How to Pick Trim Color to Coordinate With Brick

Brick on a house should coordinate with the trim.

Picking a paint color to use for your exterior trim is a very important decision for any homeowner. The exterior trim is one of the things neighbors and people walking or driving by will see first. If your house is made of brick, in most instances it is best for the brick to match the color of your trim. Coordinating the brick and trim color is a matter of personal taste, though, and can easily be done by any homeowner.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer

Instructions

1. Inspect the brick on the front of your house and determine all of the colors in it. Most brick is more than one color, with a dominant color and a color that is used far less. Decide which color you want your trim to match.

2. Picture all the different colors within the brick as trim colors on your house, beginning with the most dominant brick color and working to the least dominant. Determine if you want your trim to stand out more or blend in with the brick.

3. Hammer out a small piece of the color brick you want from the front of the house. Tap the hammer gently against the brick until a piece can be removed. Make sure the piece is big enough that the color can be matched.

4. Bring a sample of the desired color brick to a local hardware, paint or home improvement store to match the color and mix the paint for your trim. If you want the dominant color of your brick to match the trim, choose that color. If you want them to coordinate, choose the nondominant brick color to match your trim.

References

• Your Home & Color Coach: Choosing Paint Colors for House Trim and Doors
• Behr: Brick-Stone Trim Examples

Resources

• University of Missouri Extension; Simple Home Repairs: Exterior Painting; Patricia Klobe
• Utah State University Cooperative Extension; Selecting Paint; Dr. Leona Hawks