Exterior Paint: Flat, Semi, or High Gloss?

[milo]

Or satin? Seems that high gloss would make the most sense, but most houses I see look like they have flat.

[I Love Lucy]

I don't know why, but most use flat. Sure wouldn't use gloss on my cedar shingles. Semi-gloss on the wood trim though. You can always break with the crowd, but there must be a reason. If you want to repaint down the line, it is harder to get a good bond on gloss without sanding a little.

[M.Paul]

Satin works for me. Durable yet not too shiny.

[Gideon]

Satin works for me. Durable yet not too shiny.

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I agree. I've just gone through this same topic with several good paint stores. Satin was most often suggested, followed by semi-gloss (with the caveat that some semi-gloss paints are extremely glossy).

Gideon>

[dpb]

A lot of it is cost--for same brand/quality price goes up w/ gloss...

Another factor is similar thing about higher gloss on interior walls--more gloss shows more imperfections in the surface. Yet another is a high gloss white can be absolutely blinding in a bright sun--while I chose it for specifically for the heat-reflecting effect on the barn, most don't like that on a house.

[Kyle]

You need to include more information. What are you painting? Siding? Trim? What kind of material? Environment? Surroundings?

For example, if you have a brick house, you might want to use or eggshell for the trim just to keep consistent. If you have vinyl siding, you might want a trim paint with more gloss. If you're painting the siding, then it's entirely up to you, but what is the environment? If you live in the Northwest, you might want to stay away from flat paint because it could mildew easier. If you have lots of trees near the house, again, flat might not be a good choice.

I recommend talking to someone at a paint store - a store that specializes in paint. The odds of you getting someone at the box stores who knows enough about paint to advise you in your locale is iffy at best.

[I Love Lucy]

Learned a few more things here, you notice what people do but don't think to wonder why. Intuitively if I had a clapboard house I wouldn't use gloss because it's just not "traditional" even though I hated that chalky feel to the old paint. I did know that light colors tend to reflect heat and darker colors absorb. I wanted a brown house. I wonder if it would be a few degrees cooler if I had chosen a lighter color? Probably not enough to make that much difference.

The satin comments were interesting, wouldn't want that for shingles, but might be nice on siding or other types of exteriors.

Glare, that wouldn't be so good.

>

[Tasherra]

OH my we are talking exterior right?

You DON"T use NONE of the suggestions above. Ther is no outside gloss unless you freaky and want something to talk about. MOst exteriors paints are all STAINS or a STAIN based product for durability. The cost start to change with high endurance or rust proof and so forth. It depends on your outside finishing. Flat is natural as would iE:::::takes the staind as so to protect it.

I hope this helps but you should really see a paintstore for pro advice, and no gloss it be horrable.

WARNING stains never look like the samples they are almost always dingier. Use test quarts first and try it on a spot (in the back somewhere)

[cgenglish]

It doesnt matter as long as its an exterior paint

[trader4]

Say what? More homes are painted with traditional paint than stain. Go into any paint store and the shelves are full of exterior PAINT.

The cost

[Tasherra]

exterior paint ARE ALL STAINS whether you think so or not this is why they hold to the enoviroment. You need to do your home work! latex, oils, stains, exterior, interior, Furniture ITS ALL DIFFERENT! the base is one thing, the finish is another, the durability and use intentend changes brands and modes (MODES ARE the complex chemicals in which paints are derived from)

The recomendations at a store are typical but the insight into how it actually WORKS you need to get up to par on. There is a big difference.

Go and Build for 30 years and then say something.

[krw]

...and super-gloss is quire often used for trim. I use nothing else.

[trader4]

of exterior paint ARE ALL STAINS whether you think so or not this is why they hold to the enoviroment. You need to do your home work!

Who said anything about recommendations at stores? The simple fact is that the exterior of most homes are painted with PAINT, not stain. And a hell of a lot more exterior PAINT is sold than stain, period.

You may know something about building, but you obviously don't know much about paint.