Revamp your outdoor space with these expert tips

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Late spring is when people usually start thinking a lot about summer entertaining and what needs to be done to refresh or improve their outdoor areas.

Postmedia sat down with Sharon Grech, color and design specialist at Benjamin Moore, to hear her industry-tested tips for improving your home’s outdoor and exterior spaces.

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Where to start

Whether it’s basic spring (garden) cleaning, painting or staining your home’s exterior or deck, most people will have a long list of outdoor jobs, large and small, that require time and effort. money. Start by writing everything down, starting with the jobs you don’t want to (or think you can’t) do yourself, says Grech:

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“If you need the help of a professional, it’s never too early to get online and begin the process of quoting and scheduling exterior work.”

Pitfalls to avoid

Canadians love to entertain outdoors, even when the weather is still “a little chilly,” says Grech:

“We Canadians love our blankets and a good campfire!”

But if you plan to paint or stain something outdoors, wait until the weather is consistently dry and above five degrees at night.

The surface temperature and dryness of what you’re painting or staining are just as important as the temperature and humidity of the air, he says. Painting and staining always require a little prep work that usually begins by cleaning the surfaces and letting them dry.

“This isn’t the most fun part, but it will make a big difference in the longevity of your finish, so be sure to include adequate time for preparation when planning an outdoor job,” he says.

Trends in exterior design

Grech says it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish outdoor furniture and accessories from items designed for indoor use due to the huge leap in material innovations and design styles at all price levels.

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Like home interiors, we’ll see a lot of mixing and matching of various styles of outdoor furniture this spring and summer, he says.

“It features rattan and wicker, both natural and manufactured, which are combined for a contemporary look with metal and glass,” says Grech.

What colors are we seeing outdoors?

Neutral grays and sands have a timeless appeal, especially when paired with traditional accents in navy, red, yellow, nature-inspired greens and “deeper chromatic colors, often as accent pieces paired with black and white,” Grech says.

Fun, retro-inspired shapes, patterns and colors are also having a moment in outdoor furniture and decorative pieces, he adds.

Simple Ways to Cool Outdoor Spaces

Painting the front door a color that contrasts with the body of the house is a fun and relatively easy way to change the look and personality of your home, Grech says.

Consider smaller details like front doors, window frames, shutters, garage doors, pillars, and even porch roofs as quicker touches for a makeover that will add instant curb appeal.

Painting your outdoor furniture is a simple way to give it a new look and extend the life of existing pieces that look dated but are otherwise in excellent condition. Porch furniture and ceilings are good areas to experiment with bolder color options that still complement your exterior scheme.

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Grech says Benjamin Moore recently launched its Woodluxe Exterior Stain collection in translucent, semi-transparent, semi-solid and solid.

“Staining is a great way to renew and protect our outdoor wood surfaces, like decks, furniture and fences, for the next season and beyond.”

Neutral colors for house exteriors

People tend to be less adventurous when it comes to choosing colors for the exterior of their home, mainly because there are few exterior color options, Grech says.

Exterior building materials are generally natural, such as stone, wood, and brick, and even manufactured siding and other siding options are inspired by natural elements.

“We’re seeing an increase in bolder, more modern color options for front doors and painted furniture, where people feel a little freer to express their personality with these smaller but impactful areas.”

The biggest mistake to avoid

One of the biggest mistakes people make when painting or staining the exterior of their homes or outdoor areas is not testing the color of the paint or stain before purchasing several gallons.

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“Color depends on context and can be perceived very differently in different lighting conditions and even appear different due to adjacent colors. “Lighting conditions change dramatically throughout the day, so it is highly advisable to paint color options on a board and view them throughout the day, compared to other fixed building materials and finishes,” he says.

When it comes to wood stains, it is even more important to test on real wood stain samples.

“The most translucent stains depend largely on the species, color, age, and condition of the wood, so always test on a piece of real wood to get a true reading of the final color,” says Grech.

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