How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors for your House

Choosing an exterior paint color for your house is not always easy. Many homeowners find it difficult to visualize what their house will look like when it is painted, particularly when considering a drastic change in paint color. In addition, choosing an exterior paint color for your home often involves choosing several coordinating paint colors such as those needed for the doors, shutters and trim.
Here are a few things you can do to help make choose a paint color for your home that you will like.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A Paint Color Deck
• Paint brochures with suggested color combinations
• Design software program

1. Consider how many paint colors you will be choosing. Modern homes sometimes have metal framed windows that do not require painting. But they will have eaves that may be painted in a contrasting color to the siding. If you do have window trim and shutters to be painted, decide how many colors you want to work with.Typically, homeowners paint their exterior siding with one color, their exterior trim with a second color and their shutters and exterior doors with a third color. White, or off white is the most often used color for exterior trim. It creates an attractive contrasting look.

2. Choose colors for siding paint and trim paint that blends well with the brick for a classy look. If your home is completely brick, choose a trim paint that blends well with the mortar. Consider the color of the roof as well. Make sure the exterior paint colors you choose blend well with it as well.

3. Begin shopping for paint colors. Stop by your local paint store or home improvement center and pick up exterior paint color brochures. Many will include color combination that look well together. They will often be divided between traditional colors and modern paint color options.

4. Choose exterior paint colors for your home is to drive through your neighborhood and others and look for a home that is a style similar to your own and painted with paint colors you like. Use a color deck to match the colors.

5. Use a design software program that allow you to download a photo of your home and experiment with color choices. Some of the paint manufacturers have software to purchase or for free that will do this for you.

6. Buy a sample of the paint and try it out on your house. Paint an area that is big enough to get a good idea of what the paint color will look like. Be sure and let it dry several days as paint shades change slightly once the paint has cured. It may be slightly lighter or darker depending on the color.

Tips & Warnings

• A very popular combination of exterior paint colors usually includes a siding color, black shutters, white trim and either a black from door or a contrasting color for the front door. Then the side and back doors are painted to match the trim.

Resources

• Exterior Color Cues BHG