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.
Extra White SW 7006 indoors: the crisp cool clean white, its LRV of 86, its subtle gray undertone, how it differs from Pure White, and the rooms and trim it suits.
Black Magic SW 6991 indoors: the soft near-black with an LRV around 5, how it reads by light and orientation, the rooms it suits, trim and hardware pairings, and how it differs from Tricorn Black.
Balboa Mist OC-27 (LRV 67, cooler greige) vs Collingwood OC-28 (LRV 62, warmer greige): undertones, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your own photo.
Pure White SW 7005 (LRV 84, soft warm) vs Extra White SW 7006 (LRV 86, cool crisp): undertones, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your photo.
Naval SW 6244 (LRV 4, softer navy) vs In the Navy SW 9178 (deeper, more saturated): undertones, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your photo.
Hale Navy HC-154 (truer navy, LRV about 8) vs Cyberspace SW 7076 (blue-charcoal, LRV 6): undertones, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your photo.
Hale Navy HC-154 (LRV 6, grayer navy) vs Newburyport Blue HC-155 (RGB 70, 85, 102, truer blue): undertones, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your photo.
Tricorn Black SW 6258 (LRV 3, true neutral black) vs Black Magic SW 6991 (soft near-black, LRV about 5): undertone and depth table, room-by-room winners, and how to test both on your photo.
Looking for the Benjamin Moore or Behr equivalent of Accessible Beige? Here are the closest matches by LRV and undertone, plus how to test them at home.
No brand publishes official equivalents, so here is the closest Benjamin Moore match for Agreeable Gray (Collingwood OC-28), plus a Behr option.
Iron Ore has no official cross-brand twin. Here are the closest Benjamin Moore and Behr matches by LRV and undertone, with how to confirm the fit.
Sherwin-Williams Mindful Gray sits at LRV 48. Here are the closest Benjamin Moore and Behr matches, with undertone deltas and a way to test them free.
Naval has no official cross-brand twin. Here is the closest Benjamin Moore match (Hale Navy), the best Behr alternative, and how to confirm it on your wall.
The closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005, LRV 84), plus a Behr match, and why the only proof is a test on your wall.
No brand publishes cross-brand matches. Here is the closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Repose Gray, plus a Behr option, with LRV and undertone deltas.
Sea Salt (SW 6204, LRV 63) has no official cross-brand twin. Here are the closest Benjamin Moore and Behr matches, with LRV deltas and a way to test them.
The closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Tricorn Black (SW 6258, LRV 3), with one primary BM match, an alternative, and the nearest Behr near-black.
Urbane Bronze (SW 7048, LRV 8) has no official cross-brand twin. Here are the closest Benjamin Moore and Behr matches, with LRV deltas and how to verify.
Comfort Gray (SW 6205, LRV 54) has no official cross-brand twin. Here are the closest Benjamin Moore and Behr matches, with LRV deltas and a way to test them.
No brand publishes cross-brand matches. Here is the closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Dorian Gray, plus a Behr option, with LRV and undertone deltas.
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