A Fresh Coat of Paint

Winter (in dry-rainfall areas) is the perfect time to apply a fresh coat of curb appeal to your home. Pop into your local Prominent Paint store and stock up on the products you need to refresh a home - inside and out.

 

Take a good, long look at how your house looks from the street. If you haven't painted in some time, chances are, the exterior is in need of repair and a coat or two of paint - a DIY project that can really make a difference to the curb appeal of a home. From the front door to the roof, it's easy to give your home a facelift with the right products!

You will find advice and tips on various exterior painting projects in our Home Maintenance section, as well as specific information for exterior home maintenance, high-performance exterior coating, repair and painting a home exterior, and preparation methods.

TOP TIP: Always read the product label. The label provides important information about the product and proper use and application.

TIPS ON CHOOSING PAINT COLOUR FOR HOME EXTERIOR

While selecting a paint colour for a home exterior is a matter of personal preference, there are a few considerations to bear in mind that will help with colour choice:

• White and lighter colours show dirt easily and bounce light off the walls. While this is an advantage inside a home, it can cause glare if your outdoor or garden area is situated close to exterior walls. Keep white as an accent colour for use on trim, barge boards, etc.

• Mid tones of taupe and grey are trendy colours that can be used to accentuate architectural detail and give a home added curb appeal. These colours don't show dirt as easily and will last longer than lighter hues.

• Keep dark colours for accent or trimmings, as these colours tend to fade quickly and look washed out.

• Use a single paint colour for large expanse of wall and a second or third colour for accents and trim. An accent colour can be white or black, or a lighter/darker hue of the colour used to paint the walls.

Take a look at the Prominent Paint colour options for exterior walls, bearing in mind that you can have custom colours mixed on request.

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While it's fun to experiment with bold, bright colours, you don't want your house to stick out like a sore thumb - and it's costly to make a mistake and have to do the job over again! 

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As a homeowner who has used Prominent Paints Textured Paint for over 30 years for numerous exterior painting projects, I definitely recommend this product. With the proper preparation and correct application, this product has a 12 year life expectancy.

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TIPS ON HIRING A PAINTING CONTRACTOR

If you feel the job is too much to take on yourself, hire a local painting contractor. An online search will give you plenty of options to choose from, but do keep the following tips in mind:

• Don't give the job to the first person that answers the phone. You want references to assure that the company can deliver quality from start to finish.

• Obtain at least 3 quotations from reputable contractors. That way, you can asses the scope of work required and the price quoted. A good contractor will visit your home to give a written cost estimate. Bear in mind that the lowest bid is not always the best; as with everything in life - you get what you pay for!

• Before you sign, do your homework and follow up on references provided. Feel free to ask for multiple referrals - as recent as possible - to assess the company's scope of work, time for completion, quality, and client satisfaction.

• Find out if the company does the work themselves or use subcontractors. You ideally want to know that the job is supervised at all times.

• Ask what paint will be used for the project and confirm colours. Knowing what brand of paint will be used will determine the lifespan of the project. Also ask to see colour swatches, so that you can accurately determine how your house will look once painted. Prominent Paints have a varied selection of exterior home paint products, and you can pop onto the www.ProminentPaints.co.za website to view technical specs and guarantee / lifespan for products.

• Ask what needs to be done to the exterior of your home. Proper preparation is key to a successful painting project. If there are cracks, these will need to be attended to. Signs of damp should be treated. Make sure the contractor covers any defects in their contract.