Nothing impacts your home’s curb appeal more than the exterior paint. A fresh coat of paint can make an old house look new. In contrast, peeling paint makes your home look dilapidated and can leave your exterior vulnerable to the elements. It’s essential to choose a timeless paint color that will last. Exterior paint is a long-term investment. Keep these tips in mind when you are ready to repaint the outside of your home.
Start with the Shade
Do you want your home’s exterior to be a light, mid-tone, or dark color? Determining what shade you’d like your home to be will help you narrow down your options. Once you know what shade you prefer, start looking for inspiration! Browse pictures online with homes that have that shade or drive around your area and look for home exteriors that you like. Looking at examples can help you decide whether you want to go with a bold or neutral color.
Build a Color Palette
It is a good idea to build a color palette for the exterior, trim, and shutters. This is the best way to ensure you don’t choose a color that clashes with another exterior component. When you select the colors for the palette, keep in mind the color of your roof. If you have brick or stone on your house, factor it in as well. You want to choose a color palette that complements or contrasts with the tones in your roofing, bricks, or stones. You can find many beautiful home exterior color palettes on Pinterest.
Consider the Lighting
When you are choosing paint, keep in mind that natural sunlight changes how colors appear. Direct sunlight makes colors look cooler. If your home gets a lot of direct sunlight, you should choose a color 2 or 3 shades warmer than what you want. While the color may not look how you want in the paint can, it will look perfect when the sun hits it.
Invest in Good Quality Paint
Painting the exterior of your house is a costly project. You want to choose paint that can withstand harsh weather and won’t degrade quickly. Cheap exterior paints are lower quality than high-end paints. Saving a little money now won’t be worth it in a year or two when it starts to peel.
Test Before you Invest!
Before you buy all the paint you need for your project, get a sample and test it! This is a critical step when you are buying exterior paint. Sunlight can bring out unexpected undertones in paint that can make it look entirely different than the swatch you picked out. The only way to know how a color will actually look on your house is by applying a sample. After you’ve painted a sample on your home, check it at different times of the day, such as in the morning, afternoon, and evening, to see how it looks under different lighting. You may want to paint squares of each color in other spots so that you get a better idea of how it will look from every angle of your home.
Choosing the paint colors for your home exterior can be tricky! Following these five steps will help you narrow down your options and find the perfect color for your home. If you need help with any part of the process, call on a professional! Our team at Franklin Painting can help you with the entire process, from developing a color palette and picking swatches to finalize the paint colors and expertly painting the exterior. Our experienced painting technicians offer a wide range of additional exterior painting services, including prep, power-washing, carpentry, wood repair and staining, and restoration.
