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.
Prairie Style paint colors 2026: 8 Frank Lloyd Wright earth tones for 1900-1920 Prairie School homes in Oak Park, Mason City, and Buffalo, with horizontal-line trim emphasis and stained glass integration.
Lead paint testing and removal 2026: DIY swabs ($25 to $50), pro inspection ($300 to $700), certified contractor surcharge ($600 to $3,000), encapsulation $1 to $3 per sq ft, full abatement $8 to $15 per sq ft. EPA RRP Rule 40 CFR Part 745 explained.
Paint disposal 2026: PaintCare runs free drop-off in 10 states (CA, OR, CT, MA, MN, RI, VT, WA, CO, NY). Latex dried with kitty litter goes in regular trash in most states; oil-based paint and lead waste require HHW facilities. Disposal cost, free locations, and an 8-question FAQ.
Exterior caulk types 2026: siliconized acrylic, pure silicone, elastomeric, and acrylic latex. Top products (GE Advanced Silicone 2, Sashco Big Stretch, DAP Alex Plus, OSI Quad) plus application, tooling, and when each is required.
Best app to change house color from photo 2026: 8 downloadable house paint apps ranked on iPhone and Android. FacadeColorizer #1 on photo-realism, plus Behr, SW ColorSnap, BM, Houzz, Magicplan, Dulux, and Valspar mobile reviewed.
A wood stain deck color visualizer lets you upload your deck photo and preview transparent, semi-transparent, and solid stains before you buy. FacadeColorizer renders any Behr ST code, Cabot Australian Timber Oil, SW Woodscapes, and Olympic shade on your boards in seconds, free, no signup.
Best app to match paint color from photo 2026: 6 color match apps tested side-by-side. NIX Mini 2, Pantone Studio, Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Match, Benjamin Moore Paint Color Match, Dulux PaintGenius, Adobe Capture. Hardware vs smartphone-only, accuracy, and free vs paid.
Which paint brush should you actually use for exterior trim, doors, and corners in 2026? A 14-month field test of Purdy XL Glide vs Wooster Silver Tip, plus the four bristle families ranked.
Exterior painting in Long Beach, CA costs $3.70-$6.10 per sq ft in 2026. See how Pacific salt-air, Spanish Colonial Revival stucco, California Heights HDC reviews, and Dunn-Edwards regional pricing shape your repaint budget across Naples Island, Belmont Shore, and Bluff Park.
Albuquerque exterior house painting costs $3.20-$5.40 per sq ft in 2026. High-desert UV at 5,300 ft, Old Town Pueblo Revival rules, monsoon timing, Dunn-Edwards regional dominance.
El Paso exterior house painting costs $2.90-$5.20 per sq ft in 2026. Chihuahuan Desert UV at 110F+, Manhattan Heights Mission Revival, Pueblo and Spanish Colonial heritage, Dunn-Edwards regional dominance.
Sherwin-Williams Snowbound (SW 7004) for heritage homes 2026: the pink-warm off-white that flatters 1920s Craftsman bungalows, Colonial Revival, Cape Cod and transitional facades where Alabaster reads too creamy and Pure White too clinical. HEX #E7E3DE, LRV 83, Sacramento bungalow field test, trim pairings, Snowbound vs Alabaster vs Pure White vs BM Cloud White.
Sherwin-Williams Naval SW 6244 complete 2026 guide: real LRV 5, hex #3A4456, deep traditional navy with subtle violet undertone, 4-orientation behavior, Emerald formula, trim and door pairings, Naval vs Hale Navy and vs Newburyport Blue comparisons, 8-Q FAQ.
The 8 best Federal style (1780-1830) paint colors for 2026: BM CW-205 Capitol White, CW-150 Cream, CW-690 Wythe Blue, HC-178 Pumice, HC-65 Currant Red, Boothbay Gray HC-165. Bulfinch palette for Beacon Hill and Salem.
Behr Almond Wisp W-D-700 is a soft warm cream-white that ranked #2 across 16,983 Behr exterior simulations on FacadeColorizer in 2026, the top Behr cream-warm choice for Colonial, Cape Cod, and traditional homes. LRV 78, HEX #E7DDD0. Tested on a Richmond VA Federal Colonial across 14 months.
Italianate brownstone paint colors for Brooklyn 2026: the eight authentic sandstone, cast-iron and antique-white formulations for Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene Victorian rowhouses.
The best Chicago Bungalow paint colors for 2026: 10 trim, dormer, and door palettes for red brick, Cream City brick, and brown brick bungalows across the Chicago Bungalow Belt.
Stockton exterior painting costs $3.30-$5.70 per sq ft in 2026 ($3,300-$8,500 typical). 105F Delta heat, agricultural dust, Magnolia Mediterranean Revival, Sherwood Manor ranches, Dunn-Edwards picks.
The 12 authentic Charleston SC historic paint colors for 2026: Rainbow Row pastels (BM Caribbean Coast 2065-50, Sweet Pea OC-105, Brilliant Blue 813, Sunglow 304, Spruce 2042-30), Single House classics (BM Linen White, Heritage Red), and BM Charleston Green HC-141.
HOA-approved exterior paint colors for Georgia in 2026: top 8 palettes (SW Sea Salt, BM Manchester Tan, SW Accessible Beige, BM Wedding Veil, Cottage Red, Bracken Brown, Hale Navy, Iron Ore trim), Georgia Property Owners Association Act rules, and city-by-city differences for Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, and Columbus.
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