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How to Choose Exterior House Colors

Jamie
September 28, 2020

Looking to change up your home’s exterior? Whether you’re just ready for a change or you want to improve the curb appeal before selling your house, there are endless colors and possibilities to choose from. From the siding exterior color to the accent color and trim color, making your house feel like a home again or standing out from the rest is easier than ever before. But with so many exterior paint colors to choose from, where do you even start?

We know deciding on the final exterior paint colors can be tough, but that’s why we’re offering eight tips when it comes to choosing a new and improved color scheme for the exterior of your home so you’ll be happy with the results the first time around:

1. Consider The Roof Color

Before diving into changing your exterior colors, you’ll want to consider the color of the roof. Whether it’s steel, asphalt shingles, concrete tiles, vinyl, etc., you may find that the color palette influences your choice. Don’t just look at the roof though. After considering the roof, look at your driveway and walkways, particularly if they’re cobblestone or interlocking pavers. The underlying colors in the stone may influence your decision as well. And don’t forget the front door! If you’re not changing the color of your front door, you’ll want to make sure the exterior color palette matches.

2. Start With A Shade

Before diving into the exterior paint project, the first thing you’ll want to do before choosing a color is to choose which shade you’d like, whether that be a light, medium, or dark tone. From there, when you choose the color you want, it’ll make the final decision much easier. Once you make a shade choice, it’ll also help you decide which shade you’d like the accent colors to be.

3. Utilize Technology To Your Advantage

It may seem shocking that there are digital platforms that exist that help you visualize what your house color could look like before you even paint it, but it is 2020 after all. Popular painting companies have a digital tool that lets you choose and coordinate different colors on an image of a home so you can better visualize the end result. Just remember that it’s a digital platform and while the colors may be accurate, they will look completely different in natural light, so you’ll still want to take samples home. Which brings us to our next point.

4. Swatches & Samples

Sure, you can grab a lot of swatches and hold them up to your home’s exterior, but the best way you’re going to really see what the paint colors look like is by ordering test sizes of your top choices. Paint a small part of the exterior of your home on all sides so you see how the light hits it differently throughout the day. You may not necessarily like how it looks lighter in the sun or how the sun makes certain undertones shine. Don’t forget to paint parts of the trim, too!

5. Let Emotions Flow

Certain paint colors can be linked to certain emotions. For example:

The color yellow can make people feel happy, cheerful, and energetic
The color blue can make people feel calm, creative, and secure
The color green can make people feel lucky, healthy, and tranquil (since people associate it with nature)
The color brown can make people feel dependent, resilient, and safe (since it’s also associated with nature)

6. Consider The Home's History

If you have an older home you’re thinking of changing the exterior of, why don’t you consider the home’s history? Depending on the year it was built or painted, you may be able to research which colors were popular at that point in history. You can use this to inspire your color choices, from the color of siding to the trim. Depending on the type of older home you live in, whether it be Victorian or Colonial, you may find that after being influenced by the home’s history, your home’s attitude and uniqueness shines through the paint color better than ever before.

7. Bring The Inside Outside

Make your home flow from the outside-in. How? When it comes to the exterior paint color of your house, you may actually find color inspiration inside. What is the color scheme like in your living room, or kitchen? Don’t be afraid to look at patterns inside, like your pillows, curtains, or patterned furniture. These colors may complement your home’s exterior too. When you pull inspiration from inside, this may also make decorating outside easier too. By paying close attention to small details inside, you may be able to emphasize them more in the exterior paint color.

8. Look To The Neighbors

Even though you may want your house to stand out, you can still gather ideas and inspiration from your neighbors. This doesn’t mean you need to copy them exactly. You may like the color of one of your neighbor’s trim and a different neighbor’s roof, so you can use this to your advantage to choose the right exterior color or color scheme for you. Or, maybe you actually want your home to fit in more. If so, look around the neighborhood to see what the common color scheme is so you can complement and blend in with the houses around you. However, if you don’t like the common color scheme, don’t be afraid to stand out. Your home and color choices are completely unique to you.

Make Choosing Exterior Colors Fun

Don’t make it seem like painting the exterior of your house is a huge task. Make sure to have some fun in the process, especially when looking at things for inspiration, like your neighbors, your home’s interior, or even nature. Playing with colors for your house, trim color, accent colors, or even your front door can be an enjoyable process. However, in order to make the process even more enjoyable, you may want to follow these tips first so you’re not walking into a paint store without any ideas in mind.

So, whether you just moved into your new home, are looking to sell and improve curb appeal, or simply just want to look at a new exterior paint color, we hope these tips will make your decision much easier: remember to look to your roof for color guidance, choose which shade you want, use digital platforms to visualize your exterior colors choices, bring home samples to paint them on the exterior so you can see them in natural light, remember to consider which colors bring out certain emotions, research the history behind the house, bring the inside of your home outside, and look around the neighborhood to see what popular color choices are.

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Serving homeowners with excellence is our privilege. Our team of house painters are excited to help you rediscover the power of color and professional paint in transforming your home’s appearance! We’ll work around your schedule and ensure that you stay informed.

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