We have great news: Spring is on its way! As the weather starts to warm up and outdoor home improvement projects begin to become a possibility again, we start getting questions about different exterior finishes. Today our expert residential painters in Asheville are going to address one of our most asked questions for you all. Which is better for wood shutters: paint or stain?
Styles of Exterior Shutters
The first item to take into consideration when deciding between stain and paint is the design style of your home’s exterior. Your exterior shutters’ style and type help accentuate the vibe your home has. For example, the following are a few examples of different popular shutter styles:
- Board & Batten
- Raised Panel
- Flat Panel
- Bahama/Bermuda
- Louvered
Regardless of whether you have a Craftsman, Tudor, Victorian, Colonial or Cottage, shutters style can go a long way in emphasizing your home’s “personality.” Be sure to take your time and do some research before committing. Next, we’ll get into the topic of paint and stain and how you’ll know which finish is right for you.
Benefits of Paint
The most obvious reason for choosing paint as a finish for your shutters is the wide variety of color options. Paint offers every color and tone under the sun. If you are looking to add a pop of personality to your home’s exterior, paint will do that extremely well.
Paint is also the best choice for protecting the wood from being warped or rotted by the elements. Considering the Asheville climate, our residential painters in Asheville confidently recommend painting for long-term preservation. Of course, nothing lasts forever, but paint will keep a modern styled home looking fresh for far longer than stain.
Benefits of Stain
The most common reason for choosing stain over paint as a shutter finish is a desire to preserve the natural beauty of the wood grain. Stains can offer the benefit of protection and preservation to your shutters without covering the unique elements of your shutters’ organic beauty. It offers a much more rustic look than what you could achieve with paint. However, the look is not the only benefit to choosing stain for your shutters.
Another key reason stain may be the right fit for your home’s shutters is the protection it offers to the wood. Unfortunately, stain will fade faster than paint. But, if your goal is to keep a natural-looking barrier between your shutters and the weather, stain is your best option.
Tips on Color Selection
Finally, when choosing a [paint OR stain] color for your shutters, there are a few items to keep in mind. The color you choose for your shutters can offer a more blended feel or a vibrant feel. If you are working on a historic property, you may want to consider the trends of the period your home was built in. Some additional tips include the following:
- Light colors within the same family as your home’s exterior color will blend well without drawing too much attention away from other features
- Dark colors can be much more dramatic on a light-colored home’s exterior
- Black and white tend to be the most common shutter paint colors
- When choosing a stain tone, selection is made based upon the home’s other exterior materials/colors and how much of the shutter’s wood grain you want to show through
Asheville Painting Company
D.A.B. Painting of Asheville, NC offers professional house painting services. We work with all types of exterior home surfaces including siding, wood, stucco, composite and much more! Our exterior painting services are designed to boost curb appeal—D.A.B. Painting makes it easy to give your home a full face-lift without the stress or hassle.
