Both pros and homeowners rely on our paint experts to find the right products for their exterior projects. You need products that offer durability, color retention, and a finish that resists peeling, cracking, and fading even under extreme weather conditions. Selecting the best exterior paint for your home is the first—and perhaps most important—step when updating your home’s exterior.
| Best Exterior Paints at a Glance | |
| Best Overall Exterior Paint Value | Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior MoorGard Low Lustre |
| Best for Dark Colors or Major Color Changes | Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior |
| Best for Moisture Resistance | Benjamin Moore Element Guard |
| Best for Bare Wood | Benjamin Moore Woodluxe |
| Best for Exterior Paint for Vinyl | Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior MoorGard Low Lustre |
| Best for Brick | Romabio Masonry Flat Mineral Paint |
| Best for Masonry or Stucco | Romabio Masonry Textured Mineral Paint |
| Best for Exterior Trim | Benjamin Moore Regal Select MoorGlo Soft Gloss Finish |
| Best for Front Doors | Benjamin Moore Advance High Gloss |
What to Consider in an Exterior Paint
Type of paint needed for the surface: Choosing the right paint for the type of exterior material is essential. Oil-based, acrylic, and acrylic latex paints each yield different results. For example, acrylic latex paint doesn’t dry as hard as 100% acrylic paint, making it less preferable for exterior house paint. Wood siding, vinyl, stucco, and brick surfaces all require paints engineered for adhesion to that specific surface.
Durability: Choosing durable paint is crucial when you paint your house, especially in harsh climates. High-grade paints create a long-lasting paint job that resists peeling and cracking, providing more protection for your home. Acrylic paint offers additional strength and durability with the flexibility to move as your surface shrinks and expands throughout the seasons.
Color Fastness: Low-grade paint can fade sooner, especially in direct sun, and alkyd and oil-based paints are more prone to changing color. The colorant system used by a manufacturer impacts color fastness. A higher percentage of volume solids means more pigment and resin is in the paint, so it maintains its color longer. Color selection is another important factor as paint brands differ in the number of exterior paint colors they offer.
Cost: A low price point for an exterior paint should be a red flag to both homeowners and painting contractors. Paint that offers durability, color fastness, and a premium finish is unlikely to be cheap on the front end. Since investing in high-quality paint creates a longer-lasting finish on your home exterior, it pays off over time.
Coverage: Coverage per gallon determines how much paint you’ll need to complete your project, affecting overall costs and efficiency. High-quality paint with better coverage often requires fewer coats, saving time and money.
Best Overall Exterior Paint Value
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior Paint
Formula Type: Acrylic with Gennex Color Technology
Finishes: Flat, Low Lustre, Soft Gloss
Formula Type: Proprietary 100% acrylic with Gennex® Color Technology
Recommended because: excellent adhesion, versatile, highly durable, available in 3500+ colors, great value
While Aura is Benjamin Moore’s highest-performing exterior paint, Regal Select Exterior is our go-to recommendation for exterior paint projects because it provides great coverage per can and excellent adhesion at a great value. It’s highly durable and resists mildew, fading, cracking, and peeling.
Regal is tinted using Benjamin Moore’s Gennex Color Technology, which uses a proprietary combination of resins with more pigments than other paints (higher volume solids), so it stays true to color over time even in harsh conditions. Regal’s coverage performs best when painting over colors with a similar value, such as light gray over beige.
In terms of application, Regal Select is easy to apply and provides a smooth finish that hides brush strokes and roller marks, making it a great product for DIY-ers and professionals alike. Regal Select can be applied when the surface temperatures are as low as 35°F, extending the painting season.
Best Exterior Primers at a Glance
Surface preparation is essential and priming before painting is almost always a must! Here’s a quick list of our recommendations. You can read more here.
