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Most-read guides.
When to paint your home’s exterior in Michigan
Late spring through early fall, on dry days with mild nights. Here’s how to read the temperature, dew point and forecast like a painter, and what each Michigan month tends to offer.
Read the guideAgreeable Gray vs. Repose Gray vs. Accessible Beige: how to choose
Three Sherwin-Williams neutrals that look nearly identical on a chip and surprisingly different on your walls. Here’s how to tell which one belongs in your house.
Read the guideWhat affects the cost of painting a house exterior, and why bids differ
The price of an exterior paint job follows the hours it takes. Here’s what drives those hours, why bids for one house can differ widely, and how to get an estimate that holds up.
Read the guidePainting an older Grosse Pointe home: materials, style and care
Plaster, old-growth trim, original windows, decades of paint and wind off the lake: what Grosse Pointe’s older homes ask of a paint job, and how to plan for it.
Read the guideColonial house color schemes: six Sherwin-Williams combinations
Symmetry, a strong cornice and a well-dressed front door do much of a Colonial’s work. These six schemes are built to show them off.
Read the guidePrep is the paint job: what good preparation looks like
Paint is only as good as what it’s stuck to. Here’s what careful preparation involves, inside and out, and how to tell when it’s being skipped.
Read the guideExterior
Exterior painting, explained.
Michigan is hard on paint. Wind off Lake St. Clair, humid summers and freeze–thaw winters find every open joint and every shortcut. These guides cover when to paint, why paint fails, how different surfaces should be handled and how to make a good exterior last.
How long does exterior paint last in Michigan?
There’s no single number, but there are clear patterns. Here’s what decides how long paint lasts on a Michigan house, what wears it out early, and how to stretch it.
Read the guideSigns it’s time to repaint your home’s exterior
A practical walk-around for reading what your paint is telling you, and for sorting the cosmetic from the urgent before another Michigan winter.
Read the guideWhy exterior paint peels — and how to stop it
Peeling paint is a symptom. Here’s how to read the pattern, find the cause, and make sure the next coat stays put.
Read the guidePainting aluminum siding: what Michigan homeowners should know
Aluminum siding on post-war homes takes paint well, as long as the chalky surface comes off first. Here’s what the job involves and how to make it last.
Read the guideShould you paint brick? Pros, cons and alternatives to consider
Painted brick can look striking, but it’s close to permanent and changes how the wall handles moisture. Here’s how to decide, and what to try instead.
Read the guideMildew on siding: how to identify, clean and prevent it before you paint
Painting over mildew doesn’t kill it; it grows right through the new finish. Here’s how to spot it, clean it off safely and keep it from coming back.
Read the guideHow to paint a front door: color, sheen and a finish that lasts
A front door gets touched, slammed and looked at every day. Here’s how to choose its color and sheen, and how to paint it so the finish lasts.
Read the guideHow to paint a porch: floors, ceilings, columns and railings
Floors, ceilings, columns, railings and steps each wear out in their own way. Here’s how to prep and paint every part of a porch so the finish holds up.
Read the guideExterior paint maintenance: a seasonal checklist for Michigan homes
Paint lasts longer on a house that gets checked a few times a year. Here’s what to look for each season in Michigan, what you can handle yourself, and when to call a painter.
Read the guideInterior
Interior painting, room by room.
Inside, paint is seen up close and lived with every day. These guides cover choosing sheens, preparing your home, painting trim, doors and ceilings, and keeping finished walls looking their best for years.
Paint sheen, explained: a room-by-room guide
How each finish from flat to high-gloss behaves, which one belongs in every room, and the details about light, old walls and touch-ups that most sheen charts skip.
Read the guideHow to get your home ready for interior painters: a homeowner’s checklist
A little preparation on your end makes interior painting go more smoothly. Here’s what to decide, clear, ask and expect, from choosing colors to rehanging pictures.
Read the guidePaint dry time vs. cure time: what they mean and why they matter
Paint can feel dry in an hour and still be soft for weeks. Here’s what dry, recoat and cure times mean, what slows them down, and when your rooms are really ready.
Read the guideThe best paint finishes for kitchens and bathrooms
Steam, grease and mildew are hard on paint. Here’s how to choose a finish for the two toughest rooms in the house, and the ventilation and prep that matter even more.
Read the guidePainting interior trim and doors: what makes trim look professional
Crisp trim comes down to prep, the right enamel and patient brushwork. Here’s what separates trim that looks professional from trim that looks rushed.
