Picking Paint For Your Exterior

It's A Scary Business

Interior Decoration is not the only things that counts. Choosing a paint color for the exterior of your home can be more than trying-it can scare you nearly to death. You want your house to look great and the wrong choice of colors can lay your plans waste. If you choose low-key colors, your house may appear flat and boring. Colors that are too bold and strong can either overwhelm the architecture or upset the neighbors. It's a real test of courage to paint the outside of your house in anything other than the standard "color of the street."

However, the right color choice can set your house apart from all of the others. It can play down the defects and play up the strong points, highlighting the most lovely features of your house. Finding the right combination can work magic on the exterior of your home, increasing its curb appeal as well as its value.

Painting An Older Home

If you are painting an older, heritage home, then is it appropriate to use a color scheme that is historically accurate. By having old paint chips analyzed by a professional, you can recreate the original color. Alternatively, you could check color charts of paint that may have been used at the time your home was built.

Some brave souls choose to fly in the face of convention and paint their homes in modern, dramatic colors to emphasize the detail and architecture. This method can produce some very exciting and heart-stopping results. However, before buying any fluorescent colors, make sure that your house won't look bizarre and out of place in a neighborhood that is more conservative and conventional.

Take Your Cues From Nature, Not The Neighbor

Sure, you love the paint job your neighbor did on his house. It looks great and you think you'd like to do the same. Rather than copying the neighbor, choose colors that will set your house apart without making it clash with other buildings that are close-by. If you really want to borrow color ideas, rather than using your neighbor's ideas, use nature. Your garden and landscape may have some great clues for exterior paint-from earth tones and woodsy feeling colors to bright seaside shades. Nature has a brilliant array of ideas just waiting for you.

The Outside Is Influenced By The Topside

Even though it may appear that your house is a blank canvas just waiting for a splash of color, in fact, it already has an anchor in terms of color. Your roof will be the baseline of your color choices. While you don't have to paint the house the same color as the roof, be sure the colors you choose blend with it. You will also want your color scheme to blend with the parts of your home that will not be painted. If there are brick walls, a natural wooden door, steps or railings that won't be painted, take them into consideration when choosing your paint in order for everything to blend well. Remember, too, that your inside paint colors will influence your outside paint. Ultimately, it will all tie together.

Don't Go Overboard

You may find yourself choosing a few colors for your exterior. Just try to keep the number of colors within reason. Too many colors can overwhelm your home and too few may leave it looking flat and boring. Light colors make a home look bigger and darker colors make it seem smaller. However, the darker colors are more dramatic and can draw attention to details. Accent recesses with dark paint and use light paint to highlight details that project from the wall surface.