The leaves are turning color and there’s a chill in the air. Yes, friends, winter is coming.

We’ve been doing as much as we can to soak up the last days of dining alfresco and working outside before we hunker down for the winter (to those of you in more temperate climates, you don’t know how lucky you are!).

During one of our recent kids-in-bed happy hours, I noticed that the exterior paint looked a little shabby. We moved in during the spring, slowly getting the inside shipshape, and hadn’t paid any mind to the outside, save for where the Wi-Fi signal’s optimal location was. That evening, however, we both realized we failed to recognize that we should also be thinking about outdoor maintenance.

Our last house was stucco and, frankly, between having kids and busy jobs, we didn’t have time or brain space to think about outside upkeep. As it turns out, if your home is painted, you have to keep up with painting. It’s a bit more hands-on than either of us were used to or expected. Instead of putting off the outside until it could no longer be charmingly described as “shabby chic” but rather, more fittingly, as “yikes,” we needed to paint. Sooner rather than later.

Knowing that I needed a durable paint that would withstand the elements, I decided to use HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams. I’m more than familiar with the HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams paint (see here, here, and here), and with that in mind, I chose Everlast™ Exterior Paint & Primer in Ultra White for the outside siding and trim on the house.

Getting down to the task at hand, we were thankful that we had decided to paint while it was nice outside. Looking closer at the job, we realized that we couldn’t just pressure wash and get started, oh no. This house came fully equipped with vines and other plant life clinging to the outside of the house. After a very long day of plant removal, we still had to scrape away the old paint before we were ready to get down to painting.

HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Everlast Exterior Paint & Primer paint went on smoothly and (thankfully) in one coat. With the weather fluctuating from extreme, humid heat to icy, dry cold, Everlast flexes with changing temperatures and seasons to defy cracking, peeling, and blistering.

This exterior paint and primer creates a stain barrier that helps keep previous stains from seeping through and new stains from setting in, ensuring it looks great from season to season.

My newfound love of thrifting has made me see the potential in everything. With a little hard work, vision, and access to YouTube tutorials, I can customize just about anything.

Inspired by the ease of application on our siding, and knowing the durability of the HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams paints, I was also inspired to revamp the kids’ indoor/outdoor rocking chair with a fresh coat of brightly colored paint.

Is your outdoor space in need of a refresh but you’re not looking to take on a larger project? Here are a few one-afternoon painting project ideas to make your backyard feel brand new! All you need is a little paint and imagination!

● Wooden Patio Furniture
● Planter Boxes/Raised Garden Beds
● Shutters
● Back Door/Front Door
● Wooden Fence
● Stencil on an Exterior Wall
● Outdoor Chandelier

HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Color Collections make it easy to select complementary colors in a broader palette; it’s color theory at its simplest. With various colors and shades curated by a designer, it’s guaranteed all of your painting projects will look great together. For the chair, we used Amaryllis HGSW1055, and Magical HGSW1425 from the HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams Fashion Forward Color Collection.

During these last moments of outdoor time, everything is looking and feeling brand new. Best of all, it will still look fresh when we emerge next spring.

Ed. note: This post was sponsored by HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams. The compensation we receive in exchange for placement on Wit & Delight is used to purchase props, hire a photographer, write/edit the blog post, and support the larger team behind Wit & Delight.

While compensation was received in exchange for coverage, all thoughts and opinions are always my own. Sponsored posts like these allow us to continue to develop dynamic unsponsored content. Thank you for supporting our partners!

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.