Exterior Colors Much like interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of sets of colors rather than single colors. However the activity is often more difficult because houses are often built of a variety of materials that all have different textures, such as timber siding paired with a stone base or a brick building with wood trim. If you wish to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element another color.
Seeing the Big Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors that may work well collectively as a siding and trim blend, may clash with the roofing color or various other elements like the deck or landscaping. So when picking colors, be sure you consider things you can't, or won't change, such as roofing material, the near by landscaping and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When choosing a residence color, consider the neighborhood customs in your area. It is more and more common for cities and communities to insist upon some control over house colors. For example, in the vacation resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose exterior colors from a limited palette of muted hues and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the town of Charleston, there's a well-known area of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where vivid colors are welcome. Some planned communities may also fine you or force you to repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Layouts As with the inside color selection process, you can start deciding on color location without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch an outline drawing of your home and then make several photocopies to try different layouts. Start using a pencil or highlighter and shade your home’s features and test out several high-lighting possibilities. Determine which features you would like to emphasize and those you would like to hide. The goal here is to make a well balanced whole where no element appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you won't only avoid any disappointments you'll be motivated to try some distinctive strategies before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your home for you directly on the screen. The better systems are prepared to scan a high-quality photo of your house. Or you can offer a high resolution digital image. Even if you are not able to get a precise reproduction of your property, these programs will give you a feeling of what sorts or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate ideas of how you might paint.
Given that you have selected the colors for your home it's time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Generally the siding is done in one color, but when there is decorative molding above the first floor, a second color siding can be very interesting. Casings around windows and doors should all be the same color or the home will appear too over done. If there are decorative features in your trim and molding, several colors are fine if the design repeats on the whole house. Some Victorian homes can look healthy with six colors, so there is no firm rule.
One common fashion is to color the window sash and trim a color that is lighter than the body of the house. Shutters, if present, are usually coated darker than the home body. Of course, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the home window sash. Nevertheless, you rarely see gloss black paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trimming, below left, with eye catching colors.
Following are Few Tips for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entrance Create a dazzling effect by adding an highlight color to this important element of your house. For example, a white house with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, draws attention to the door making the entrance seem more appealing.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is to use both the trim and body colors. Allow the trim color to be the prominent one to make a clear difference from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce too many colors; you might end up with an effect that is way too busy.
Corner Brackets Brackets need to be regarded as part of the overall composition and really should be painted in order to never appear they are "floating free" of the structure. Use the principle trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters put in a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are just a little different. Because they contain several layers and are more technical than simple corner brackets, it is more satisfactory to utilize several colors. Paint the exterior parts to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color to show off your scroll work.
Verticle Posts/Beams If you have simple rectangular wooden posts over a porch, you probably don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Color them to match either the entire trim or body paint of your house. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer on the square post or a band on the turned post, it is quite acceptable to high light these decorations with a flourish.
Many people prefer to paint porch ceilings sky blue because they say the color mimics nature. White columns put in a nice contrasting touch.
Railings The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they are usually painted in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railing Supports Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. When the posts and rails have been treated in the primary body color, try to use the trim colors to make sure they stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid way too many colors to show your handiwork. Besides the amount of time that would be involved in highlighting each baluster, the effect will look too busy.
Ceiling and Floors Porches are painted certain colors not only for decoration, but as matters of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a sense of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that has been used for years and years to suggest the sky overhead. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as hornets, from settling in. In case the undersides of your porch roof rafters are open, you might paint them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more functional since it shows dirt and grime and tracks less readily when compared to a floor decorated in a lighter color.
Step and Riser The risers of wooden steps are usually painted the trim color, while the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the bottom and should be painted in the same color. The handrail and balusters on the steps should be colored to complement the porch rail and baluster color design.
Cement Foundations Many houses have a ring of brick or concrete block below the siding. While it is fine to paint this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the home seem securely planted and will hide dirt. Basement windows are usually decorated the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Pro tips: There are various online paint planning programs. Leading paint manufacturers such as Benjamin Moore (www.benjaminmoore.com), Valspar (www.valsparatlowes.com), Glidden (www.glidden.com), and Sherwin Williams (www.sherwin-williams.com) feature paint color planners online. Simply search "virtual paint color planner" on the Internet for a list.
A terrific way to check out how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics are often created by people who research color and have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of any couch and cushion combination in a popular catalog may hold the color plan that will make your home look spectacular
Prefab Color Schemes Deciding on the precise colors in a multicolor design is a little tricky. It's the reason that the vast majority of the major paint companies have created "combo cards" to help you to pick body, trim, and highlight colors in one step. These colors are also available in historical shades designed to match the most prevalent color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of the cards is that the trim and accent color chips often overlap the body color, which helps demonstrate a more realistic relationship.
Sound Quality Painting
824 90th Dr SE suite B
Lake Stevens WA 98258
(425) 512-7400
https://sites.google.com/1upserve.com/painter-lake-stevens
