Florida Paint Guide

The paint questions Florida homeowners actually ask.

Straight answers on painting a Florida home: why paint fails in our sun and humidity, what a job really costs, and how to make it last. Written by a working Sarasota crew, not a content mill.

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01 Cost

How Much Does It Cost to Paint a House Exterior in Florida?

You want to repaint the outside of your house and the first thing you need is a real number, not a runaround.

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How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Home Interior?

You are trying to figure out what it really costs to paint the inside of your home, one room or the whole house.

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02 Exterior problems

Why Is My Exterior Paint Peeling in Florida?

You see paint lifting off the wall in sheets or curling flakes, often near the roofline, under eaves, or low on stucco close to the ground. Bare patches show through where it has already let go.

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Why Is My Exterior Paint Fading So Fast?

Your walls look washed out and flat compared to how they went on, and a bold color has drifted toward a dull, milky version of itself. The south and west sides, the ones that take the most sun, always look the worst.

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Mildew and Green Growth on Stucco: Why It Comes Back

You see black speckles, green streaks, or a chalky gray film creeping across your stucco. It shows up worst on the shady north wall and under the eaves where the sun never reaches.

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Salt Air and Coastal Home Paint Damage

Your paint is chalking, fading, and peeling years earlier than it should. You notice rust bleeding from nail heads, railings, and metal trim, and it always starts on the side of the house that faces the water.

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03 Color and choices

Best Exterior Paint Colors for Florida Homes

Picking an exterior color in Florida is not the same as picking one up north. The sun here is brutal, and the wrong color can look tired in two summers.

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The Best Time of Year to Paint a House in Florida

In Florida, when you paint the outside of your house matters almost as much as who does it. The weather here can make good paint fail early.

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04 Timing and upkeep

How Long Does Exterior Paint Last in Florida?

Most people hear paint lasts 7 to 10 years. In Florida, plan on more like 5 to 7. The sun and humidity here run the clock faster than they do up north.

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How Often Should You Repaint a House in Florida?

The national rule of thumb is repaint the exterior every 7 to 10 years. Florida is tougher on paint than that. Here you are usually looking at every 5 to 7 years, and sooner on the walls that take the most abuse.

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05 More paint questions

Water Stain on the Ceiling: Can You Just Paint Over It?

No. Paint straight over a water stain and it bleeds back through within weeks, often browner than before. Here is the order that actually works.

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How Long Does Exterior Paint Take to Dry in Florida Humidity?

On the can, exterior paint dries to the touch in an hour or two. In a Florida summer, the dew at sunset and the 3 o'clock storm decide the real schedule. Here is how to plan around both.

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Chalking Paint: Why Florida Walls Turn to Powder, and the Fix

Rub your hand across a sunny wall. If it comes away white or colored with powder, the paint is chalking. New paint will not hold on top of it until the chalk is gone.

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Flat, Satin or Semi-Gloss: Which Exterior Sheen for a Florida Home?

Sheen is not just how shiny the house looks. It decides how well the walls hide stucco flaws, how easily pollen and mildew wash off, and how the trim and doors hold up.

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Emerald, Duration, SuperPaint or A-100: Which Exterior Paint for Florida?

Sherwin-Williams makes several exterior lines, and the names do not tell you much. Here they are side by side, from the company's own product pages and data sheets, with what matters on a Florida house.

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Mildew or Mold on Your Walls? How to Tell, and Who to Call

Mildew sits on top of the paint and cleans off. Mold grows into the wall. Which one you have decides whether you call a painter or a licensed mold remediator.

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06 Stucco Library

Stucco Cracks Before Painting: Which to Fill, Which to Stop For

Most cracks in Florida stucco are cosmetic and get filled during prep. A few mean the wall is moving, and paint will not hold over movement. Here is how to sort them.

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White Powder on Stucco: Efflorescence, and How to Paint After It

That white, powdery crust on your stucco is usually efflorescence: salts carried out of the wall by water. Paint over it and the paint comes off with it. Fix the water first.

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Elastomeric Paint on Florida Stucco: When It Helps and When It Hurts

Elastomeric paint is sold as the fix for cracked stucco. On the right wall it is excellent. On a wall with a moisture problem it can make things worse. Here is how to tell which wall you have.

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How to Paint Stucco in Florida: Primer, Coats and the Order That Lasts

There is no single right way to paint stucco. New stucco, chalky stucco and sound painted stucco each need a different start. Here is what goes on yours, straight from the paint maker's data sheets.

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07 Front doors and garage doors

Painting a Garage Door in Florida Sun: What the Door Makers Say

On many Florida houses, the garage door is the biggest painted surface on the front. Paint it the way the door makers ask, and keep dark colors off doors that bake in the afternoon sun.

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Front Door Colors in Florida Sun: Picking One That Holds

The front door is where many homeowners want a bold color. The sun has other plans for a dark door facing west. Here is how to pick a color that still looks right in five years.

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Is It Worth Having Interior Doors Painted, and What Does It Involve?

Yes, if the doors still open and close right and only the finish looks tired. Most of the work is prep: clean, repair and sand, prime where needed, then at least two coats. The doors then need time to dry before they close against their frames.

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08 Lanai, pool cage and outdoor living

Painting a Lanai Ceiling in Florida: Why It Peels, and How to Make It Last

A lanai ceiling never gets sun, sits in humid air all summer and catches every bit of moisture that rises off the pool. That is why it peels and mildews before the rest of the house. Here is how to paint one that lasts.

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Pool Cage and Lanai Screen Cleaning in Florida

A pool cage is a big aluminum frame wrapped in screen, and in Florida it collects pollen, dust and mildew until the whole patio looks gray. Here is how to clean one without damaging it, and a hurricane rule most owners never hear about.

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Painting a Pool Deck in Florida: Prep, Non-Slip Paint and Heat

A pool deck is bare feet, wet concrete, pool water and full sun, all in one spot. Paint that works on a wall can fail fast here. Here is how to prep a Florida pool deck, keep it from getting slick, and pick a coating made for the job.

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09 Windows

Hard Water Stains on Florida Windows: Get Them Off Before They Etch

Those cloudy white spots that will not wipe off are mineral deposits. Left on the glass they can stain and etch it. Here is what the glass makers say to use, what to never use, and where Florida water comes into it.

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10 Inside the house

Should I Repaint the Builder Paint in My Brand New Home?

You do not have to, but there are two good reasons to: you want your own color, or you want walls you can wash. Builders mostly use flat paint, which marks easily and does not clean up well. The easiest time is before your furniture moves in.

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How Do You Paint a Tray or Coffered Ceiling?

Decide where each color goes first, then treat the panels, the sides and the beams or molding as separate parts. One good plan puts color on the top panels and trim color on the sides, with wall color stopping below. Expect it to take longer than a plain ceiling.

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10 Tools

Florida Exterior Paint Calculator

How many gallons the outside of your house needs, counting stucco texture and coats, with Sherwin-Williams coverage rates.

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Room Paint Calculator

How much paint one room needs, walls and ceiling, with primer if you need it, using Sherwin-Williams interior coverage rates.

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Tell us what you are seeing on your walls. You get a free on-site estimate, a flat written price, and a same-day answer, usually within the hour. No sales pitch.

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