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One of the most daunting tasks of homeownership is choosing a color scheme for the exterior of your house. Not only is the choice of paint colors broader than ever before, but the typical professional paint job runs thousands of dollars – and is a permanent, highly visible investment.
Finding the perfect hue is now easier thanks to digital tools from paint manufacturers and help from color consultants who develop paint schemes from photos sent by mail. These experts typically base their advice on a homeowner’s color preferences, plus the architectural style of the house.
Color Consultant Robert Schweitzer, who specializes in Arts and Crafts bungalows, says most houses look better when painted in the original colors of their era. “If you paint a Victorian white,” he says, “you won’t see all the gingerbread detail.” Instead, he recommends dark green, mustard yellow, terra-cotta and dark red. Several paint manufacturers now offer such colors popular in centuries past. Lowe’s, for example, sells Valspar paints developed in cooperation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In addition to architectural style, surrounding houses and neighborhood are important to consider in selecting a paint color. “You shouldn’t pick the colors in a vacuum, but look to the setting,” says Alexandria Architect Robert Gurney, who created a barn red addition to an old farmhouse in Waterford, Virginia.
For inspiration, experts recommend looking at houses in the same style as your own. “Should you admire the house next door,” says Barbara Richardson, director of color marketing for ICI Paints, “try to harmonize with that existing color. To duplicate it would detract from both your house and theirs.”
Once the color selection has been narrowed, lay tracing paper over a photo of your house and draw an outline that can be photocopied and colored in. Build a palette that complements the existing materials of your house, such as a brick, siding or stone foundation.
When selecting paint, keep in mind that colors behave much differently outdoors than indoors so be sure to look at paint chips in the yard for accuracy.
Changing sunlight, the size of the surface on which the paint is applied, and the sheen of the paint itself all affect the color. “Light changes color throughout the day,” notes Schweitzer. “It looks bluer in the morning and redder in the evening. Bright sunlight will bleach out dark colors.”
Exterior paints are formulated differently than those for interiors so that they adhere to different types of materials and compensate for weathering. The same paint can look different on clapboard than it does on wood shingles or vinyl siding.
Experts recommend starting with the paint color that will be used the most on all the exterior walls. Select colors that are lighter or darker tints of the body color to accent windows, doors, shutters and trim. Or choose a complementary color to create a more dramatic effect. And, “unless your garage door is particularly handsome, it should be painted the same as the body color of your house,” says Richardson.
Test the colors on the house where they all come together – window, shutter, siding. Start with a two-foot square patch, and if you like the effect, move up to a larger area. If you still can’t decide on an entire color scheme, paint one element, such as a porch, and then go from there. And remember, you can always paint over your mistakes.
