7 Things To Consider When Selecting An Exterior Paint Color Scheme

1 – What style of house do you have?

Although I don’t believe in limiting creativity, when it comes to color selection, it is wise to consider what style house you have and what might look appropriate according to its architecture. A circa 1800s Victorian-era home with its intricate architectural details might be able to handle a much more vibrant and complicated color scheme than a modern home with simple lines. Sometimes going against the grain can create fantastic results, and sometimes it just doesn’t work. Carefully consider what might work for your home.

2 – Does the exterior of your home have a mix of materials?

For instance, do you have sections of the exterior of your home that are brick or stone or any other material along with the main body of your house? Will these materials also be painted, or will they have to be considered when you make a paint election for the body of your home? This is important. Having a section of stone or brick on your home can be a beautiful architectural detail. But depending on the placement of the stone or brick, you might have to decide if this feature is helping or hurting the overall look of your home. If the stone or brickwork on your home looks great and you want to keep it in its natural state, paint colors for the rest of your home’s exterior should be harmonious with those existing elements.

3 – What color are your existing windows?

Although window trim can be painted, windows with interior grids in between the glass cannot be changed so it’s good to at least consider this when making the selection of your overall exterior color scheme.

4 – What color is your roof?

This is important. The first question I would ask about your roof would be, is it going to be replaced soon or if it’s a relatively new roof? If it’s going to be replaced soon, it would be important to know what material and color you are going to be replacing the roof with to consider that in the color scheme of the body of your house. If you’re not going to be replacing your roof soon or replacing your roof with a similar material and color, the roof still has to be factored in when you choose a color for the body and trim of your house.

5 – What kind of trim do you have on your home, and how much trim is there?

This is important because in deciding on an overall color scheme, you want to know if there is enough trim on the house and if it’s substantial enough to be a contrasting color from the house or if it should blend in with the body of the house or be done in a monochromatic look. Every house is different, and when looking at the architecture, you can decide what architectural features you want to show and stand out and what architectural features you want to minimize. Are there any architectural features that you would like to minimize? Color is a great way to either detract from a bad architectural feature or bring attention to an architectural feature. The balance of those colors will decide where the eye goes first.

6 – Are there other outside elements on the property that will affect your color choice?

If you have a fence close to the home, or light post, or any other substantial element, this could affect the color choices on the exterior of your home. It’s important to consider all those things at once when looking for a color selection.

7 – Remember, when you are choosing a color for the exterior body of your home, there is going to be a very large amount of it.

Choosing from a small sample can be very difficult. Much like choosing interior colors, painting a swatch on the exterior of your house is not a good way to decide on a paint color. Look at those colors carefully and in different lighting.

These are just a few things to consider when selecting an exterior color scheme for your home.

Of course, having a set of eyes on the paint color that can read its undertones quickly and easily is the best way to select any color. So, if you need help, we are here to assist you with your project.

At my company, we are fortunate to have built a long-standing relationship with our expert painting team. They save a few exterior painting time slots for our former or existing clients every year. So, if you are considering exterior painting this year, let’s schedule a time to select the perfect color scheme and get your project on the schedule for this year.

Until Next Time,

Gia