding
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Painted Brick Exterior: Complete Guide 2026

Painting brick house white, top 2026 colors (Pure White, Iron Ore, Alabaster), mineral paint vs masonry vs lime wash, step-by-step process, real before/after case studies, and $3-7/sqft cost breakdown.

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Cabot Stain Colors 2026: Top 20 Most Popular Shades Ranked
Colors & Inspiration
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Cabot Stain Colors 2026: Top 20 Most Popular Shades Ranked

The most-requested Cabot stain colors in 2026 are 1480 Cedar, Redwood, New Cedar, Driftwood Gray, and Mahogany Flame, ranked across Transparent, Semi-Transparent, Semi-Solid, and Solid opacities. This guide ranks the top 20 Cabot shades by real demand, matches them to wood type (cedar, redwood, IPE, pressure-treated pine), and compares the lineup against Sherwin-Williams Woodscapes, Benjamin Moore ARBORCOAT, and Olympic. Test any Cabot color on your own deck photo free in 30 seconds.

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SW Urbane Bronze 7048 Exterior Guide 2026 (LRV 9)
Brand Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

SW Urbane Bronze 7048 Exterior Guide 2026 (LRV 9)

Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze SW 7048 complete 2026 exterior guide: real LRV 9, hex #51493F, dark brown-bronze undertone, 2021 Color of the Year still trending into 2026 modern farmhouse, NIR cool-paint considerations, head-to-head versus Iron Ore, Tricorn Black, BM Wrought Iron, trim and door pairings, FAQ.

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SW Agreeable Gray 7029 Exterior 2026: Complete Guide
Brand Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

SW Agreeable Gray 7029 Exterior 2026: Complete Guide

Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029 complete 2026 guide: real LRV 60, hex #D1CCC0, cream-leaning warm greige, 4-orientation behavior, vs Repose Gray (cooler), Anew Gray (warmer), Mindful Gray (cooler darker), trim pairings, door pairings, FAQ.

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SW Loxon Stucco Paint Guide 2026: XP, Self-Cleaning & Cost
Paint Brands & Reviews
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

SW Loxon Stucco Paint Guide 2026: XP, Self-Cleaning & Cost

Sherwin-Williams Loxon stucco paint guide 2026: Loxon XP, Loxon S1 Sealer, Loxon Self-Cleaning, $55 to $85 per gallon, vs Behr Premium Plus Masonry, Benjamin Moore Aura Stucco and Dunn-Edwards Evershield. Plus an 18-month Phoenix south-stucco field test.

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Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 Exterior 2026 Complete Guide
Color Inspiration
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 Exterior 2026 Complete Guide

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 is the second-most-tested Benjamin Moore exterior greige on FacadeColorizer, accounting for 6.2% of all BM facade renders in our 16,983-simulation 2025-2026 dataset, immediately behind Revere Pewter HC-172 (8.4%). A light cool-leaning greige at LRV 63 with hex #D8CFC1, Edgecomb Gray reads neutral on north-facing walls where Revere Pewter pulls olive, performs cooler on south-facing fiber-cement than its mid-tone sibling, and remains the safe pick when a homeowner has already been burned by a green-shifting greige. This deep-dive covers the full specs, four-orientation behavior, side-by-side against Revere Pewter, Pale Oak OC-20 and Stonington Gray HC-170, twelve verified trim and door pairings, and an eight-question FAQ.

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Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20 Exterior 2026: #1 Ultra-Light Greige
Color Inspiration
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20 Exterior 2026: #1 Ultra-Light Greige

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20 is the #1 ultra-light warm greige Benjamin Moore exterior pick of 2026 and the go-to body color when off-white feels too sterile and a mid-tone greige feels too dark. Sitting at approximate hex #DDD9CE and LRV 68.64, Pale Oak holds the narrow band between an off-white and a true greige, with a soft warm cast that flatters traditional, transitional, and modern farmhouse facades from Charleston to Portland. Of 16,983 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Pale Oak ranked #3 BM ultra-light greige at 5% of all Benjamin Moore ultra-light tests. This 2026 guide covers full spec, four-orientation light behavior, honest comparisons against Edgecomb Gray HC-173, Manchester Tan HC-81, and SW Accessible Beige 7036, trim and shutter pairings, an eight-question FAQ, and a free 30-second photo preview.

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Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170 Exterior 2026: The True Cool Gray
Color Inspiration
2026-06-05 Hugo Dumoulin

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170 Exterior 2026: The True Cool Gray

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170 is the #1 cool true gray on the Benjamin Moore deck and the default exterior choice from Cape Cod to coastal Maine. A clean blue-gray at LRV 59 with no warm pull, it sells on shingled Capes, Colonial revivals, Nantucket-style farmhouses, and the modern coastal facades that dominate Northeast architectural photography in 2026. Of 16,983 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Stonington Gray ranked the #4 most-tested Benjamin Moore exterior color at 5% of all BM tests. Full spec, twelve trim pairings, Coventry Gray and Revere Pewter comparisons, and a free 30-second photo preview.

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