Johnson County Home Painting Trends

17 Jun Johnson County Home Painting Trends

Johnson County has a vast variety of homes in its 20 unique cities and 477 square miles of real estate. The 168,000 residences keep us busy in the short painting season…that is a lot of properties that need upkeep & maintenance!

A lot of building trends have come and gone over the years since Johnson County’s founding in 1855 – six years prior to Kansas becoming the 34th state. In the old days, most paint was a shade of white, and that is why you see most older farm homes painted white (it’s also why painters wear “whites” (white overalls) to camouflage the paint drips on their clothing). Anyways, white gave way to slightly darker neutral colors, the light brown’s and beiges. Everyone has heard the term “Johnson County beige” for example. If you look at recent work though, color trends have been pulling away from that over the last few years. More homeowners in the area are repainting their exteriors with darker, richer tones. This is especially prevalent in the newer construction in southern Johnson County.

These deep rich tones are probably my favorite to gaze at, and they certainly look great for a while. The problem with these dark tones is that the colorant tends to fade out faster. Paint companies are switching to Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) or No VOC colorants right now, which will help some, but the rule of thumb is that the darker the color the shorter the life span of the paint. These rich colors look great…but they are the most expensive to maintain since you will be repainting more frequently. Still, it’s a trend that we expect to continue and it’s hard to argue with the finished product, especially if you don’t mind repainting your home’s exterior fairly frequently. If you DO mind the frequent repainting, reverse trim schemes are something to consider and are gaining popularity. This entails choosing darker, rich colors for trim and lighter colors for the main body. The most sun exposure will be on the bulk of the house, and the lighter colors will last years longer while keeping your home cooler in the summer. Best of both worlds!

The Kansas City metro, and Johnson County especially, really is the Mecca of repaints and exterior repairs. From our weather conditions to the way we construct our homes (mostly with wood exteriors), your most valuable asset is in need of constant protection and repair. One trend that is NOT changing is that of homeowners opting to repaint repeatedly instead of applying siding. We just don’t see to many JoCo homes opting for siding, even if there’s extensive exterior wood rot to repair.

The idea of this article is to let you in on recent developments in exterior home painting in your area. Hopefully, it’ll help you make an important decision about the future of your home.  Of course, the most important decision you’ll make is hiring the right painting contractor. Painting is a tough job that only true professionals really love. Don’t forget, we always offer free color consultations – for both your interior and your exterior – and won’t pressure you in to any decisions you don’t want to make. Thanks again for reading, and if you found this helpful please share it with your friends, followers and fellow neighbors!