Guiding Raleigh Homeowners to the Best Outdoor Paint Finish
When deciding whether to paint the exterior of your Raleigh home, selecting the right painting contractor with the right skills for your specific project is critical. One of the most essential parts of the job is deciding between spraying or brushing house paint.
Some companies prefer hand-painting, while others believe spraying provides better coverage. Is your painter trying to sell you something you don’t need to make more money? Often, smaller companies or those seeking to distinguish their service will suggest a different approach or step in a way that no other painter has. And be aware, once they have your attention, they often can sell you the extra charge of handbrushing an entire home, when in actuality, you didn’t even need to.
80% of homes in North Raleigh, NC, are sprayed. In downtown Raleigh, many homes feature original wood siding with multiple layers of old, failing paint. These surfaces are often too delicate or textured for a spray-only application to provide the necessary seal.
Comparing Areas When Spraying vs Brushing Paint
Two significant areas outside a home can be either sprayed or hand brushed. One of those areas is the siding. Both Jame Hardie lap siding and Masonite are commonly found outside homes. Spraying HardiePlank creates that smooth finish that North Raleigh HOAs require. Other areas, such as gutters, downspouts, porch ceilings, and shutters, can also be sprayed.
The one surface that is rarely debated is brick. Painting and whitewashing exterior brick always involves spraying.
Typically, the trim and doors are hand-brushed. Brushing siding, on the other hand, is labor-intensive. Hand-brushing siding typically requires more than 2 coats of paint for full coverage, but combining spraying and back-brushing can help reduce costs.
The significant advantage of hand brushing is the ability to force the paint into hairline surface cracks where caulking is not used. This method is advantageous for delaminating siding on older homes.
Spraying vs Brushing Masonite Siding
Masonite lap siding is commonly recommended for a hand-brushed job. Hand brushing helps preserve the siding by pushing paint into every lap and sealing the edge of each board, where Masonite tends to swell and expand due to water damage from Raleigh’s frequent evening storms in the summer.
Spraying siding will be cheaper, and painting will be completed faster. However, spraying also demands more time to cover areas, set up, and clean paint sprayers. Spraying also requires more paint due to paint loss from overspray.
Spraying vs Brushing Paint When Changing Colors
The standard is that spraying paint typically only requires two light coats for repaints and two heavier coats for color changes. Spraying also provides a smooth finish free of brush strokes and roller marks. It is more versatile and can be used on a wide range of surfaces, providing an even finish with minimal paint stippling.
Often, hand brushing requires multiple coats to achieve a thick, even finish.
Surface Type & Project Size
When deciding whether to spray or brush, there are a few factors to consider. If your project is small, it may be easier to brush. Due to its efficiency, spraying may be a better option if the project takes several coats of paint, is large, or has a limited timeframe and prioritizes efficiency.
Lastly, consider the type of paint and how spraying or brushing will affect its appearance. Brushing leaves marks, which are exacerbated on satin finishes. Spraying will leave a smoother finish for smooth surfaces like cabinets or modern front doors. So, smoother surfaces will benefit from a sprayed finish.
The Professional Hybrid: Spraying & Back-Brushing
While the choice is often framed as one or the other, the most effective way to paint a Raleigh home—especially one with Masonite or delaminating lap siding—is a hybrid technique called back-brushing.
In this process, the paint is first applied with a sprayer for speed and volume, and a second painter follows immediately behind with a brush to “work” the wet paint into the surface. This offers the best of both worlds:
- Optimal Seal: It forces paint into the hairline cracks and the bottom edges of boards where North Carolina’s humidity typically causes Masonite to swell.
- Labor Efficiency: Brushing a home from a bucket is 2/3 more labor-intensive than spraying. Back-brushing allows us to move significantly faster, potentially lowering the labor cost of a “hand-painted” project by thousands of dollars.
Solving the “Fast-Drying” Interior Problem
The debate between spraying and brushing also extends inside the home. As more Raleigh homeowners request low- or zero-VOC paints, a new challenge has emerged: these eco-friendly paints dry much faster than traditional formulas. If you aren’t careful, this results in heavy, obtrusive brush marks on doors and bookshelves.
The Foam Roller Trick:
When spraying interior trim is too invasive for the homeowner, we use a specific trade secret: apply the paint quickly with a foam roller, then immediately and uniformly back-brush it. This combination levels the paint out and offers a smooth, uniform finish that mimics a sprayed look without the mess.
A Warning on Execution
If you are discussing these techniques with a local painter, ensure they have specific experience with back-brushing. Because Raleigh can be hot and humid, the “open time” of the paint (the time before it starts to dry) is very short.
Back-brushing must be done within seconds of the spray application. If a painter tries to back-brush paint that has already started to “flash” or dry, the result can be disastrous, leading to a textured, uneven mess that is difficult to fix.
Thinking of Painting Your Home?
Do you still have questions about spraying vs. brushing? We provide professional exterior painting and aim to make our customers feel as comfortable as possible throughout each project.
We provide services to Raleigh, NC, Cary, and the greater Triangle area.
