How to pick the right exterior paint color Expert for your home

Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in:18 Must-Know Exterior House Painting Tips from Experts exterior-house-painting-tips-from-experts

It’s been a minute since I’ve written about choosing exterior paint colors for your home! So much of my business is helping choose exterior colors, virtually and in person. Since covid has pushed us all into quarantine, I have helped so many homeowners choose paint colors safely, and from the comfort of their own home through zoom, email, and photo renderings. So, if you still need help with narrowing down paint colors after reading this blog, give me a call today and I will be happy to help you!

Sherwin-Williams Exterior Warm Stone IC: Your Color Consultant

Here are a few of my tips and suggestions for how to choose the right exterior paint colors for your home. Choosing the right paint color for your home is important in enhancing your home’s exterior.

1. Pay attention to the community

Most homeowners are part of a community or suburban area, make sure you take the overall style of the community into account when choosing your colors. Don’t go for a key west color scheme if you are in the rocky mountains and everyone else has brick homes! Some are lucky enough to be part of rules governed by an HOA and need to adhere to those rules and regulations. Overall, don’t forget that you are a collective curation of your neighborhood aesthetic that each home should complement one another.

It is okay to bump up your design to stay current with trends, but do this tastefully and consider your neighborhood. This will also help with resale value, which is the next point.

2. Remember curb appeal and resale value!

Paint color can actually increase the value of your home and your neighborhood! Even if moving isn’t on your radar, life sometimes can through curve balls, and the next thing you know you have to list your house fast. You don’t want to have to re-paint if you’re in that type of rush. Having a classic, timeless and overall color scheme that complements the style of your neighborhood will help to get top dollar for your home. Research which colors sell best in your demographic. Hint hint – Classic and neutral are usually the best!

3. Take inspiration from your hardscapes on the home.

First things first, how do you start the process of choosing an exterior color? Well, from a pro’s perspective you need to start with what you have! Take note of your hardscapes – roof, brick, stone, and even pavers! choosing a color that doesn’t work with your fixed finishes on your is a common and expensive mistake. Brick is especially tough so I’ll touch on that on the next step!

4. Narrow down the main siding color first.

It’s easy to want to jump right into choosing a full-color palette for your home at once, but that may get overwhelming. Start with the first step, which is narrowing down that main color to complement or contrast (in a good way) your hardscapes on your home. For instance, if you have a brick home that has multi-colored red-brick siding, choose something that will complement the orange-red brick, such as a greige green like Studio Clay from Sherwin Williams. After you have narrowed down the siding or main color, repeat this process for the trim and accent colors. Here is a great example of a paint color scheme that works well with a busy orange-red brick. Main color – Studio Clay, Trim color – Accessible Beige and accent (doors and shutters) is Urbane Bronze.

How to choose paint to work with fixed elements

Side note, Sherwin Williams is one of the most popular exterior paint colors for a reason! I highly recommend using their paint. Not only will you have great colors, but it will also stand the test of time and hold up to a variety of elements.

If you don’t have stone or brick, it’s a bit easier to choose the main color but doesn’t forget your roof! Take this color into consideration when choosing your house paint color.

PRO TIP – complementary colors work great! Grays Green with a Red, Blue with a tan, etc. will help your home pop.

5. Test your paint color!

So many people are picking paint color from online or small paint swatches and shocked when the color goes up and it just isn’t the same! Testing is paramount to making sure your home paint color works.

How to test?

• After narrowing down your 3 main colors, visit the paint store where you chose your colors from.
• Grab a large foam board (your local target usually has this) for each main color and paint two coats of your color onto this board.
• Hold this paint color up next to your fixed elements to see how it looks. Make sure you do this throughout the day because light changes and will pull out different colors at different times of the day. Also, depending on the direction of your house the paint will look different as well so walk that sample around to make sure you don’t see any funny undertones peeking out at you! The last thing you want when you think you have a gray house is a purple one after it is painted!
• Don’t compare your paint colors to one another – make sure you test independently from each other.
• If you are painting directly on the house, use a 2’x2’ paint swatch and don’t compare it to the old paint color. Simultaneous contrast can really mess you up here and make your paint color look like it’s the wrong when it is actually is the right one!
• Always look at the paint color samples OUTSIDE. The paint looks 3-5 times lighter in the exterior environment than the interior one.

Testing Exterior Paint, IC: Your Color Consultant

PRO TIP –When choosing exterior paint colors, look at colors independently or against fixed elements (brick /stone) that will be staying on the home. Don’t compare paint color choices next to one another but look at them independently on large painted sample boards in the exterior environment.

6. If all else fails, seek the help of a professional color consultant

If you are still overwhelmed with color choices, then please seek the help of a color consultant! I am always happy to help and Your Color Consultant is accepting virtual and onsite appointments (in selected areas).

Try out a virtual rendering of your paint color selections directly to your home! This is offered in the Exterior Color Package or just a rendering if you have already chosen your paint colors.

Here is an example of a virtual rendering below.

BEFORE

Exterior Before Rendering IC: Your Color Consultant

AFTER RENDERING

RENDERING: New roof, shutters, front door, and paint color                        IC: Your Color Consultant

RENDERING: New roof, shutters, front door, and paint color                           IC: Your Color Consultant

By following these steps you should be on your way to a beautiful home exterior that will increase your home’s value, compliment your neighborhood and give you joy for many many years to come!