Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of sets of colors rather than single colors. But the task is often more difficult because houses tend to be built of a number of materials that have different textures, such as lumber siding matched with a natural stone foundation or a brick building with real wood trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element an alternative color.
The Picture as a Whole When picking colors, note that two colors that could work well collectively as a siding and trim mixture, may clash with the roof color or some other elements such as the deck or landscaping. So when picking colors, be sure you factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof covering material, the close by landscape and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When deciding on a residence color, consider the local customs in your town. It is progressively common for cities and neighborhoods 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 hues and even the stop signs have color limitations, whereas in the town of Charleston, there is a well-known region of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where vibrant colors are welcome. Some designed communities can even fine you or make you repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Plans As with the inside color selection process, you could start choosing color location without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch a line drawing of your house and then make several photocopies to try different layouts. Make use of a pencil or highlighter and shade your home’s features and test out several high-lighting alternatives. Determine which features you would like to emphasize and which ones you would like to hide. The goal here is to create a well balanced whole where no factor appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" this way 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 outfitted to scan a high-quality picture of your house. 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 kinds or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate 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 painted 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 house will seem to be too busy. If there are decorative features in your trim and molding, several colors are fine if the design repeats on the whole structure. Some Victorian homes can look well-balanced 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 structure. Shutters, if present, are usually colored darker than the house body. Of course, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was the most popular choice for the windows sash. But you hardly ever see gloss dark paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trim work, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are a Couple Tricks for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entrance Create a stunning effect with the addition of an highlight color to this important element of your house. For instance, a white house with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, draws attention to the door making the access seem more inviting.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is by using both the trim and body colors. Let the trim color to be the dominant one to make a clear difference from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce too many colors; you could wrap up with an impact that is way too busy.
Brackets (Corner) Brackets have to be perceived as part of the overall structure and should be painted in order to not appear they are "floating free" of the structure. Use the principle trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters add a leading edge of scarlet to these features.
Brackets (Sandwich) Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they consist of more than one layer and are more complex than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more appropriate to use several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Support Columns When 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 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 band over a turned post, it is quite acceptable to focus on these adornments with a flourish.
Many people like to paint porch ceilings sky blue because they say the color mimics nature. White columns add a nice contrasting touch.
Railings The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they are 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 sure they stand out. Even though you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid way too many colors to show your handiwork. Aside from the timeframe that would be involved in detailing each baluster, the effect will look busy.
Ceiling and Floors Porches are painted certain colors not only for adornment, but as concerns of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a feeling of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that has been used for years and years to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as wasps, from settling in. In the event the undersides of your porch roof rafters are uncovered, you might paint them by using a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more practical since it shows mud and tracks less readily when compared to a floor colored in a lighter color.
Riser and Step The risers of wooden steps are normally 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 decorated to match the porch rail and baluster color design.
Cement Foundations Many houses have a ring of brick or concrete blocks below the siding. While it is fine to paint this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the house seem securely planted and will hide dirt and mud. 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 web for a list.
A great way to take a look at how colors interact is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics tend to be created by people who study color and have worked with it for a long time. The microcosm of a couch and cushion combination in a popular catalog may hold the color scheme that will make your home look spectacular
Prefab Color Plans Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor scheme is just a little tricky. It's 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 traditional shades made to match the most common color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of these cards is that the trim and highlight 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
