How to Choose an Exterior Paint Scheme
Your home's exterior paint scheme is the first thing most people notice about it, so choose your colors carefully. If they're too flat, the exterior may look boring. If they're too bright, the paint can overwhelm the architecture of the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Consider the parts of the house that you won't be painting. Since the color of the roof, stone and so on are fixed in color, choose an exterior paint scheme that goes well with them.
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Take into account what neighboring houses and other surrounding structures look like. You don't want to copy your neighbor's paint scheme but to complement it and the other houses in the neighborhood. According to paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams, "Choose a scheme that blends with the neighborhood or stands out in a subtle, unobtrusive manner." In neighborhoods full of traditionally styled homes, conservative colors will generally look best, while contemporary homes in more modern neighborhoods allow more creativity.
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Choose a color for the trim that will complement the wall colors. It is generally a good idea to paint the trim a lighter color than the walls so the windows and other trimmed areas don't look like pictures hanging on a wall.
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Select a color for accenting portions of the house. You can go bolder or brighter with the accent color since it makes up a small part of your paint scheme. Good places for accent colors include doors and shutters. Don't accent unattractive elements of a home's exterior like gutters or air conditioners.
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Purchase small cans of paint for testing the colors to make sure your exterior paint scheme works. Colors that looked good next to one another in the store may not appeal as much on the exterior of your home.
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Tips & Warnings
Some paint manufacturers offer pre-selected color schemes to make it easier for you to pick complementary colors.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit house image by kruszek from Fotolia.com