Fiber Cement or Hardboard Siding: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, High-Hiding Primer
Vinyl or PVC: INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
Exterior Wood: Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Exterior Wood Primer
Non-Galvanized Metal: Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Clean Metal Primer or Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Rusty Metal Primer
Galvanized Metal: INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer
For significant color changes, we recommend Benjamin Moore Aura because its thick formula hides color extremely well—and in fewer coats of paint than competitors. Aura is one of the top exterior paints on the market. It excels in every performance category you want from an exterior paint. Less expensive paints may end up costing more than anticipated because they often require additional coats to effectively cover the old color
Darker or vibrant colors can be tricky to apply, resulting in uneven coverage that frustrates even experienced painters. Aura is our go-to for dark colors for two reasons. First, it provides thick, even coverage; second, the color lasts. Like Regal, Aura is also made with Gennex Color Technology, but it has an even higher volume solids percentage, making it the best option when color coverage may be difficult.
Best Exterior Paint for Moisture Resistance and Low Temps
Benjamin Moore Element Guard
Formula Type: 100% Acrylic
Finishes: Flat, Low Lustre, Soft Gloss
Recommended because: resists rains as soon as 60 minutes after application, tough, available in 3500+ colors
For unpredictable weather conditions, Benjamin Moore Element Guard stands out as an exceptional choice for exterior painting. Whether dealing with cold snaps, heat waves, or persistent humidity, this specialized paint provides superior moisture resistance and extends the painting season which is especially helpful for professional painters. Element Guard offers rain resistance just 60 minutes after application and can be applied in temps as low as 35℉.
If you’re looking for premium protection without compromising quality, especially during unpredictable spring and fall weather, Element Guard is your go-to solution. It’s important to know that because it dries faster, Element Guard doesn’t offer the ultra-premium leveling that Aura provides.
Best Exterior Paint for Bare Wood
Benjamin Moore Woodluxe
Formula Type: Oil or water based
Finishes: Translucent, semi-transparent, semi-solid, solid
Recommended because: stain creates a rich finish that sinks deeply into the grain, creating a durable coating.
Bare wood is like a blank slate––you have so many more options when starting with new wood. Although many of the paints we’ve already recommended are options for bare wood, we like Woodluxe stain for homeowners who want to showcase the wood itself and get excellent weather resistance.
Woodluxe stain is available in four finishes, ranging from translucent to solid. Each finish offers best-in-class color palettes and long-lasting color retention, so homeowners can customize the look of their home exterior.
Its water-resistant properties also guard against moisture, reducing the risk of rot and mildew and standing up to harsh weather conditions. Formulated with advanced UV protection, it shields wood from sun damage, helping to prevent fading, cracking, blistering, and peeling.
Best Exterior Paint for Vinyl
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior Paint
Formula Type: Acrylic with Gennex Color Technology
Finishes: Flat, Low Lustre, Soft Gloss
Recommended because: excellent adhesion to vinyl, great coverage per can, durability
Vinyl should be painted with high-quality, 100% acrylic paint that adheres well to smooth surfaces and stands up to weathering. Our top choice for vinyl paint is Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior. Regal Select is our best-selling house paint, with great coverage per can and excellent adhesion on hard-to-coat surfaces like vinyl.
Not all exterior paint colors are safe for vinyl siding—lighter colors are generally better for vinyl. Paint colors that contain dark pigments can put your siding at risk of warping and damage due to heat absorption. Choose a vinyl-safe paint color either comparable to or lighter than the vinyl’s original color. Benjamin Moore has created a convenient palette featuring 75 vinyl-friendly exterior paint colors to help you make the best paint choice.
Note: Vinyl should only be painted during temperate conditions (between 40°F and 80°F) with low humidity. If it’s too hot, the paint will dry too quickly, and if it’s too cold or damp, the finish may not cure properly. It’s especially important not to paint in direct sunlight, as vinyl siding gets very hot in direct sun.
