Picking out an exterior paint color for your home can be a difficult decision. Not only will it affect curb appeal and protect from weather damage, but it is also necessary for weatherproofing purposes.
Paint trends change at an inexorable pace, meaning the shade you select today could look out-of-date in ten years’ time. Follow these steps to help find an exterior paint color perfect for your home.
Colors that Complement Your Home’s Architectural Style
No matter the style of home you own – be it Queen Anne Victorian, Craftsman bungalow or Colonial – its exterior color should complement its style. A classic yellow can look wonderful against Colonial homes while classic blue will draw the eye to Queen Ann gingerbread trim and arches.
Browns and greens can look great on homes of many styles, though it’s essential that the shade complements rather than conflicts with the architectural details of your home. Darker hues like BM Revere Pewter or Amherst Gray may be trendy right now; however, they should only be used as accent colors or in homes facing south due to absorbing UV rays more rapidly than lighter hues and therefore fading more quickly.
Choose the appropriate shade can be difficult, since paint colors often appear differently when in person than they do on paper or a computer screen. Luckily, many leading paint manufacturers provide user-friendly visualizer tools to test potential color combinations before making your selections.
Colors That Blend With the Environment
Landscape and surroundings should also have an effect on your exterior color choices. For instance, if your house sits on an idyllic wooded lot, natural shades that blend in seamlessly can work well while in more contemporary neighborhoods, bolder hues might stand out more effectively against their background.
If your home features brick or stone surfaces that remain unpainted, select a shade that complements them without clashing. Browns make for a cozy addition when selecting finishes made from these materials; Peppercorn by Sherwin-Williams provides an example of such an appealing neutral hue which pairs beautifully with red, green, and blue accents.
Before making any commitments regarding body paint colors, purchase one quart and test it on an inconspicuous area of your house’s exterior. Look at how its shade changes when exposed directly sunlight as well as shaded light conditions like sunny and cloudy days – to gauge how well it meets all lighting conditions.
Colors That Coordinate With Your Neighbors
Your home might seem to stand out in its neighborhood by choosing vibrant paint colors that make your house pop, but it’s essential that you pay attention to your neighbors when selecting exterior paint colors for it to coordinate properly with them and not create clashes in appearance. This is particularly important if your neighborhood features attached or semi-attached homes – clashing exterior paint colors may detract from its beauty, making your house appear an outlier among them.
One way to prevent color clashes when selecting paint colors for exterior areas is by taking inspiration from your landscaping. For instance, if your hardscape and plants feature cool tones, choose paint shades with similar tones in their exterior paint palette.
Before making a final decision on paint colors, always conduct an outdoor road test of them first. Colors usually appear four to five times lighter and brighter in nature than they do indoors or on paper; use your samples under various outdoor lighting conditions at various times of day and in different lighting conditions; the color you adored in the morning could look faded by lunch time!
Colors That Will Sell Your Home
No matter your style, neutrals are usually the safest bet when selecting home paint colors. Their unobtrusive qualities allow homebuyers to envision themselves and their furnishings against an appealing neutral background.
White remains one of the most popular exterior paint colors, due to its timeless appeal and ability to revitalize an older house with ease. White also absorbs light efficiently, helping make smaller or darker homes seem larger.
When selecting a shade of white paint, check its undertones to identify whether it is warm or cool. Warm shades have orange, yellow or red undertones while cool whites usually contain green or blue tints. You can easily tell whether or not a specific white has any undertones by holding up a sample against stark white paper and checking for any discernable changes.
Consider your hardscaping and plant colors when selecting paint colors for your home’s exterior, for instance if you have gray hardscapes with various green plants then selecting shades such as sage or tan would work well.