Paint & Color

Paint and color advice for Atlanta homes

Straight answers on timing, products, prep and prices, written by Delmar Upshaw, our paint & color editor, from what our painters see on Atlanta jobs every week.

Painting price guide

Paint color fan deck and sample boards laid out on a dining table in a bright Atlanta home

Articles

Latest articles

Painter rolling light gray paint onto lap siding on a two-story Atlanta home under clear autumn skies with yellowing trees

When to Paint a House Exterior in Atlanta

Fall is the most dependable stretch for Atlanta exteriors, but spring and summer work too if you plan around pollen, dew and afternoon storms.

Close view of a white painted window sill dusted with yellow pine pollen beside a freshly washed blue clapboard wall in spring

Painting During Atlanta's Pine Pollen Season

Yellow pine pollen sticks to wet paint, coats freshly washed siding and fouls caulk. Here's how we time exterior work and use spring for interiors.

Living room with soft matte greige walls, bright white semi-gloss baseboards and window trim, and afternoon light from tall windows

Choosing Paint Sheen for Every Room

Sheen decides how a wall cleans, how it hides flaws and how it reflects light. A room-by-room guide to flat, matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and gloss.

Faded and peeling paint on the sunny west side of a wood-sided Georgia home next to the shaded north wall with mildew

How Long Exterior Paint Lasts in Georgia

Georgia sun, humidity and red clay shorten paint life on some walls and barely touch others. Typical repaint cycles by surface, and the signs to watch.

Brick ranch home with a soft white limewash finish letting some original red brick show through, framed by green shrubs

Painted Brick, Limewash or Mortar Wash?

Three ways to change brick color, each with a different look, upkeep and level of permanence. What to weigh before you commit to one.

Kitchen with freshly painted soft white shaker cabinets, a sage green island, brass pulls and existing granite countertops

Painting vs Replacing Kitchen Cabinets in Atlanta

Painting sound cabinet boxes costs a fraction of new cabinets and takes days instead of weeks. Here's when it pays off and when replacement wins.

Painter in a respirator misting old window trim on a 1920s bungalow porch with plastic sheeting laid out across the ground

Lead Paint in Older Atlanta Homes

Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint under newer coats. What lead-safe prep, containment and cleanup look like, and what to ask before work begins.

Shaded north wall of a gray clapboard house under tall pines with black mildew spots and green algae along the lower siding

Mildew and Algae on Siding: Clean Before Paint

Under a dense tree canopy, north walls stay damp and grow black mildew and green algae. How we clean it off and keep it from coming back under new paint.

Painter cutting in a soft blue-gray bedroom wall along white crown molding with drop cloths covering the floor and furniture

Cost to Paint a Room in Atlanta

Room size is only part of the price. Ceilings, trim, wall repair, color changes and furniture all move the number. Typical Atlanta ranges explained.

Homeowner holding three large painted sample boards in gray-green and cream against the front of a suburban Atlanta house

Getting HOA Approval for Exterior Paint Colors

Many Atlanta HOAs review exterior color changes before work starts. What a review committee wants to see, how sample boards help and how long it takes.

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