When was the last time you painted the exterior of your home? This Spring, let BEHR Paint help you turn your old house into a brand-new place. We’ll show you, step-by-step, how to choose your paint and apply it effortlessly using the best that BEHR has to offer. Are you looking for ways to improve your home’s security? Stick around, because we have some awesome recommendations on a state-of-the-art doorbell camera that uses biometrics. We also have a few ideas on how exterior lighting can boost your home’s security while also turning your yard into a fun party venue. Spring is right around the corner so order your supplies now and let your “Spring Cleaning” begin!
Avoid These Five Mistakes When Choosing Paint
The idea of painting the exterior of your home can seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. We’ll provide all the tips and resources you need for a frustration-free paint job. To help you avoid some of the stresses that come with painting your home, let’s talk about some of the most common mistakes homeowners make when it comes to choosing paint.
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1. Look At The Entire House
It’s easy to focus only on the walls when you’re getting ready to paint. But choosing paint colors is akin to filling up your plate at a buffet. Your eyes are deceiving. Every holiday season you fill up your plate with more food than you can eat. Similarly to that, your vision of what color you want might be bigger than the actual house – especially when taking into consideration your yard size, possible HOA requirements, and roofline.
The Handmade Home reminds us that we need to consider the entire home: walls, trim, gutters, window ledges, and more when picking out a paint color.
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2. Picking The Right Color
Trying to figure out what paint color is right for your home can make anyone’s blood pressure soar. The last thing anyone needs is to paint an entire house and then realize the color is wrong (pro-tip: choose a trim color in just a shade or two lighter or darker than the exterior wall paint; keep bright or dark pops of color for accents only). The team behind BEHR Paint understands this. That’s why they offer several features on their website that will make it easy for you to choose the right paint. With BEHR Paint Color Discovery, users begin by choosing which room or whole home they want to paint. From there, BEHR asks how users want that space to feel. Options include: warm & friendly; relaxed & calming; versatile; trendy & stylish, and bold & dramatic.
Once you work through their brief questions, they’ll provide a selection of colors that will help achieve your goals. After you pick a color, hop on over to Colorsmart by BEHR Paint. Colorsmart allows users to virtually paint their homes. The process is easy. Take a picture of any wall in your home and upload it to the website. Select which room of the house it is and then pick a paint. You’ll see how that paint color will look before you buy it.
If after all this, you’re still uncertain about the paint color, take a deep breath! Then schedule a free color consultation provided by a BEHR expert. The color consultation consists of a 30-minute video chat where an expert will give you their top recommendations for your home whether you’re painting a wall, a cabinet, the exterior, or even furniture. They’ll even send you ten free-color chips to help you narrow down your choices.
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3. Choosing The Wrong Finish
Choosing the correct finish for your paint is just as important as the right color. Did you know that there are different sheens for paint depending on the location you’re painting? House Logic listed the various paint sheens and their purpose. Here are five common finishes to choose from flat, matte, eggshell enamel, satin enamel, semi-gloss enamel, and hi-gloss enamel.
Generally, a higher-sheen paint is more durable and easier to clean. But because it’s glossy and reflects light, it’s not recommended for interior walls. Higher sheen paints are great for kitchen cabinets. BEHR Paint recommends using either eggshell or satin enamel finishes for moderate-to-high-traffic areas in your home. They both resist dirt and grime making them perfect for living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. We prefer the satin enamel finish because it’s the easiest to clean.
4. Not Testing The Paint Color
Bringing home color chips is always a good idea but homeowners shouldn’t rely on that when picking a paint color. Better Homes & Gardens advised that factors such as daylight, sunlight, and the type of lightbulbs used will all affect the final appearance of the paint. House Digest noted that many homeowners need to test a sample of paint on a large area of the desired wall. The larger the area you apply the sample paint the better understanding you’ll have of how the paint is going to look. It’s also recommended homeowners check the color of the paint throughout the day and in different lighting to get the best idea of how it’s going to look.
5. Underestimating How Much Paint Is Needed
Another common mistake homeowners make is not buying enough paint to finish the project. This Old House advises that every time you run to the store to buy more paint, you risk not getting the correct shade. This is an unfortunate lesson to learn, especially if you don’t catch it until after the paint has dried. This Old House recommends homeowners do some quick math to calculate how much paint is needed.
This can be done by adding up the total length of all the walls and multiplying that number by the height of the walls. This will give you the square footage. Divide the square footage by the amount of square footage a one-gallon bucket of paint will cover. This final answer will tell you how many gallons of paint to buy. The other option is to use the paint and stain calculator provided by the team at BEHR Paint.
