9 Ways to Update the Exterior of Your Home From Bland to Grand with Paint

Your home’s exterior paint plays a huge part in its curb appeal and affects its value. Maybe an entire refresh isn’t in the budget right now or you just want to spruce up some specific features. Focusing on a few details is a budget-friendly way to update the exterior of your home. Here are the nine areas where paint can make a major impact.

Change the Color of Your Front Door

Builders tend to match front door paints and stains to the color of your shutters or other exterior trim, but why blend in when you can stand out? It’s more than a door. It’s the gateway to your home and with the right color it has the potential to be a statement piece.

If you doubt whether a door makes a difference, consider this: according to Zillow’s 2017 Paint Color Analysis, homes with navy blue, dark gray, or charcoal front doors sold for around $1,500 more than homes with other front door colors. And red front doors are associated with welcoming, protection and luck.

Better Homes and Gardens provides some great tips and inspiration so you can choose the perfect paint color to take your front door from dull to dazzling.

Repaint Window Shutters

Like your front door, window shutters are typically painted to match the other exterior features of your home but are you unleashing their full potential? If you’re not ready to paint your entire house, one way to update the exterior of your home that will yield big results is changing up your shutters. We love these fresh ideas from HGTV that showcase all of the possibilities from classic to contemporary and everything in between.

Repaint Exterior Wood Trim

Maybe you want to repaint the exterior wood trim on your home to make the fixtures pop a bit more. Your house’s trim provides moisture protection and includes the materials around the edge of your windows and doors, as well as the fascia board that is installed at the edge or face of the roof and soffits. Darker neutrals that blend in with the rest of your home’s finishings give a more subtle look, whereas bright white trim around a blue door gives a bold highlight.

Paint the Fence

Fences provide privacy and security, but they also have the potential to enhance your appeal, or detract from it. Many homeowners will install a new fence and neglect to stain or paint it. Within months the fence you likely paid a pretty penny for is looking far older than its age. Painting or staining your wood fence creates a moisture barrier and will protect it from fading, weather damage, rot, mildew, and mold. When choosing between a stain and paint you’ll want to do your research as to what will give you the best protection. Stain tends to absorb faster and doesn’t chip and peel like paint. However, paint will give you more color choices if, for example, you’re going for the “white picket fence” look. Both paint and stain will require refreshes every three to five years.

Consider a Painted Mailbox

A fresh mailbox color is an easy and inexpensive update that you can do yourself in an afternoon. Need some inspiration? Pinterest has tons of ideas or you can buy a pre-painted one at a hardware store. Another quick DIY update is to take your house number display from function to feature. HGTV has a list of ideas to add instant chic and sophistication.

Paint the Front Porch

Like your front door, your front porch makes a first impression. But it can also be an extension of your living space.

A colorful rug, updated lighting, seasonal planters, and fresh paint can all bring personality to your porch. Painting your porch is more than just trim and railings. Have you considered painting your porch’s ceiling? In fact, the “haint” blue porch ceilings that have dotted streets in the Deep South for two centuries have roots in both the practical, to repel insects and the protective, to repel spirits. While blue mimics that sky and can make your days feel longer, it doesn’t mean it’s the only option for your porch ceiling. (Martha Stewart has some fun porch color ideas to help you take your style up a notch.)

Don’t just look up. Your front porch floors need some love, too. Concrete doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, a painted concrete front porch can be a work of art—check these out! Just remember if you go the DIY route, there will likely be powerwashing and some repairs involved before you even dip your roller in the paint.

Redesign Exterior Columns

Porch columns serve as both structural support and a decorative element for your home. Did you know you can purchase column wrap covers or wraps to add girth to your porch posts or even give it a stone finish? (For our super-handy readers, here are some tips on how to wrap your existing columns to add girth.) Otherwise painting or staining your columns is a relatively easy, low-cost way to give your house front a facelift.

Repaint or Replace Siding

Think of your house’s siding like it’s coat of armor. It’s a fierce protector but it can also take a beating from wind, rain, sun, and pests. Whether your siding is aluminum, vinyl, Hardie board, or wood, it will start to show its age. If it’s not time to replace (if you’re not sure check out this blog), then washing or painting your siding may be in order to keep your home looking its best. A job this extensive is typically best left to a pro.

Paint Your Garage Door

Function, not fashion, likely comes to mind when you think about garage doors. However, if your exterior garage door is street-facing it, for better or worse, affects the aesthetics of your home. Carriage-style garage doors are all the rage in some neighborhoods but wooden doors can be expensive. (While this might fall in the “Don’t try this at home, kids” category, you also can buy a kit to paint your garage door to look like wood.)

You might just need a new coat of your existing paint color, or if you’re thinking about a new look you might find some great garage color ideas here.

And don’t forget the architectural features. “Eyebrow” pergolas are one way to add visual interest above your garage.

Small Exterior Home Changes. Big Impact.

Ready to update the exterior of your home? Whether you are looking to paint it all (here’s how to know when), or tackle a few smaller projects, a residential painting company can save you time and stress. Riggins Painting serves the greater Memphis area and we love to work with clients to bring their ideas to life. Contact our team of professionals to schedule a free quote and let us help you transform your home into one that stops traffic.