For the last several months on Gardenista, we've been sourcing the best in Exterior Paint colors to help you make one of the toughest household design decisions when the time comes. Today, we scratch the surface of exterior stains—a different beast entirely.
Stay tuned for more stain color breakdowns; for now we've paired some of our favorite stained exteriors with approximate color matches to start you thinking:
Swatch photos by Meredith Swinehart.
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Above, left to right: Behr Semi-Transparent in Cape Cod Gray; Timber Pro UV Semi-Transparent in Ebony; Olympic Solid in Forest; Olympic Solid in Wedgewood; Behr Semi-Transparent in Chatham Fog; Behr Semi-Transparent in Colonial Yellow; Olympic Solid in Winning Red; and Behr Semi-Transparent in Slate.
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Above: We used Behr Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Stain in Colonial Yellow to approximate the color of this Minnesota home by Minneapolis-based Albertsson Hansen Architecture. (We applied two coats of stain on our swatch.)
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Above: This modern Venice Beach home sports a Semi-Transparent Stain in Ebony from Portland, OR-based natural finishes company Timber Pro UV. See a slideshow of the entire house on Dwell.
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Above: We've long admired this Berkshire Mountains artists' studio by Deborah Berke & Partners; for a close match to the stain, we chose Olympic Solid Stain in Winning Red. Read more about the studio in Architect Visit: Deborah Berke Artist's Studio in New York.
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Above: Behr Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Stain in Chatham Fog approximates the look of this Swedish ski house. (We applied two coats to the swatch to achieve this effect.) Explore the whole retreat in A Minimalist Ski Resort in Sweden.
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Above: This color combination is reminiscent of Berkeley, California Craftsman-style homes. Recreate the look with Olympic Solid Stain in Wedgewood. Photograph by Eric Wittman.
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Above: A red-stained barn is hard to beat, but this brilliant Irish green comes close. Olympic Solid Stain in Forest is a good match. Photograph by Eric van den Brulle via Clic Bookstore and Gallery.
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Above: We like Behr Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Stain in Cape Cod Gray to match the Eastern Seaboard look of this Deborah Berke & Partners Connecticut weekend retreat. (We applied two coats to our sample.)
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Above: Achieve a dark black (but not completely solid) finish with Behr Semi-Transparent Weatherproofing Stain in Slate. For more on this Catskills home, visit the project on Design Sponge.
Planning to paint this spring? Explore the colors in Gardenista's outdoor paint series in Black, White, Gray, Red, and Green.