When it comes to making your home your own, its exterior color plays a large role in your style. Fortunately, there are tons of options on the market today for you to choose from. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, we’re going to share some of our most helpful tips for picking the ideal exterior paint color for your home.
Assess Your Surroundings
One of the best places to start is to look at your surroundings. Do you live in a neighborhood? What colors are the other houses sporting? Are you looking to stand out from the pack or fit in? When you take a general assessment of your home’s surroundings, it will help you to determine what colors to omit from your palette so that you don’t clash with surrounding objects.
Consider Your Climate
While many paint colors can last quite a long time, there are some environments where the sunlight can really wreak havoc on certain darker colors. There’s a reason that many beach houses are painted with brighter shades, as they don’t fade out like darker ones do. One great way to really see how detrimental your climate can be to your home’s exterior paint is to look at your neighbors’ homes. Are some colors faded while others seem brand new?
Sampling Some Paint Colors
You never just want to pick an exterior color and commit to it right away. Rather, you should narrow down your options and get a handful of paint hues that fit your overall concept. It’s important to remember that some paint colors dry to a lighter tone while others may dry to a darker tone. Testing out potential samples will give you the best idea of what that exterior color will look like on your home.
When testing out prospective paint colors, you need a light background. It’s not uncommon to paint a small section of your home’s exterior to see what a potential color may look like. If your home is currently white or close to it, this may be fine. However, if your home is currently a darker color, it could skew the overall look of the new exterior paint. If you’re planning on testing out your new color on your home’s exterior, be sure to paint a white box around the test sample to get a true idea of what the color will look like.
If you’re thinking that you may skip the white box and simply paint your test sample on some scrap wood you have lying around, think again. You should be putting your test sample on the same material that you plan on painting. That means painting your siding or your home’s brick exterior. This will give you the most accurate representation of the new paint’s color.
If you’re looking to enhance the curb appeal of your home or are simply tired of looking at its existing paint color, then repainting the exterior of your home can be a great investment. By following the tips that we went over above, you’ll be able to set yourself up for the best chance of picking an exterior paint color that you’ll love