There’s a lot more going on behind a great exterior paint job than what you see in the final photos.
For this exterior painting project in Coeur d’Alene, the homeowners wanted to give their home a fresh, updated look while keeping some of the warmth and character of the existing wood. They chose Sherwin-Williams Shoji White for the main color and Peppercorn for the trim—a classic combination that gave the home a cleaner, more modern feel without making it feel stark.
The color change made a big difference, but this project was really about the process.
One Home, Several Different Surfaces
One of the challenges with this Coeur d’Alene home was the number of different exterior surfaces we were working with.
The project included roughly 3,645 square feet of stucco/Dryvit siding, 1,125 square feet of brick, fascia and soffits, 36 windows, plus stained exterior doors and wood trim.
Each of those surfaces needs to be treated a little differently. There isn’t one prep or painting method that works equally well across an entire house, so our crew worked through the exterior section by section.
We started with a full pressure wash to remove the dirt and buildup that can keep new coatings from properly adhering. From there, we moved into the more detailed prep.
Getting the Stucco and Brick Ready
For the stucco/Dryvit siding, we used Sherwin-Williams Emerald Exterior and a spray-and-backroll process.
Spraying gets the paint evenly onto all of that textured surface, while backrolling helps work it into the stucco rather than allowing the paint to simply sit on top. It takes more time, but it gives us the coverage and finish we’re looking for.
The unpainted brick needed a completely different process.
Before paint could go on, we applied Sherwin-Williams PrepRite Masonry Block Filler and backrolled it into the masonry.
These aren’t necessarily the parts of an exterior house painting project that homeowners notice when everything is finished. But they’re some of the most important. The finished paint job is only as good as the surface underneath it.
Giving the Existing Wood Some Attention
The stained wood around the home was another area that needed extra care.
Some of the existing finish had started to fail and weather over time. Instead of covering it up, our crew hand-sanded the wood and removed loose or flaking finish. Areas that had worn down to bare wood were restained.
This can be one of the trickier parts of working on an existing home. New stain doesn’t always match perfectly with older, weathered wood, so we had to work with what was already there rather than treating it like brand-new material.
Once the stain was applied, we gave it a full day to off-gas before finishing the wood with three coats of Old Masters Ascent Polyurethane.
The natural wood brings warmth to the new Shoji White and Peppercorn color palette and helps keep some of the original character of the home.
The Details Add Up
Beyond the siding and brick, our crew also worked on the fascia, soffits and window trim, along with a color change to the asphalt shingle roof.
With this many surfaces and finishes involved, there were a lot of moving pieces. The project totaled more than 170 hours of work, which gives you an idea of how much happens between the “before” and “after” photos.
That’s something we talk about a lot at Axiom Painting: the details you don’t notice are often the ones that matter most.
Taking the time to clean, prep, sand, prime, backroll and use the right product for each surface isn’t the glamorous part of exterior painting. But it’s what helps create a finish we’re proud to put our name on.
Exterior Painting in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The finished home feels brighter and more updated, with Shoji White creating a warm neutral backdrop and Peppercorn adding contrast around the trim. The existing stained wood ties it all together and keeps the exterior from feeling too new or one-dimensional.
For homeowners considering exterior painting in Coeur d’Alene, this project is a good example of why the process matters just as much as choosing the right colors.
Whether we’re painting stucco, brick, siding or exterior trim, our approach at Axiom Painting is the same: figure out what each surface needs, put in the prep work and don’t rush the steps that make the finished project last.
If your Coeur d’Alene home is ready for a refresh, we’d love to take a look and talk through what’s possible.
