Exterior Colors Much like interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of groups of colors instead of solitary colors. But the process is often more difficult because houses are often built of a number of materials that all have different textures, such as wood siding combined with a rock base or a brick building with timber trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element another color.
Seeing the Whole Picture When picking colors, note that two colors which could work well together as a siding and trim combination, may clash with the roofing color or various other elements such as the deck or landscaping design. So when picking colors, remember to factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof covering material, the close by landscaping and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Real Estate Covenants When choosing a residence color, consider the neighborhood customs in your town. It is significantly common for cities and communities to insist upon some control over house colors. For example, in the resort community of Hilton Head, SC, residents must choose exterior colors from a limited palette of muted tones and even the stop signs have color limitations, whereas in the location of Charleston, there is a well-known area of pastel-colored homes called "Rainbow Row" where vivid colors are welcome. Some designed communities can even fine you or force you to repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Strategies As with the inside color selection process, you can begin deciding on color placement without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch an outline drawing of your home and then make several photocopies to try different layouts. Work with a pencil or highlighter and color different features and test out several high-lighting alternatives. Decide which features you would like to emphasize and which ones you want to hide. The target here is to create a well balanced whole where no component seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you will not only avoid any disappointments you will be motivated to try some distinctive plans before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your home for you right on the computer screen. The better systems are outfitted to scan a high-quality image of your home. Or you can provide a high resolution digital image. Even if you cannot get an exact reproduction of your property, these programs will give you a feeling of what sorts or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you might paint.
Given that you have selected the colors for your home it is time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Generally the siding is done in a single color, but when there is attractive molding above the first floor, a second color siding can be very interesting. Casings around doors and windows should all be the same color or the home will seem to be too over done. If there are decorative highlights in your trimming and molding, two or more colors are fine if the design repeats on the whole structure. Some Victorian homes can look well balanced with six colors, so there is absolutely no firm rule.
One common fashion is to paint 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 house body. Obviously, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the window sash. But you seldom see gloss dark paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trim work, below left, with eye catching colors.
Following are Few Tricks for other Architectural Highlights:
Entry Create a striking effect with the addition of an accent color to this important element of your home. For example, a white home with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, pulls attention to the door making the entry seem more appealing.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is by using both the trim and body colors. Let the trim color to be the prominent one to make a clear differentiation from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce too many colors; you may end up with an impact that is way too busy.
Brackets (Corner) Brackets need to be perceived as part of the overall structure and really should be painted so as to not appear they are "floating free" of the framework. Use the principle trim color. Avoid using too much color. Some painters add a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they consist of more than one layer and are more technical than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more appropriate to make use of several colors. Paint the exterior pieces to match the trim and frieze, and the center another color to show off your scroll work.
Verticle Posts/Beams When you have simple rectangular wooden posts on the porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to match either the overall trim or body paint of your structure. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer on the square post or a ring on a turned post, it is quite acceptable to point out these designs 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're usually decorated in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railing Supports Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. If the posts and rails have been treated in the primary body color, try to use the trim colors to make them stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid way too many colors to demonstrate your handiwork. Besides the timeframe that would be involved in highlighting each baluster, the result will look busy.
Floors and Ceiling Porches are painted certain colors not only for beautification, 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 centuries to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as hornets, from settling in. In the event the undersides of your porch roof rafters are open, you might color them by using a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more functional since it shows mud and tracks less readily than a floor decorated in a lighter color.
Risers and Steps The risers of wooden steps are usually painted the trim color, as the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the bottom and really should be painted in the same color. The handrail and balusters on the steps should be painted to match the porch rail and baluster color plan.
Masonry Foundations Many houses have a band 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 firmly planted and can hide dirt and grime. Basement windows are usually decorated the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws focus on this door.
Advanced 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 web for a list.
A terrific way to take a look at how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics tend to be designed by people who research color and also have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of a couch and pillow combination in a favorite catalog may hold the color plan that can make your home look spectacular
Prefab Color Strategies Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor plan is a little tricky. It is the reason that almost all of the major paint companies have created "combo cards" to help you to pick body, trim, and accent colors in one step. These colors are also available in historical shades made to match the most widespread color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of the cards would be that the trim and highlight color chips often overlap the body color, which helps demonstrate a far 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
