To paint or not to paint - an exterior foundation? (color, warm)

[surfingatwork]

Last summer my dh repainted the exterior of our ranch home (a pretty medium shade sage green). he used a sprayer to do the bulk of the work and got some overspray on the foundation. To me it's not that noticeable but to him it's an eyesore. He wants to paint the exterior foundation using drylock in a grey color (about a foot tall i guess) and I think it's fine the way it is. We plan on putting our house on the market once dh has a job offer (which could be a month from now or a year from now - we're looking to relocate). I suggested planting annuals around the foundation to help play down the painted parts (it's not the entire foundation either just parts).

What would you do? From a real estate standpoint would you be turned off by a painted foundation or not even notice?

[belovenow]

I wouldn't paint it. a) People don't generally paint their foundations b) the paint may not adhere well and overspray may hit the house siding or other things not meant to be painted, c) someone might think something is being "covered up" and d) this will be more time and effort - and rather pointless too.

No one is going to care about this overspray - but if it really bothers your dh, then he can buy a solvent to get the paint off with some scrubbing. I think it might be a waste of time as most any potential homebuyer will shrug off this overspray and not think all that hard about it.

[surfingatwork]

thanks for your opinion and suggestion. i keep telling him you don't paint foundations but he's just not listening to me. i'm going to relay your points to him and see if i can find something to remove the overspray. i completely agree it's a waste of time (and money) and that no one is going to notice. i barely notice now.

[jhlcomp]

It all depends what the foundation looks like. Sometimes a coat of paint can really enhance the appearance of a worn looking foundation. I would not use grey -- not a good selling color. Try a beige/tan to go with the green of the house. Good luck to you.

[Cosmic]

Get some paint stripper, put it on with a paint brush, let set about 1/2 hour. Scrub with warm soapy water and stiff brush.

Wash off with power sprayer or high pressure on the nozzle of a garden hose. Should look like new.

Probably easier than painting entire foundation. A quart or pint of stripper should do the trick. Doesn't take very much.

[surfingatwork]

jhlcomp, the foundation's not in bad shape just has paint on it. i was thinking grey because the concrete is grey. thanks for the color suggestion but i think i'm going to have dh try cosmic's suggestion. it'll definitely be cheaper and less time consuming. just last night dh was looking for something to do. this will be it.

[cdelena]

The foundation on my house is painted house color and it looks OK and has held up just fine.

[jkmewright]

I never thought about this question lol Now that I am paying attention ALL but one of the homes in my neighborhood have painted foundations. Either white or pale shades of tan or gray.

[jhlcomp]

Sounds good !!! You should post a photo so we can see the before and after. Good luck!