Exterior Painting With High-Gloss Paint

High-gloss paints have the highest reflective value of all paint finishes. Because this paint is made with more resin and less pigment, it offers a mirror-like finish that’s both elegant and durable. When choosing exterior paint sheens to coat the body of your home, there are various key considerations to weigh in.

Beyond picking out the perfect high-gloss color palette, you must consider the different exterior home surfaces you’d like to cover in glossy paint. In this comprehensive exterior painting guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about painting with high-gloss paint. Once you have a general plan for your high-gloss paint project, you can contact our professionals at Shoreline High Gloss to bring this vision to life.

Advantages of High-Gloss Paint for Exteriors

Aside from the chic, mirror-like finish high-gloss paint has to offer, there are other benefits to choosing this paint finish for your home’s exteriors:

• Ease of cleaning: High-gloss paint is stain-resistant. When cleaning this finish, you only need to wipe surfaces down with a microfiber cloth, warm water and some dish soap if necessary. That’s why it’s a practical choice for door frames and window trims.
• Long-lasting durability: The paint’s high resin ratio content makes it incredibly durable. When applied correctly, high-gloss paint won’t chip, crack or fade easily.
• Moisture resistance: This paint is also moisture-resistant. The thick resin content ensures surfaces cannot absorb moisture. As a result, it’s often the most practical choice for bathrooms and high-moisture areas. The moisture-resistant properties also suit it for home exteriors as a weather-resistant finish.
• Visual contrast: The exterior paint sheen can create visual contrast. Walls and other surfaces will no longer seem flat and lifeless with a coat of quality high-gloss paint. You can also pair this paint finish with other sheens to amplify visual contrast.

Dressing up the exterior of your home with high-gloss details can boost curb appeal. You can make certain areas stand out and enhance contrast to give your home’s details more depth.

Choosing the Right Surfaces for High-Gloss Paint

While high-gloss paint has several alluring benefits, choosing the right surfaces is essential. Paints with a glossy finish are perfect for accenting exterior surfaces. However, it’s critical to ensure the surfaces are flat and in good condition. High-gloss paint can amplify the appearance of flaws, making them stick out more.

You also won’t want to go overboard with this glossy paint — instead, stick to accents like door frames, window trims, shutters and metal surfaces. Before having these surfaces painted by Shoreline High Gloss, decide how much attention you’d like to bring to the area. High-gloss paint is a definite attention-grabber. For larger accent surfaces like garage doors and yard fencing, consider a semi-gloss finish instead.

Preparation for Painting

Surface preparation is a critical step when applying glossy paint. Because high-gloss paint will expose even the slightest flaws, painting over a bit of dust can result in a bumpy, unsightly paint job. Damaged or uneven surfaces can heighten these effects.

At Shoreline High Gloss, we start each exterior painting process by meticulously prepping the surface. First, we’ll clean the surface to remove all dust, dirt and grime that will impact the paint’s appearance and longevity. Following a thorough cleaning, our team will inspect the surface for any flaws. If there are any damages, we’ll take the time to patch holes, fill cracks and sand the surface to a smooth finish. This particular step can be quite time-consuming, depending on the initial condition of the surface.

A properly prepped surface is essential to long-lasting high-gloss paintwork, so our team will work carefully to restore surfaces before we begin painting. Once the surface is smooth and pristine, we’ll apply a primer. A coat of primer creates a more even base and gives the paint something to lock onto, ensuring a smooth and sleek result.

Application Techniques

High-gloss paint requires a specific technique and absolute precision to apply. This type of paint is thick and sticky. The higher resin ratio and lower pigment content also impact application. Using the proper brushes and application motions, our experts at Shoreline High Gloss can prevent uneven paint drying, visible brush strokes and dripping lines.

While using the correct brushes is vital, it’s as important to apply the proper amount of paint to the brush to prevent dripping and streaks. Moreover, the paint stroke motion is just as critical to uniform results — repeatedly painting in the same area will leave bristle lines due to the stickiness of the paint.

High-gloss paint requires quality pure bristle brushes for smaller surfaces and gloss paint rollers for larger surface areas. The paint must be applied evenly in a single layer. After covering the surface evenly, it must dry for about three hours before a second coat is applied.

High-gloss paint is one of the most difficult mediums to work with. At Shoreline High Gloss, we know working with high-gloss paint is an art. Before applying the second layer, we gently sand the first layer. This technique ensures perfectly smooth results.

Color Selection and Design Tips

When choosing a high-gloss paint color palette for your home’s exterior, choose a color scheme that flows naturally. For instance, you can opt for a monochromatic scheme with neutral colors or a high-contrast color concept with complementary colors. A triad color scheme incorporates three colors in bold tones. Once you have chosen a color scheme, you can select colors that complement your home’s architecture and your personal style.

Shoreline High Gloss color consultants can help you choose the perfect colors for your home. Our color consultants consider every detail to recommend a palette, from your home’s size and architectural design to other homes in the neighborhood.

Maintenance and Longevity

High-gloss paint is easy to clean and maintain over the years. There’s no need to use abrasive cleaning products to scrub away dirt. Instead, you can use a soft microfiber cloth, warm water and a few drops of dish soap. For hard-to-reach areas, you can use a garden hose to spray dirt away easily. Because high-gloss paint is stain-resistant, keeping these surfaces clean is effortless.

Quality glossy exterior paint can last five to 10 years. However, quality application is key to ensuring this paint can last up to a decade.

Contact Shoreline High Gloss for Luxury Exterior Painting Services

Shoreline High Gloss is a Fine Paints of Europe Master Certified Painter. Our team specializes in high-gloss paint services. Whether you’re after a glamorous neutral exterior palette or a vibrant, saturated color scheme, our color consultants can help you match high-gloss paints perfectly to bring your vision to life.

We have the tools and expertise to dress up your home’s exterior with quality gloss paints. Contact us online to learn more about our luxury paint services.