Best Exterior Paint for Your Florida Home
Most homeowners can tell you that the curb appeal of your home not only makes it attractive, but it also adds value to your home, especially if you’re about to put it on the market to sell. Plain and simple, curb appeal matters. All of that curb appeal starts with the right paint job on the exterior of your home. However, when you live in Florida, you have to take a few things into consideration when choosing the right exterior paint.
Living in Florida means you need a paint that won’t crack, fall prey to mold, mildew or dirt, and won’t change colors on you down the line. It’s also important to get exterior paint that will last you for eight to 10 years easily. Below, you’ll find the best paints for your Florida home’s exterior and a little on how to choose them.
Acrylic Paint is Best
The first thing you need to know is what the outside of your home is made of. A premium acrylic paint is best, but you need to know the siding it’s going on beforehand. There are a few different types of sidings that are used in most homes, including:
- New stucco
- Existing stucco
- Lap siding
- Wood siding
- Aluminum siding
- Vinyl
- Brick
Unless your home has a new stucco finish, it is recommended that you use premium acrylic paint to get the job done and achieve the best results.
Elastomeric Paint
Elastomeric paint provides a waterproof coating for surfaces like concrete, concrete block, and stucco. It lasts roughly 10 years if it is properly taken care of. These paints protect against sun, wind, heat, and cold. They’re also flexible enough that they stretch when cracks underneath the paint start to expand and contract. These paints are 10 times stronger than regular acrylic and can be gotten in lighter colors.
It’s important to note, however, that some painting experts worry about how well these types of paints breathe. In some cases, it’s possible for moisture to build up under this paint and cause decay and rot to the home itself. Also, if your home has other heavy coats of paint on the stucco exterior, you don’t want to paint over it with heavy elastomeric paint.
Acrylic Latex Paint
With its great ability to breathe and it’s supreme waterproofing abilities, acrylic latex paint is currently the most popular option for painting the exterior of Florida homes. This paint works best on stucco, wood, aluminum, and vinyl. It comes in a wide variety of colors to choose from and retains its flexibility as the house settles after the job is done. Not only does it stand up the temperatures of a hot FL summer well, but it is also less expensive than elastomeric paint. The colors are less likely to fade over time and last quite a long time.
How to Choose
Even when you know the types of exterior paint out there that work well for Florida homes, it’s sometimes hard to choose what is best. Thinking about your budget is the first thing you should do, as some paints are high-quality, while still being cheaper than others on the market. It’s also important to make sure you don’t limit yourself to the colors you can choose.
Remember, you want this paint job to last for years to come, so never choose a color that you’re not going to be happy with once the deed is done. These are some of the best exterior paint options out there today for Florida homes. Remember, budget and color first. The rest will be easy.
