How To Paint: When To Paint Or Stain?
Choosing whether to use paint or stain for your exterior is an important decision, and it can go a long way toward helping you achieve balance and harmony with your surroundings. Whether you use paint, stain, or a little of both, the decision can lead to beautiful results that you'll be proud of for years to come. Here's some painting advice to help you decide.
Find more painting advice
How To Paint: When To Paint Or Stain?
Stain and Painting Advice
Stain with Style
On exterior wood surfaces, stains are used to achieve a more natural look and feel. They also enhance or maintain the beauty of the wood. Stains fully coat the surface, like paint, and help accentuate wood’s natural texture.
Wood stains come in a variety of opacities, from transparent to solid, and each offers a different look and wood finish.
See all Exterior Stains
How To Paint: When To Paint Or Stain?
Stain and Painting Advice
Stain Opacities
Most stains penetrate the surface of wood to achieve deeper, richer hues and provide protection against the elements.
For hardwoods, like mahogany or teak, look for a super-penetrating semi-transparent stain to showcase the grain and texture of the wood and beautifully impact the final look of your project, regardless of your choice of color.
Solid color stains are extremely durable and provide rich, opaque color that allows you to accent your outdoor décor.
Explore All Stain Opacities
How To Paint: When To Paint Or Stain?
Stain and Painting Advice
The Power of Paint
Paint offers almost unlimited options for your exterior design because of its adhesion and color options. Whether it's painting your front door to match your shutters, or freshening up your front porch with a new color, paints offer the most flexibility for these jobs.
An exterior paint & primer in one, like Timeless® Exterior Paint Primer, provides coverage in 1,000 colors and the best resistance to extreme weather..
Browse All Paint Colors
How To Paint: When To Paint Or Stain?
Stain and Painting Advice
Paint Sheen Types
Paints offer a variety of gloss finishes, such as flat, satin and semi-gloss, which allow you to bring life to architectural features or shade imperfections that you hope to keep hidden.
Flat sheens are most often used on a home’s siding (also known as the 'body') while satin & semi-gloss are often used for trim and accents, like shutters.
See All Exterior Paints