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Orange Exterior Paint

teapot100
12 years ago

My family and I decided upon a shade of orange for our front door. I went to the hardware store to pick up a quart of BM Aura Exterior and I was told (and shown) that the computer said that shade was unavailable because those yellow paints tend to fade a lot. We checked the other BM exterior paints, same thing. We tried a few more shades, same thing again. I checked a shade of orange in Coronado exterior paint and the computer said it wasn't recommended, but apparently it would do it anyway.

What is a comparable quality exterior paint to Aura that has a good selection of yellows and oranges? Would I run into the same probs with Behr or Sherwin Williams paints? I don't care if it fades in 2-3 years, I'm okay with that because all we're painting is a door or 2.

Comments (2)

  • paintguy1
    12 years ago

    This is not unique to BM. The organic pigments used to make clean oranges or yellows simply do not hold up well outside. That BM chooses not to sell you that color is probably a good thing since it will often lead to a dissatisfied customer. That said, you should have no trouble finding other companies that will sell you a similar orange without hesitation.

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    Lori A. Sawaya
    12 years ago

    OMG, good one, pg1. lol! I kinda think you just threw that out there wondering if anyone would say anything.

    Ben Moore by no means has the market cornered on designating color interior and exterior. Odds of finding paint staff that are clueless about organic vs. inorganic, reasons for interior vs. exterior products are the same for all brands across the board.

    Conversely, all paint stores have similar processes and information to work with. e.g. when a color's formula comes up on their color mixing computer system it tells the mixer person what they need to know about that color -- interior or exterior base is on the list. At which point, many a color consumer's color dreams are squished because many people are like you, teapot, they never in a million thought that some colors can't be used outside.

    Hours spent putting together an exterior palette down the drain and ya have to go back to the rack and start over.

    Asking customers what they'll be painting, what they need paint for is probably one of the few things that is consistent paint counter to paint counter. So, even if no one intervenes early on in the color selection process to educate the consumer about organic vs. inorganic, interior vs. exterior, I would say that it's unusual for someone to make it out the door with the wrong *kind* of paint for exterior jobs.

    Two to three years longevity is a guess, btw. Some of the colors you're looking at could fade at a more accelerated rate - depending.

    It really is smarter to adjust your color expectations and plans to work within the proper parameters. Those parameters can actually help guide you colorwise.

    If a color is not well suited to work outside from a functional stand point, there's a good chance that it's not a good color for exterior from an aesthetic stand point either.

    That's important.

    You might think the orange you're looking at would be fab on an exterior door, but maybe the reality is it wouldn't come out looking quite as fab as you thought. Choosing from a functionally correct exterior orange could very well deliver the final *look* you are wanting but you just don't know that yet.

    Sherwin Williams' ooolllllddd fandeck called Exterior Answers had one of the best selections of exterior colors from the red-orange-yellow section of the color wheel you're talkin' about. Stores often have those old decks on hand for you to look at but you have to ask for it.

    I think you can find a good alternative colorwise, but you might need to find a store/staff person that can give you a lil more than standard guidance. Sometimes it's worth looking for the right person to help you with color rather than looking for the right color all by yourself.

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