When selecting outdoor paints, stains and coatings for residential buildings, homeowners are increasingly looking for products with a low environmental impact that can help reduce the thermal load of their homes.

Lighter colours are also popular, not only for achieving the sought-after earthy, coastal look but also for the added benefit of reflecting the sun and helping to reduce the thermal load. Some darker shades are still on trend, but if selecting darker colours, homeowners can opt for ‘cool paints’ with pigment technology to reflect more of the sun’s heat.

Painted bricks and stained timber are also on trend as well as the concrete look and textured finishes.

Hitting a painted brick wall

Commercial Relationship Manager at Haymes Paint Jo Clarke says they are beginning to see a strong preference for painting brick walls and staining timbers, especially front doors, and entry soffits.

“Customers are choosing beautiful timbers to feature as part of their builds and are selecting stains that enhance the natural grain of the timber,” she says.

“Render and textured finishes remain popular; however, painting bricks is an excellent solution for the renovation market. We are also seeing the new homes market offering a painted brick option as an alternative treatment to exterior facades. We have noticed a trend moving towards lighter colours, with softer and more subtle contrasts, taking inspiration from surrounding environments.”

“This trend is expected to continue as people factor in the thermal load on their homes and the role that colour selection can have in reflecting heat and thinking more about the impact of a warming climate”.

She says those who are looking to make an impact on the entrance to their home, will often decide to paint their front doors with a pop of colour. They are also seeing colour become an impactful consideration in landscaping.

“While dark painted fences and perimeter walls have been, and still, remain popular more people are choosing whites or lighter colours to paint their pool and garden walls, which is a slight nod to the Palm Springs look. Others are choosing colours sympathetic to the environment, such as Haymes Paint Pulp White 6”.

Haymes Paint has a wide variety of exterior products like Haymes Paint Solashield, which boasts a UV resistant formula and water-based colourant system designed to deliver a rich full colour and high durability.

In their Woodcare range, there is Woodcare Dexpress and Haymes Paint Woodcare UVEX, which both ensure timber features are preserved. Dexpress is an easy-to-use timber finish that lasts three times longer than traditional decking oils.

This UV and mould resistant coating is perfect for preserving hardwood and softwood timbers including Merbau, Spotted Gum and Treated Pine. Dexpress is quick-drying and washes up easily in water. UVEX Finish is a premium exterior timber finish that is UV and mould resistant. This long-lasting finish protects against cracking, moisture, and abrasion. It is an easy-to-use coating that maintains the timber’s natural appearance and requires minimal maintenance.

For those who want a render and texture finish, Haymes Paint Rendertex is a comprehensive range of texture coatings that provide durable, long-lasting protection. The Rendertex range encompasses sand, marble and quartz-based texture coatings that suit DIY and professional applicators.

Rendertex products are suitable for interior and exterior surfaces in residential applications. Unlike traditional cement renders, Rendertex products are flexible acrylic textures that provide excellent protection for several substrates.

Haymes Paint Solashield was used on a residential build in the northern suburbs of Perth that was recently awarded Global Home of the Year at the National Association Home Builders (NAHB) Global Innovation Awards. The exterior of the home by Green Homes Australia featured Haymes Paint’s Ultra-Premium Solashield product in Colorbond ‘Dune’.

Like being down by the seashore

When it comes to coastal regions, homeowners are opting for lighter tones with a mottled rendered finish to evoke a Mediterranean ambience.

According to Dulux, people continue to be drawn to the concrete look for the exterior of their homes thanks to its monolithic and natural aesthetic that never goes out of style.

These looks can be achieved using Dulux Acratex AcraShield Concrete which is available in a wide range of Dulux colours. Acratex AcraShield Concrete is a pigmented, water-based 100% acrylic coating designed to create a modern industrial feature finish. It is designed to achieve a smooth mottled effect when applied in multiple coats and is suitable for interiors and exteriors.

Image: Dulux

“We love the beauty of Dulux Acratex Sienna Natural and Dulux Acratex Sienna Coarse, two exquisite options that create a softer and more visually captivating, mottled texture effect. One of the remarkable qualities of texture effects is their ability to capture light in unique ways, offering a mesmerizing play of light and shadow that adds depth and dimension to any outdoor space,” Dulux Brand Manager Justin Merrett says.

“Overall, the extraordinary versatility of Dulux Acratex AcraShield Concrete makes it different, a remarkable product that can be expertly applied by both painters and renderers. This innovative formulation incorporates spheres within the product, resulting in a flawlessly polished concrete effect when applied with a trowel. The artistic nature of the finish ensures that each application is uniquely beautiful, with no two surfaces being alike,” he says.

While the appearance resembles Venetian plaster, the product offers the added benefits of being a paint that effectively bridges cracks, mitigates the impact of environmental pollutants like dirt and mould, and allows for effortless cleaning and maintenance compared to rough, uncoated masonry surfaces.

The Dulux Acratex AcraShield Concrete adds an organic and textured dimension to residential facades, surpassing the effects of a simple flat paint finish. The result is a visually captivating texture that enhances the overall appeal of any home.