The paint and stain calculator allows homeowners to quickly enter in the dimensions of the room being painted along with the number of doors and windows. With one push of the button, BEHR Paint will tell you how much paint to purchase. When you’re done, you have the option of emailing their results to yourself or someone else. This means you won’t have to worry about writing down the wrong information or forgetting what you were told.
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Do Your Best With BEHR Paint
Now that you know all the dos and don’ts of choosing the perfect paint for your home you’re probably wondering, “What brand of paint should I pick?” We’re so glad you asked! For every home improvement project, we love BEHR MARQUEE® paint. Why? Another excellent question! More often than not, homeowners find they have to apply two or more coats of paint to their walls to get the desired coverage. That takes time and costs money – especially if you have to go back to the store for more paint. When you purchase BEHR MARQUEE® paint, you’re purchasing BEHR’s one-coat guarantee!
BEHR MARQUEE® Paint is also durable and made with an advanced paint and primer formula. This means you won’t have to prime your walls before painting, saving you time. We love how well BEHR MARQUEE® Paint hides old stains on the walls. If tiny, sticky fingers find their way onto your newly painted walls, rest assured, you’ll be able to wipe away the dirt and grime without damaging the paint. In case you’re curious, for our home renovation project, we chose BEHR MARQUEE® Vibrant White with a Satin Finish.
Applying BEHR Paint In Three Easy Steps
Another reason we love BEHR Paint is that its team put together application instructions, making it easy to kickstart your home project. In six easy steps, you’ll transform your desired room into the haven you’ve always wanted. Before you begin, Real Simple has a list of tools you’ll need to get the job done. Included on their list of must-haves are a paint roller & pan, wall cleaner, painter’s tape, and a canvas drop-cloth. Once you have all the tools needed, you’re ready to begin.
Step 1: Clean Your Wall(s)
Though it might seem like a waste of time, this is one step you don’t want to skip. Better Homes & Gardens cautioned that painting over dusty, dirty walls can cause problems with your paint down the line. While there are many products on the market that will help you clean your walls, The Spruce recommends good, old-fashioned soap and water. Use a sponge to clean your walls starting from the base and working your way up. Be sure the walls have dried completely before applying the paint. When painting outdoors, pressure washing the whole house before painting is the ideal option. This not only removes dirt and grime, but will also remove old paint that is flaking or chipping along with any unwanted critter hives, nests, or webs.
Step 2: Remove and Repair
In addition to washing your walls, make sure you also remove any mildew stains and repair any scuffs, dings, or cracked stucco in the walls. The biggest takeaway here is the removal of mildew stains. Yes, BEHR MARQUEE® can cover stains but mildew stains and juice stains are two different creatures. Bob Vila cautions that painting over mildew doesn’t kill the mildew. Over time, the mildew will continue growing underneath the new paint. We all know that mold and mildew can cause a lot of health problems. That’s why it’s important – after you’ve consulted a company to investigate the cause of the mildew – you use a bleach solution to clean the mildew stains.
Step 3: Applying BEHR MARQUEE® Paint
If you’re applying paint to a new stucco wall or masonry, BEHR advises letting the stucco cure for at least a month before painting. For all other walls, you’re ready to paint. BEHR recommends not thinning the paint if using a roller to apply it. Also, make sure you fully saturate the roller. BEHR MARQUEE® paint takes one hour to dry for the first coat. It takes four weeks for the BEHR MARQUEE® to cure. After that period, you’re free to clean it with mild soap.
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Which Comes First: The Wall Or The Trim?
If you’re new to painting walls, you might be wondering if you should paint the wall first or the trim. The answer to this question depends on who you ask and what kind of mood they’re in that day. Some experts suggest painting the trim first. Others say it doesn’t matter. We love Bob Vila’s answer to this question. Bob Vila suggests if you’re a painting novice to start with the actual wall and then move on to the trim. The reason for this is that walls have a larger surface area, making them easier to paint than the trim.
Regardless of where you begin, Family Handyman recommends waiting until the paint is completely dry before moving on to the next part. We started our painting project by utilizing a sprayer for the exterior walls because of the surface area and then hand-painting the trim, window ledges, doors, and gates. But we will tell you that we chose BEHR MARQUEE® Havana Coffee with Satin Finish for our trim and we love how it contrasts with the BEHR MARQUEE® Vibrant White (also satin finish) on our walls.
Accessorizing The Exterior
After we finished painting the inside of our home, we ran into an unexpected problem. The exterior of our home wasn’t as pretty as the inside. Our front door and our gates were in a sad state. Fortunately for us, BEHR MARQUEE® had exactly what we needed. We breathed new life into our front door and gates with BEHR MARQUEE® Black. But before we painted our front door using BEHR MARQUEE® Black, we updated our door handles.