Painted brick exteriors have become an increasingly popular update in recent years, especially with the availability of an effective product like Romabio Masonry Paint. Romabio is a natural, mineral-based type of paint that binds to the brick and creates a durable, permeable coating.
Because brick is porous, it requires a paint that is non-absorbent and breathable to avoid trapping moisture within the home. Using standard exterior paint on brick will eventually result in moisture trying to escape the brick through the paint film, causing blistering and peeling. We recommend Romabio because it allows the brick to breathe, preventing the build-up of mold and mildew while also providing a high level of UV protection.
Because of this high permeability rating, they offer a 20-year warranty against peeling or chipping. Romabio has a partnership with key Benjamin Moore retailers like Ring’s End so that their paints can be custom tinted to match any of Benjamin Moore’s 3500+ paint colors and then shipped to your door.
Best Exterior Paint for Masonry or Stucco
Romabio Masonry Textured Mineral Paint
Formula Type: Mineral-based paint
Finishes: Textured (also available flat)
Recommended because: textured finish is ideal for masonry or stucco that already has texture, breathable to prevent mildew and peeling, 20-year warranty
Like brick, masonry and stucco also require a breathable type of paint to prevent trapped moisture. Romabio Masonry Mineral Paint creates a breathable wall that doesn’t seal the surface, so moisture and air can move through it, reducing the buildup of stagnant moisture that contributes to mold growth and damage to the home.
Romabio Masonry Textured Mineral Paint has slight aggregate in it to create a textured look on smooth brick or a smooth finish on a rough surface. You can choose either textured or flat depending on the look needed for your masonry or stucco. Their 20-year warranty against peeling or chipping applies to both the flat and textured finishes.
Romabio partners with leading Benjamin Moore retailers, such as Ring’s End who offers custom tinting services to match any of Benjamin Moore’s 3,500+ paint colors and convenient delivery straight to your door.
Best Exterior Paint for Trim
All three of Benjamin Moore’s most popular exterior paints, Regal Select, Aura, and Element Guard, work well for trim. Regal Select is our best seller because it provides excellent all-around results. Aura’s premium formula provides the coverage needed for dramatic color changes. Element Guard offers moisture resistance in as little as an hour, which makes it a great choice when the weather can be unpredictable.
All three formulas are available in soft gloss, a sheen with subtle, elegant shine that is less shiny than semi-gloss which is a commonly used interior paint sheen. Soft gloss is a durable finish that is great for windows, shutters, doors and other trim work. We recommend choosing a higher sheen than the siding’s sheen to create depth and interest, adding to the overall impact of your home’s exterior.
ADVANCE Interior/Exterior Paint
Formula Type: Waterborne alkyd enamel
Exterior finish: High gloss
Recommended because: premium grade paint with excellent leveling and durability
Painting the front door is a painting project that boosts curb appeal every time. Benjamin Moore Advance is our paint pros’ top choice for front doors due to the outstanding quality of its finish. Advance high gloss is a water-based alkyd paint rated for both interior and exterior use that cures to a hard, durable finish with a glossy sheen.
Glossier paints can be tricky to smooth out, but because Advance offers a slow dry time, the result is a flawless, furniture-quality finish—regardless of whether you’re using a brush, roller, or sprayer. Advance requires 16 hours of dry time before recoating, and it’s also recommended to wait the full 16 hours before re-installing or closing the door. For more details, check out our guide on How to Paint Your Front Door.
Order Exterior Paint Online at Ring’s End
Whether you’re a homeowner or a professional painting company, we’re confident you’ll find the right paint products among our extensive collection of paints and primers here at RingsEnd.com—and we ship virtually anywhere in the U.S. (excluding AK, HI, and SC) with free shipping for all exterior paint orders.
Live in the Northeast? Avoid the hassle of waiting in-store for a paint order to be mixed by ordering paint ahead of time. You can pick up paint orders at one of our 34 conveniently-located paint stores or arrange for delivery from Ring’s End to your door.