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Exterior trim and porch paint + white vinyl windows

last year

So we don’t want to paint the vinyl windows- they are stark white and our house is a light reddish brick. Our front doesn’t get a lot of sun so it gets grungy quickly.
We were hoping to paint the porch railing darker, but I think that would mean the trim (all connected) needs to be the same color and I think it would look bad with white windows.
So alas, I think we will have to go with a light color porch & trim paint and continue to have the high maintenance cleaning needs to keep the grunge at bay.
Any thoughts, best practices guidance?
*my house currently looks like a zebra as I have taken the paint sampling to a whole new level lol

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Comments (4)

millworkman
last year
Trim, railings and posts should all be a bright white.
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cat_ky
last year
I agree. Use a satin finish rather than flat, and it will be a lot easier cleaning it.
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I have always been kind of an "anything but white" (as one poster here has called it) person but as we gradually replace our cheap (and dark) aluminum replacement windows with wood windows, I'm working with colour around the windows and beginning to appreciate white or cream. The reason is that when looking out the window during the day, if the frame is dark the window looks like a hole - the framing is so dark in contrast that it is not visible. Of course, if you look at the window frame when lights are on in the room and the curtains closed, it looks fine. White frames, whether it's the actual window box or the moulding around it, pick up the light that is coming in and play with it, illuminating the room better and also allowing the trim, and its detail, to be better seen. I think in Daniaadele's lovely photo, above, you can imagine that if the windowboxes were not white, you would not be able to see any detail of the inside wall or window. So while I like coloured windows in theory, in reality they are maybe not the best idea, and maybe it is a good thing you have white mullions! BUT I am also a big fan of doing what you like, or at least trying it, otherwise you end up staring at it for the rest of your life wondering what it would have looked like. Can you pre-try the painted moulding concept by painting some boards in sage and propping them up in front of the window? Karin L
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Can you post a picture of the window? I think you are saying that the actual window must remain white (unpainted) but you want to do the wood trim around the window a color, such as the picture at the link. Is that correct? Knowing how much of the window will contrast with the trim will help determine if this will look odd or not. If the window has very narrow stiles and rails and no mullions, it might not look bad but I don't know until I see the window. I'm thinking "no" on this but keeping an open mind. :-)
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I would keep the posts white. There are so many of them and yet they don't frame anything per se. I think a gray almost what you have but a bit less blue is a classic look for the porch deck. Paint the ceiling haint blue. This deck is a bit too light. I think the window trim would look good in a light beige. Lap siding in white.
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Debbie Downer
last year
Cute cottagey house! Yeah Im afraid the ship sailed when that bright white vinyl was installed - so do rest of the trim, eaves, railings to match.

Actually, what Im seeing here is the stark white looks pretty good with the brick, which to me looks more of a yellowy/beigey-brown than what is usually considered "red" brick. Sometimes bright white can make red brick look kinda dingy in contrast, but I dont see that happening here.

What do you mean by "gets grungy" - you mean from algae or mold or something? Where is this, on the masonry or the paint or both? There is mildew-resisitant paint,, and/or you might want to look into masonry cleaners that are "biocides" ie remove mold and algae (D/2 Biological Solution is one) and then use a clear potassium silicate or some other clear, breathable, matte sealer that keeps rain out but allows water vapor to pass in and out. Since taking this approach my 100 yr house has not had the stinky mildew issues it used to have.
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Felicia Buck
Original Author
last year
Thank you! Yes, the mold algae fun is what I am referring to😑. I would love to say I clean it often but we have kids and both work full time…cleaning the railings outside frequently enough tends to get put on the back burner. I Would love to eventually replace the multiple little slats on the porch with cables or something that has less little corners to get down into to clean and so many slats in general. It’s so time consuming.
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