For our front door, we installed the Schlage Front Entry Handleset with the Latitude Lever. This door handle is ideal to use for front entry doors that also have a smart lock. The Schlage Handleset is super-easy to install. It has a universal latch that slides into place. We love that this handset will work with either right or left-sided doors. It’s available in multiple colors, ensuring you’ll find the perfect match for your home. Speaking of smart locks, if you’re interested in acquiring one, we have the perfect recommendation. Add the Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock to your shopping cart!
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Schlage Front Entry Handleset with the Latitude Lever
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Schlage | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest
Adding Peace of Mind to Your Front Entrance With Lockly
The Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock will launch your entire household into the future. It features a built-in HD Video that allows you to monitor and record people at your front door using your cell phone. Unlike other doorbell cameras, the camera on the Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock isn’t visible. Friends, neighbors, and delivery truck drivers won’t know they’re being recorded. We love that you can use a fingerprint, digital code, or mechanical key to unlock your front door. Users can also lock and unlock the door with a push of a button on their phones.
If you thought that was all the Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock had to offer, we’re just getting started. When you install this deadbolt lock you’re essentially installing a security system that notifies you who’s coming and going from your home. Verify packages are being delivered. Make sure your kids are coming straight home from school.
Guests who are staying at your home can be granted a temporary code to access your home. Thanks to the Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock, you won’t have to worry about making it home in time to let them in. All they have to do is enter in the four-digit code or use an app on their cell phone to unlock the door.
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Does using a keypad entry make you nervous? Are you worried someone will be able to hack your code and let themselves in? The Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock was designed using patented Pin Genie Technology. So if some unwanted individual walks up to your front door and tries to guess the code, not only will the Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock notify you of their presence, they’ll still be guessing the code when the police pull into your driveway.
The patented Pin Genie Technology makes it almost impossible for anyone to guess the code, even if they’re watching you enter it. Why? Because the digital numbers on the keypad are placed in groups of three. Every time you press a number, the rest of the numbers shuffle. So even if someone is looking over your shoulder, they’ll never know what numbers you’re entering.
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Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt Lock
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Lockly | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
Light Up Your Home’s Exterior with Philips Hue
Having an excellent lock on your front door is one way of protecting your home. Good exterior lighting is another. If you don’t have good lighting outside of your exterior doors, now might be the time to upgrade. Entergy reports that thieves and burglars are less likely to prey on well-lit homes. In addition to boosting home security, good outside lighting can also help your family and guests see better as they’re entering and exiting your home at night. This reduces the likelihood they’ll trip over something because they couldn’t see it.
Help protect your home and loved ones when you install outdoor lights by Philips Hue. We have two fantastic lighting options we’re excited to share with you! The first is Philips Hue Econic Outdoor Wall Light. This light can either be installed on a wall or ceiling. If you have the Hue Smart Hub, and the Econic Outdoor Wall Light, you can easily turn this light on or off using Alexa, Apple Homekit, and Google Assistant. We love how durable this light is. The Econic Outdoor Wall Light was designed to survive whatever Mother Nature brings its way.
If you’re looking for a motion-activated light, look no further than the Philips Hue Discover Outdoor Floodlight. Just like the Econic Outdoor Wall Light, the Hue Smart Hub is also required for the floodlight. We love how easy it is to turn the floodlight on or off using your Alexa, Apple Homekit, or Google Assistant. Nothing can be more startling than waking up to a strange sound outside your house. From the safety of your bedroom, you can use either your voice or your cell phone to activate the light outside.
The Philips Hue Discover Outdoor Floodlight can also be paired with the Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor so that it activates when motion is detected. The floodlight can also be programmed to activate at certain times. This makes it the perfect outdoor light to have when you’re on vacation because you can program it to turn on and off at different times so prospective thieves won’t stop by for a visit while you’re away. We love that you can pick what color light you want the floodlight to cast. This makes this floodlight ideal for outdoor parties or even holiday-themed lighting. Fair warning: there are only 16 million light colors to choose from.
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Econic Outdoor Wall Light | Discover Outdoor Floodlight
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Philips Hue | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Painting your home’s exterior has proven benefits. Do your research regarding paint colors, lighting, and accessories before deciding to DIY this Spring. Visit BEHR Paint and use their online resources to help you pick the perfect palette for your home! BEHR MARQUEE® Paint provides easy, one-coat applications to your home, allowing you to get the job done faster than other competitors. And because safety can also raise stress levels, make sure you update your door handles, locks, and exterior lights for the ultimate Spring home update this year!
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BEHR MARQUEE® Exterior Satin Paint
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
BEHR Paint | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest | TikTok
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