Hadlock Paints: Rochester's #1 Paint Store

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

2016 Exterior Season Wrap Up

I'm pretty sure I heard freezing rain on my window last night, which of course means one thing.. that dreaded "s word" is right around the corner. The temperatures are steadily dropping and the leaves have changed and are dropping as well, which means it's time to say goodbye to yet another successful exterior painting season. This summer saw a lot of record temperatures and dryness which at some point made painting outside uncomfortable, but for the most part allowed a lot of work to get done. So let's look back on some of the trends, successes and failures that we saw this season.

Gray Continues to Dominate
It's not popular for interior color selection. Gray was a stand out color for exteriors this year as well. Dark grays do look great on the exterior of many houses and we pushed a lot of gray paint out our doors over the past few months. Some of the colors that were our most popular included the historical colors Kendall Charcoal, Amherst Gray and Chelsea Gray. The historical collection has always been a popular choice, especially for exterior and these three were some of our favorites and customer's favorites as well.
Cooler gray seem to work better as exterior colors than interior so there were definitely more sales in these shades of gray as well. Another popular exterior color choice in this vein was dark gray, almost so dark that it was really more of a "light black" if that oxymoronic description even makes any sense. Graphite, Temptation, Wrought Iron, Midsummer Night, and Mopboard Black were all stand outs for a super dark house color. And they are very noticeable. We often had customers come into the store and ask what color were on these almost black homes. So if you're looking for a color that gets a lot of attention, don't be afraid to go to these deep black shades. They are sure to get people talking.
While gray was certainly popular, we did many colors for outside. Within two days, we had two separate homes painted in a deep purple. Blue grays continued to rise in popularity as well. Traditional black and white never gets old either. We hope to help you choose the perfect house color next year.

Bold Front Door Colors
For decades it seems, the red or burgundy door has been the standard and while it will always be a classic, this year we definitely saw a break from the mould, with people choosing brighter and bolder colors for their front doors! We always like to see some risk taking and I think these pops of color on your exterior are a great pay off and an easy and cost effective way to make a great change. You can usually paint your front door with a quart of paint, which on average costs about $25. It's one of the least expensive upgrades you can make and packs such a great punch as well.
Some of the color trends for front doors we noticed this year were an increase in bright blues, greens and teals. I had a customer use Bella Blue and it really looked amazing on the front of her home. If you are leery of treading too far from the traditional red, then you're in luck because bolder reds going toward orange or purple were also a big trend. One of my favorite front door colors that is definitely picking up speed is the Yellow or Gold door. This color choice also looks great if you've painted your exterior in a gray. Some of my favorites that I saw this year include Gold Leaf, Pan for Gold, Showtime, and Concord Ivory. If you want to start small in 2017, let us help you pick a front door color!







Solid Stain Popularity on the Rise
Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Solid Stain is a fantastic product if you have a wood sided home and want to keep that rustic or classic look, but want to have greater color choices than your traditional stains. It can be tinted to practically any Benjamin Moore color, expanding to possibilites for your exterior. We sold a record amount of this product this year, and also began carrying it in five gallon pails for your larger jobs, which made these jobs easier and more efficient. Stain can be so versatile and works not only for home exteriors, but decks, fences, sheds, outdoor furniture and any other wood surface. Along with the solid stain, Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat features a full line of exterior stains in different opacity levels and also in either alkyd or water based formulations. There is really a product for anything!

A Final Note of Exterior Season
We use the term "exterior season" for a reason. These products work best with the right weather and temperature conditions. In cold temperatures and wet weather conditions, our exterior products cannot achieve their high level of performance so if you are considering continuing using the products, try and do it in a heated garage or area that stays above the recommended temperature for application. We want you to get the most out of the great products we supply and using them improperly can result in poor adhesion, bubbling, peeling and other adverse effects. Feel free to ask questions about the products to any of our employees for suggestions, and remember. the 2017 Exterior Season will be here before you know it! We hope that our products and advice have created an amazing result in your home exteriors. We always welcome you to share pictures of your completed projects on our Facebook page as well. Hadlocks Facebook!  Maybe your work can inspire other customers!

No comments:

Post a Comment