Exterior paints have improved over the past decade. They’re more durable, and less prone to cracking and fading. Consumer Reports’ latest exterior paint tests show what you can expect after a paint has been exposed to sun, rain, snow, and wind for years. It’s not always pretty. You want to know which exterior paints are likely to last the longest on your home. One year of our severe testing is equivalent to about three years of normal weathering. After three years of testing, you get a glimpse at how this paint will look after nine years. We evaluate cracking, color change, and resistance to dirt and mildew. It all begins with painting pine test panels and putting them on racks on the roof of our headquarters in Yonkers, New York. We face the boards south at an angle of 25 degrees to intensify the effects of sun and weather. Most tested exterior paints—14 out of 15—looked great after three years. At six years, we saw changes in most, and even more changes after the equivalent of nine years.

Most tested exterior paints will look good for eight to 10 years, including Behr Premium Plus Ultra, $39, and Clark+Kensington, $35. (Prices are per gallon.) But some paint cracked and faded by year nine, so you’ll probably have to paint again after six to nine years. These paints include Glidden High Endurance Plus, $29, Sherwin-Williams Resilience, $63, and Behr Marquee, $48, the lowest scoring of the tested paints. Consider Your Climate and Weather Sunny, hot and dry climates require a paint that resists cracking and color change. Warm and muggy areas call for mildew resistance, and desert homes need paint that resists dirt. You’ll see which paints did well in the Features & Specs section of our exterior paint Ratings. And check the weather forecast. Daytime temperatures between 50° and 90°F with little or no wind are best for painting; never paint in the rain. Start with our paint buying guide, then see our exterior paint Ratings. Our tests have found that a brand’s flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss paints perform similarly overall, so we combine the scores to make it easier for you to compare.

Click the Features & Specs tab to narrow your choices.A beautiful paint finish can really make a house stand out from the others on the block. ways to decorate your baby's roomBut it doesn't matter whether you're a professional contractor or do-it-yourselfer, it takes a quality exterior paint to produce the best results. bedroom decorations for christmasThat's why choosing the right type of exterior paint is such an important step.wall decor quotes cheap The best exterior paints go on smooth and last for years. Experts, professional painters and do-it-yourself homeowners agree that the best exterior paints go on smoothly, which means you shouldn't see any streaks from a brush or roller when you apply it.

The finish should look rich and evenly spread. Durability is a key consideration as well; quality exterior paint retains its original color for several years and resists cracking, dirt, fading and mildew -- the latter is particularly important if you get a lot of rain. You can usually expect a thicker paint to be more durable. Top paints will generally get the job done in fewer coats than cheaper paints, though experts recommend applying at least two coats, as it leads to a longer-lasting finish. Don't forget to do the proper prep work -- that is, cleaning or scraping the siding before painting. A good pressure washer (covered in their own report) can go a long way toward making that prep work easier. Some cheap house paints still deliver a quality finish. Experts and professionals recommend buying the best paint you can afford -- but buying the most expensive paint isn't always possible for every job, nor does price always equate to better quality. In fact, we found that the best exterior paints land in the middle of the price spectrum – around $30 to $40 per gallon, with some mid-priced exterior paints rivaling and even out-performing more expensive paints costing $70 or more per gallon.

Paints at the lower end of the price spectrum – below $30 per gallon – typically require more coats to get the job done, and some say they don't look as good or don't dry evenly. The lower the VOC rating, the better for you and the environment. Most paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the harmful chemicals in paint fumes that have been linked to health and environmental problems. While VOCs are less of a concern when painting outside than if you were painting inside, these chemicals have been linked to air pollution. VOC limits for exterior paints are regulated by the federal government, meaning any paint you purchase today must meet these guidelines. Still, environmentally conscious consumers often opt for low-VOC paint, which has VOC levels that are even lower than those mandated by the federal requirements. Keep in mind these numbers are what's claimed by the manufacturer, and adding tints and colorants to some brands of paint will add VOCs. Low-VOC and zero VOC exterior paint typically performs on par with their higher-VOC counterparts, but tends to fall at the higher end of the price range for exterior paints.

Be sure to choose the right paint sheen. Once you decide which exterior paint is best for you, you'll need to decide on a type of finish. This is important because choosing the wrong type of sheen can be just as bothersome as choosing the wrong color of paint. The rule is the glossier the sheen, the more detail it shows. So if you're painting over a surface with a lot of imperfections, such as siding, a flat finish is best for the job as it has the dullest sheen. Eggshell and satin have a slightly glossier shine but also can be used for siding. Semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes are often used for painting trim, as they accent the surface details and are easy to clean. Deck stains are ideal for a quality wood finish. If you're applying a finish to a wooden deck, consider a wood stain. Like exterior paints, they come in different finishes. Choose a clear deck stain if you really want to accentuate the wood grain, though you'll need to reapply the stain every year or so to get the best look.

More durable are semi-transparent and solid finishes. These cover up more of the wood grain but do a better job of resisting the elements and need to be reapplied less frequently. Like exterior paints, VOC levels for wood stains are also regulated by the federal government. ConsumerSearch editors examined professional tests, dozens of expert reviews and hundreds of owner reviews to find the best exterior paints, cheap exterior paints and the best deck stain. , where editors test a multitude of paints and wood stains, rating a paint brand only after it has completed the equivalent of nine years' real-world exposure in simulated test environments. Ratings are based on how well a paint's hiding performance as well as resistance to scrubbing, mildew, fading, and more. We also consulted the J.D. Power 2015 Paint Satisfaction Study, which evaluates consumer satisfaction with overall paint brands rather than individual formulations, and professional tests from the Paint Quality Institute where technicians put paints through rigorous tests in both simulated laboratory settings as well as in real-world, outdoor conditions to identify top-performing paints that resist mildew and fading, the best paint-primer combination products