5 Tips for Choosing Exterior Colours for Your Property
Contrary to interior paint colours, exterior paint colours can affect your entire street. That puts a great deal of pressure on homeowners when they need to choose a colour palette. There are also several factors that come into play when painting the outside of your home, including roofing, landscaping and hardscaping. The following tips will help you choose a colour scheme that works both for your home’s surroundings and your personal style.
1. Plan Around the Elements That Are Hard to Change
Unless you’re planning a complete renovation, surfaces like stonework, roof shingles and tiles, driveways and pathways are going to stay where they are. Take them into consideration when choosing your paint colours for your home’s exterior. Look for undertones between them – are they cool colours (black, blue and grey) or warm colours (rust, brown or beige)? Consider colours that will be able to tie the fixed elements together harmoniously.
2. The House’s Era and Architectural Style
The paint you choose for your exterior should be appropriate for the style of the house. Many paint manufacturers will offer collections of historically accurate shades which are a great springboard for your colour palette. While you don’t need to strictly adhere to historical guidelines, they will likely offer the most pleasing effect.
3. Consider the Visual Effect You Want to Achieve
Professional painters on the Gold Coast your house’s relationship to the landscape and street. Does your house sit back from the road or does it lie amid a cluster or towering trees? If the latter is the case, you may want to consider a brighter or lighter colour to help your home stand out. A darker shade will make it look as though it is receding.
4. Choose Three or More Different Shades of Paint
An exterior colour scheme is typically comprised of three major parts: the accent colour that brings shutters, doors and other small areas to life; the field colour that dominates the colour scheme and trim colour that is used for roof edging, door casings, railings and windows.
It’s a good idea to ensure the trim shade contrasts strongly with the field colour. If your main shade is fairly dark, go for a classic white trim or other pale shade such as eggshell or cream. A lighter field colour will look incredible with a darker trim, sort of like eyeliner for the house that produces a dramatic effect. Accent colours can be bold, just be careful not to go overboard. A door painted lemon yellow or fire engine red offers just the right punch of colour. It just doesn’t work when extended to the gables and shutters.
If you are stuck for inspiration, most of the major paint brands offer preselected palettes so you don’t need to do any guesswork.
5. Don’t Rely Only on Paint Chips
Just as with interior colours, exterior hues can vary greatly from the way they appear on the chip. Since painting the exterior of your property is a much bigger undertaking than merely painting a room, you need to get it right from the start.
Conclusion
Your best bet is to buy a small sample of paint and test it on an inconspicuous area of the house. Study it at different times of the day and in different weather conditions before making your mind up.
