Exterior Trim Paint | Pick Trim Paint to Make Your Home Stand Out!

A complete exterior paint job may not be in the budget for a few years, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with the current look of your home until then. Changing the trim and other features can make quite a difference.

Paint the Trim and Doors

Benjamin Moore has put together a variety of exterior paint color combinations based on regions in the country and styles of architecture. Simply adapt the combination that best suits your home and existing paint job.

For example, the Northeast Classic Colonial colors are Weimaraner for the body, Wenge on the shutters, Mascarpone for the trim, and Dinner Party on the door. If your home already has a tawny maple hue on the body, incorporating the other colors in this palette will give it a new look. The burnished red of Dinner Party will make your front door pop.

The Northwest Natural Style uses Clarksville Gray on the body, Stampede as an accent, Black on the shutters, and Paper Mache for the trim of a traditional craftsman. Changing your shutters from a lighter color to black will immediately create more visual interest.

Benjamin Moore's Midwest At Home in the Heartland combination puts Pearl Harbor on the body, Dakota Woods Green on the shutters, and Deep in Thought on the trim. A yellow home will get a facelift with green shutters that suggest the area's farmland sensibility.

The Southwest Desert Hues palette uses Salmon Stream on the body, White Oaks for the trim, and Colonial Blue as the accent. Blue is an unexpected color for a Spanish Mission home, and that alone will update its look.

Changing the trim and other features also makes sense if you're selling your home. You might not want to invest in a complete exterior paint job, as you will not be living in the house long enough to enjoy it, but these more minor changes can boost curb appeal and catch the eye of house hunters and real estate agents alike.

Remember: Prep Is Important

Partial updates require prep just as complete exterior paint jobs do. Even more so in the case of doors and other features, you handle regularly. You will need to do the following:

Clean - Even if only updating certain features, power wash the entire exterior to remove dirt and grime. It will freshen up the paint you plan to keep and help the new paint adhere, allowing you to get even more years out of this partial project.

Scrape and sand - New paint also adheres best to a smooth surface. Scraping and sanding gets rid of excess, loose, and flaking paint. Simply painting over flaking paint makes it look even worse in a short amount of time.

Check and repair - As you clean and prep, also look for worn or rotting pieces. Check trim, window frames, shutters, and doors, and repair any in need. Just as painting over flaking paint sets your project up for failure, so does coating crumbling wood. Also, consider changing the hardware on your front door if existing metals will detract from the new paint colors.

Enlist the Help of a Pro

If you don't feel comfortable choosing the paint colors that will best update your home's look, enlist the help of your professional handyman. He or she can narrow your choices to those that will complement the existing body paint of your home as well as power wash and perform all necessary repairs. Even though you won't be investing the higher amount that an entire exterior paint job costs, you still want to make sure the partial update lasts as long as possible. A professional can make that happen.

Mr. Handyman can maintain your home to save you money. One call really does take care of everything on your to-do list. Make sure to stay on top of all your household repairs, improvements, and maintenance needs, and request service now online.