Read the guidePainting ceilings: choosing color and sheen, and avoiding roller marks
The ceiling is the biggest surface in most rooms and the hardest to paint evenly. Here’s how to choose a color and sheen, roll without lap marks, and handle the stains and cracks older ceilings collect.
Read the guideHow to touch up paint so it doesn’t show, inside and out
A good touch-up disappears. Here’s how to keep, prepare and apply leftover paint so small repairs blend in, and how to tell when a spot fix won’t.
Read the guideHow to clean painted walls and trim without ruining the finish
Scrubbing too hard can do more harm than the dirt. Here’s how to match the method to the sheen and lift everyday marks without leaving a shiny or dull patch.
Read the guideColor
Color, chosen with confidence.
Guiffre’s paints with Sherwin-Williams, so every color in these guides is a real Sherwin-Williams color you can order by name and number. Start with the architecture and the light, then test big samples on your own walls.
How to choose exterior colors for a classic home
Skip the trend lists: on a classic house, the roof, the masonry, the architecture and the daylight do most of the choosing. Here’s how to read them, step by step.
Read the guideChoosing a Sherwin-Williams white for your exterior body and trim
Six Sherwin-Williams whites, from crisp to creamy, and how to choose among them for your siding, trim, roof, brick and light.
Read the guideHow to build a whole-house paint color palette, room by room
A method for choosing colors that flow from room to room: one neutral spine, consistent trim and ceilings, freer private rooms, and a written record of every color and sheen.
Read the guideNavy exterior paint colors for classic homes, and what to pair them with
Navy gives a traditional house depth without the severity of black. Here’s how to choose between two Sherwin-Williams blues, what to pair with them, and what a dark exterior asks of you.
Read the guideHow to choose shutter colors, and when to skip shutters altogether
Shutters are small, but they set the tone of a facade. Here’s how to pick their color, size them so they look right, and recognize a house that’s better off without them.
Read the guideTudor house colors: choosing paint for stucco, timber and trim
Tudor Revival homes look their part in a quiet palette: warm stucco, dark timbers and one deep accent at the door. Here’s how to choose each color around your brick and stone, and how to keep stucco and timber sound.
Read the guidePlanning
Plan it right the first time.
A painting project goes best when the scope is clear before anyone opens a can. These guides explain what drives cost and time, how to compare estimates line by line, and what to ask any painter before you hire.
How to compare painting estimates, apples to apples
Three quotes to “paint the house” rarely describe the same job. Here’s how to line them up scope against scope and see what each number actually buys.
Read the guideWhat affects the cost of interior painting, and how to get quotes you can compare
An interior paint job is priced by the hours it takes. Here’s what adds those hours, room by room, and how to describe your project so every painter quotes the same work.
Read the guideHow long does it take to paint a house, inside or out?
Rough timelines for a room and a whole exterior, what stretches them, and why paint that feels dry the same day often needs weeks to cure.
Read the guide15 questions to ask a house painter before you hire
An estimate tells you the price. The interview tells you how the job will actually go. Here are 15 questions, grouped by topic, with what a good answer sounds like.
Read the guideDIY painting vs. hiring a painter: an honest comparison
Plenty of rooms are fair game for a careful weekend painter. Some jobs aren’t. Here’s how to tell the difference, and what doing it yourself really involves.
Read the guidePainting before you sell: what’s worth doing (and what isn’t)
Before the listing photos, the right few days of painting matter more than a big project. Here’s what buyers notice first, and what you can leave alone.
Read the guideOlder Homes
Older homes, painted with care.
Much of the housing in the Pointes and across Metro Detroit was built long before today’s paints existed. Plaster, old-growth trim, original windows and generations of paint all change how a job should be done.
Painting old wood windows: sashes, glazing and storm windows
Original wood windows can last for generations when glazing and paint keep the water out. Here’s how a sash is built, how to paint one, and what to leave unpainted.
Read the guidePainting plaster walls in an older home: cracks, calcimine and what to fix first
Plaster is harder and more solid than drywall, and it takes paint beautifully once it’s sound. Here’s how to handle cracks, loose plaster, calcimine and the old layers underneath first.
Read the guideLead paint in older homes: what to know before you paint
Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint under their newer coats. Here’s where it tends to be, when it matters, how to test for it, and what lead-safe work looks like.
Read the guideNew to the vocabulary? Start with the glossary.
Painting glossaryLet’s talk about your home.
Tell us a little about the project and we’ll be in touch to talk it through and set a time to see it.