The Best Exterior Paints for your Home, Tested by Experts
Enhance your home's curb appeal with one of our top-performing finishes.
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The average house needs to be repainted every five to 10 years. The same goes for porches, picket fences and other exposed surfaces. The best way to hit the upper limit of that time range, and maybe even push it to 15 years, is by choosing a top-performing paint for your next exterior project.
Our team in the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute tests exterior paint nonstop. The evaluation starts in the Lab, where we simulate years of exposure in a matter of days, measuring fade resistance in our weather accelerator chamber and durability with our abrasion machine. For good measure, we also send paints to the homes of expert testers for real-world projects, getting their take on ease of application and long-term performance.
Pros
- Applies smoothly and easily to most surfaces
- Delivers solid adhesion in extreme temperatures
- Resists staining
Cons
- Only available through Lowe's
Why we love it: For a superb exterior paint at a competitive price, our testers recommend Valspar's Duramax. The paint is sold exclusively at Lowe's, though it can be purchased online through the retailer if there's not a physical location within driving distance.
The Duramax boasts an impressive allowable temperature range for application (as low as 35°F or as high as 90°F, according to the brand), so it extends the painting season, especially in less moderate climates.
Coverage: Top-performing paints have to pull off a careful balancing act, and that's where Valspar excelled in our tests. The paint was easy to load onto brushes and rollers and then applied smoothly to drywall panels, with few visible brush strokes or roller marks.
Durability: While a few competitors proved slightly more hard-wearing in our abrasion test, our experts say the Duramax should deliver at least a decade of solid protection in most applications. It also aced our stain and fading tests, so it should perform well in most climates and conditions.
Pros
- Exceptional price
- Smooth, even application
- Resists fading under direct sunlight
Cons
- Not as long-lasting as other paints
Why we love it: You don’t have to pay top dollar for a top-performing paint. Glidden often helps us make that point, and that’s again the case with its Premium Exterior, which sells for less than $40 per gallon, about half the price of many premium paints.
Coverage: Despite its low price, the Premium went on smoothly during testing and its built-in primer means you can probably get away with a single coat, provided the surface you're painting isn't too banged up.
Durability: The finish was very good at resisting fading, which is nice if you live in a hot climate or if your home gets a lot of direct sunlight. However, the Premium showed some vulnerability in our abrasion tests, which measure long-term durability, so surfaces exposed to harsh weather might need to be repainted more often.
Pros
- Exceptional price
- Smooth, even application
- Resists fading under direct sunlight
Cons
- Not as long-lasting as other paints
Why we love it: Paint that will be exposed to the elements and regularly walked on needs to be especially hard-wearing. Dutch Boy’s Porch & Floor paint impressed our testers with its ability to fend off wear and tear.
Coverage: The paint went on thick and dried to a hard finish in one hour. For a long-term field test, A GH staffer applied the paint to a set of concrete steps. "One coat provided excellent coverage, while two coats enhanced the depth of the paint color significantly," she reported. Instead of the traditional metal paint can, the Dutch Boy comes in a plastic container with a twist-open top. While the molded handle makes for easy carrying, one tester said that the lid was hard to twist, while another complained that the short spout made for messy pouring.
Durability: It excelled in our fade-resistance test, enduring many days in our accelerator weathering machine, where intense UV light simulates years of exposure to sunlight. Our experts like that the Dutch Boy paint is available in a special anti-skid finish that’s ideal for porches and other outdoor surfaces that get slick.
Pros
- Easy application with a smooth, deep finish
- Resists moisture after one hour of drying
Cons
- More susceptible to dirt stains
Why we love it: If your exterior project involves a focal point, for example, your home's front door or a row of handsome porch columns, you want a paint that delivers the smoothest possible finish. For our money, that's Benjamin Moore's Element Guard Exterior Paint.
Coverage: The Element Guard earned top marks for smoothness in our tests and it also delivers excellent hiding power, so you might be able to get away with a single coat.
Durability: Pros and consumers alike will appreciate that Element Guard also resists exposure to rain and other forms of moisture in just one hour after application. Its moisture-resistant properties make it an excellent choice if your home's exterior is susceptible to mold and mildew, though it was a little more prone to dry staining agents in our tests, including dirt and crayon.
Pros
- Can be applied in extreme temperatures
- Fends off mildew and other stains
Cons
- A bit less durable than other exterior paints
Why we love it: The weather is an obvious factor for exterior paint projects. Rain in the forecast is a deal breaker and most paint pros say temperatures between 50°F and 90°F are ideal for drying and adhesion, narrowing the painting season in many parts of the country. That's why our experts like Sherwin-Williams' new Latitude. The brand tweaked the formula to push the temperature range to between 35°F and 120°F.
Coverage: Our testers applied the Latitude to siding samples during frigid winter conditions. The paint loaded easily onto the brush, and there was no drop off in drying time or adhesion. Durability and hiding power were above average, but not the best of all tested paints, so our experts recommend a second coat for surfaces that will see a lot of wear and tear.