Waterproofing barriers to prevent water ingress

When looking to seal external brickwork, concrete, cement render, sandstone, and other porous surfaces Tremco recommends Duram S900. Duram S900 is a clear, high pH, deep penetrating siloxane water-resistant solution, that penetrates the tissue of porous substrates and creates a waterproofing barrier below the surface preventing the ingress of water.

Duram S900 also solves the problems associated with water penetration such as corrosion of steel reinforcement, friability, and binder loss of surfaces, fungal and bacteria attack, and degradation due to carbon dioxide permeability. S900 is an ideal way to stop leaks without lifting tiles or changing the overall appearance of the surface.

There is plenty to weigh up when selecting colours for outdoor paints, but if the homeowner prefers darker colours, Resene recommends its CoolColour exterior paint. The paint is designed with special pigment technology to reflect more of the sun’s heat than the regular colour range.

This helps to keep the paint and cladding cooler reducing the risk of heat-related damage. It can be used on all sorts of exterior materials and applications, from weatherboards and concrete to windowsills. Resene CoolColours are created by replacing the standard carbon black pigment that absorbs heat and light with a unique pigment that enables much of the infrared portion of the sun’s energy to be reflected. Visible and U.V light will still impact the sun’s heating effect on the exterior surface.

Resene CoolColours are available in most Resene exterior finishes including exterior paints, exterior wood stains, specialist finishes for concrete and building exteriors as well as stains and coatings for timber decking and paths. Resene CoolColour technology works best in dark shades most prone to heat build-up, including popular colours such as Resene Nero, Resene Karaka and Resene Napa.

Resene’s CoolColour paint was specified during an incredible transformation of a 1980s brick farmhouse on the Mornington Peninsula by Atlas Architects. Atlas Architects selected a Resene formula that would suit the different materials that make up the exterior, which includes steel, fibre cement sheet, bricks, and timber. This included Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss waterborne paint, which was tinted to Resene CoolColour Bokara Grey and Resene CoolColour Black.

“Resene Bokara Grey is a dark charcoal that can look almost black under certain conditions, but in the sunlight, the colour’s grey heart comes through clearly. Deeper Resene Black was used for trimming elements such as the fascia and door and window frames to subtly highlight the outline of the building,” Director of Atlas Architects Aaron Neighbour says.

“We hadn’t used a Resene CoolColour formula on a project before, however, we are excited to specify it next time we have a dark building exterior,” he says.

The project’s dark tonal Resene colour palette also helped to simplify the home’s appearance – where different elements are disguised to visually merge into the new contemporary silhouette, which recedes and makes space for the green and purple tones of the landscape to come forward.

The home, known as The Seat, won a Resene Total Colour Landscape Award for its beautiful integration with its surroundings.

When looking at the role exterior paints can play in reducing urban heat issues Flux Designs has some excellent offerings.

The move to lighter longer-lasting colours

“We need to get back to lighter longer-lasting colours and systems that reflect our geography and environmental position on the globe,” Director of Flux Design Hans Schlupp says. “Sustainability needs to be addressed at all levels of the build and design not just being an afterthought,” he says.

One of his eco-friendly solutions that can be used in residential settings is Flux Design’s Thermal Dynamic Coating (TDC). The water-resistant flexible polymeric coating can be used both inside and out and contains no VOCs. It has been proven to reduce heat and energy costs by up to 30%.

Schlupp explains that almost all reflective paints on the market are acrylic polymer-based paints that will start to break down in 3 to 4 years. TDC on the other hand is about the movement of heat through the product/ substrate.

“The coatings are much more effective as a heat barrier than so-called ‘cool paints’ because they use more UV stable and reflective thermal dynamic minerals that slow down the heat

transfer and they have a much more durable polymer base no matter the colour that is used. The base mix is Aliphatic Urethane Not Acrylic,” he says.

Schlupp explains that all TDC colours will reduce the heat going through by around 30%, 24/7 365 days a year, noting however, that dark colours will still heat up, but the heat will take longer to get through the substrate.

The coating is currently undergoing testing at the University of Adelaide to confirm the energy savings that can be achieved when using the coating/paint in comparison to ‘normal’ paint and coated surfaces.

“NATA Lab- testing has already been done the results are a staggering 30% + reduction in heat uptake. In having a real-time setup at the Uni set-up, we can now see the differences in real outdoor day-to-day scenarios”.

Getting colour choices right isn’t the only point of consideration when choosing outdoor paints, stains, and coatings. Now there is also the question of sustainability, thermal load, the ability to withstand the harsh Australian climate and whether the paint or coating contains any VOCs.

Lighter colours remain a timeless pick, although some are still some making bolder, dark choices with stunning results. Renders, textured finishes, painted bricks, and stained timber are also popular for adding an extra layer of style.

Main Image: Haymes Paint

Suppliers

Haymes Paint: https://www.haymespaint.com.au/

Dulux: https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/dulux

Resene: https://www.resene.com.au/

Flux Design: https://greentechcement.com/

Tremco: https://www.tremco.com.au/

Nathalie Craig

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