6 Tips: How To Choose Exterior Paint Colors For Your House

6 Tips: How To Choose Exterior Paint Colors For Your House

What Color for Your House Front? Handy Ideas and Considerations on How To Choose Exterior Paint Colors

Are you confused and wondering how to choose exterior paint color for your house? You are not alone, and as you and others want the result to look fantastic.

Every house deserves to look its best – from the outside as well as the inside. If you’re planning a fresh, new look for the exterior of your home, you’ll be facing the tricky question of color.

Here are some suggestions and a few considerations to take into account.

Bright or pale

First of all, will you go for bright or pale? Do you want your house to stand out or to blend with its setting?

Remember that your property reflects you, so think about how you’d like to represent yourself in your color choice.

A bright color will bring cheer to you and others every day, although a quieter shade will be more gentle on the eye and the spirits, perhaps.

A bold color may also require more patching up, as a chip or scratch will show more. That said, it will hide the dirt and take time to fade, so you shouldn’t need too many re-paints. 

A color in keeping with your surroundings

Many people like to present their home’s facade in the style of those around it, maintaining continuity and local character, so you could take a look at your neighbors’ paint colors and pick one to copy.

For example, properties by the sea often get painted in refreshing, summery colors, and countryside dwellings are sometimes decorated to reflect the natural hues of the land or given a bright, floral color to adorn it.

An unusual color

You don’t have to stick with the color choices on the paint cans. Instead, you can mix a tint of your own or widen your search to find your dream color ready-mixed. If blending your own, keep a note of the colors and proportions used, so you can match it when mixing more for patching and re-paints. If buying the mix, invest in extra quantities for the future – if it’s unusual, it may not stay on the market long.

Some pale shades to consider

Magnolia is an ever-popular house color, being warmer than white yet still light and fresh. You’ll find many delicate, near-white hues that look beautiful spread over a large area. A hint of eggshell-blue, peach pink or primrose-yellow, for instance, would seem restful and pretty. A soft leaf-green, wicker, barley or mint would also be pleasing. Check the catalogs for other white-based tints.

Some stronger colors to consider

A bright color can look extra brilliant on a large area, so you may wish to soften the impact by retaining the white base but with more color definition. Pale blue, lemon, beige, or rose would be bright enough to catch the eye without being over-bright. Alternatively, lavender, tan, peach or pale grey might be more to your taste.

But there’s nothing to stop you from going for full color if you wish, perhaps avoiding the primary colors to maintain some subtlety. You might consider turquoise, violet, maroon or chestnut brown, for instance.

Your favorite color

If you have a favorite color, why not pick that for the exterior of your home? It may not be in keeping with the others in the street, and it might not be popular among most homeowners, but if it gives you pleasure to rest your eyes on, go for it.

One word of warning, though – if you share the property with a partner or family, remember to ask for their preferences, too, and try to agree on a compromise if necessary. If you’re thinking of an unusually bright color, it would be kind to check it with the neighbors, too, or at least those living directly opposite.

How To Choose Exterior Paint Colors For Your House

If you’re the property owner, the color decision is yours, whatever suggestions anyone else may like to offer. There is no right or wrong, so if in doubt, follow your instinctive taste and judgment. Whatever color you choose, your home will look super-smart in its brand-new coat.

If you would like additional help deciding on how to choose exterior paint colors for your house, do not hesitate to reach out to the pros at Carolina Blue Painting. We can guide you to make the right decision and then start painting for you as well.