The paint also resists moisture, whether from rain or dew, just one hour after application, so it will cure to a hard finish even when conditions for painting are less than optimal.
Durability: During Lab tests, the Latitude proved extremely stain-resistant, so it should hold up well to mold and mildew, for homeowners who live in damp climates.
Pros
- Paint-and-primer-in-one offers superb coverage
- Very good stain resistance
- Easy to apply
Cons
- Susceptible to fading under bright sun
Why we love it: Behr is another value paint brand that often outperforms paint costing twice as much. The brand is a Home Depot exclusive, so if that's your home center of choice, this exterior paint could be a good fit.
Coverage: During extensive field tests, the paint earned high marks with our testers on a variety of attributes, including application, smoothness and color depth. “Loved the coverage,” said one tester, who went with a rich black hue called Limousine Leather for her front door. She added that the paint “wasn’t at all drippy so it loaded easily onto the brush and roller.”
Durability: The Premium Plus was excellent in our abrasion test and also shrugged off various stains, including oil and crayon. It is a bit less fade-resistant than other tested paints, which could mean less staying power on surfaces that receive full sun.
How we test the best exterior paints
Exterior paint must balance a variety of performance-based attributes. Our test protocol is designed to measure them all. Here are the main qualities we evaluate.
Durability. This tells you how well a paint will hold up to extreme weather over the long haul. Our durability test uses an abrasion machine that applies 750 passes with fine-grit sandpaper to simulate years of abuse.
Stain Resistance. Can a paint fend off stains from dirt, pollution, tree sap and the like? To find out, we apply a litany of staining agents, including mud and oil, to test samples, allow them to set for five minutes, and then try to remove the stains with a single folded paper towel sheet and all-purpose cleaner. We then repeat the test, this time leaving the stains for two hours.
Hiding Power. We use opacity cards to determine how well a paint can cover other colors in a single coat. Testers use a syringe to deposit 3 milliliters of paint onto each card and then spread it with a metal applicator tool to ensure even distribution. The best paints combine coverage and consistency.
Fade-resistance. This attribute is especially important to outdoor paint. We load painted samples into our accelerator weathering machine, where the intense UV light simulates years of exposure to sunlight in a few days.
Safety. Today’s water-based paint is much safer than the oil-based paints of the past, because they contain far fewer chemicals that off-gas into the air. But our engineers still do a thorough review of safety sheets and technical data to determine health risks and sustainability.
What to consider when shopping for the best exterior paint
A perfect exterior paint job starts by choosing a top-performing brand and model from our list of winners. But there are some other keys factors to keep in mind.
✔️ Pick the right finish: Finish affects performance and appearance. The three main options are flat, semigloss and eggshell/satin:
Flat paint has a dull finish that hides imperfections, but it’s prone to staining and harder to clean. Use on exterior surfaces that are older and more banged up.
Semigloss has a high shine for maximum protection against scuffs and stains. The finish is ideal for molding and trim, where it adds durability and helps highlight architectural features.
Eggshell and satin have a shine that’s in between flat and semigloss. They’re the most common finishes, ideal for siding and fencing that’s in good shape.
✔️ Choose the color: Our design experts say that neutrals will never go out of fashion. Plus, you can always add a pop of color elsewhere, say, at the front door. When in doubt, take cues from the surrounding landscape, for example, choosing earthy tones in desert settings and dark greens in lush, forested locales.
Major brands have color-finding tools on their websites that are helpful for zeroing in on the right palette for your project. Retailers also have color-matching technologies that mean you can get close to any color you crave in just about any brand. But it's always important to test a few colors out on your home. Exterior paint appears brighter outside, so start with a sample of the color that is one shade down from what you’re going for.
✔️ Calculate the amount: To figure out how much paint you need to repaint your house, multiply the perimeter of your house by the height, subtracting doors and windows from the total. A typical gallon of paint covers 350 to 400 square feet. Most brands and retailers have paint calculators that can help with the math. For large projects, buying 5-gallon containers instead of single gallons is a good way to lower material costs.
✔️ Don’t skimp on the prep work: Create a smooth surface by scraping away cracked or peeling paint with a paint scraper. Fill gouges and gaps with caulk and spackling compound. Once all surfaces are smooth, wipe away any dust and clean with soapy water. Make sure the surfaces are completely dry before applying the first coat.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Dan DiClerico has covered the residential paints and coatings industry for 25 years. In that time, he has tested all major brands and reported on key innovations, including the rise of low-VOC paints and the emergence of formulations that combine paint and primer in one.
As director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, Dan oversees all paint testing, working closely with our team of engineers and product analysts. He also manages consumer surveys designed to capture homeowners' experiences with exterior paints and other coatings. He can often be found repainting one of the rooms in the restored 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone where he lives with his wife and kids.
Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
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