Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is best to think in terms of sets of colors instead of single colors. However the job is often more difficult because houses tend to be built of several materials that all have different textures, such as solid wood siding paired with a rock foundation or a brick building with hardwood trim. If you wish to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element a different color.
Understanding the Whole Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors that could work well jointly as a siding and trim mixture, may clash with the roof color or various other elements such as the deck or landscaping. So when picking colors, remember to factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof covering material, the nearby ground coverings and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When deciding on a residence color, consider the neighborhood customs in your area. It is more and more common for cities and neighborhoods to insist on some control over house colors. For instance, in the holiday resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose outside colors from a limited palette of muted colors and even the stop signs have color limitations, whereas in the city of Charleston, there is a well-known district of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where strong colors are welcome. Some designed communities may also fine you or make you repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Trying Different Color Layouts As with the interior color selection process, you could start deciding on color positioning without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch an outline drawing of your home and then make several photocopies to try different plans. Start using a pencil or highlighter and color your home’s features and experiment with several high-lighting options. Make a decision which features you want to emphasize and which ones you would like to hide. The goal here is to create a well balanced whole where no aspect seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" this way you won't only avoid any disappointments you will be inspired 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 photo of your house. Or you can provide a high resolution digital image. Even if you cannot get an exact reproduction of your house, these programs will provide you with a sense of what types or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you may 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 a single color, but if there is decorative molding above the first floor, another color siding can be quite 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 attractive features in your trim and molding, two or more colors are fine if the pattern 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 paint the window sash and trim a color that is lighter than the body of the house. Shutters, if present, are usually decorated darker than the home body. Certainly, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was 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.
Below are a Few Tips for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entry Way Create a striking effect by adding an accent color to this important element of your home. For instance, 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 inviting.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is to use 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 too busy.
Brackets Brackets have to be perceived as part of the overall framework and should be painted so as to never appear that they are "floating free" of the structure. Use the principle trim color. Avoid using too much color. Some painters put in a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Brackets (Sandwich) Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they consist of several layers and are more technical than simple corner brackets, it is more suitable to work with several colors. Paint the exterior pieces to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Verticle Posts/Beams When you have simple rectangular wooden posts over a porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Color them to match either the entire trim or body color of your home. However, if your posts have special millwork, like a chamfer over a square post or a band on the turned post, it is quite acceptable to showcase these designs with a flourish.
Many people like 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 painted in the same color as the posts.
Balusters Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. If the posts and rails have been treated in the primary body color, try using the trim colors to make them stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid too many colors to show your handiwork. Besides the amount of time that might be involved in detailing each baluster, the result will look busy.
Ceilings and Floor Porches are painted certain colors not only for decoration, but as concerns of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a feeling of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a method that has been used for centuries to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as wasps, from settling in. In case the undersides of your porch ceiling rafters are open, you might paint them by using a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more useful since it shows dirt and grime and tracks less readily when compared to a floor colored in a lighter color.
Steps and Risers The risers of wooden steps are normally 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 decorated to match the porch rail and baluster color plan.
Concrete Foundations Many homes have a band of brick or concrete block below the siding. While it is fine to have this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the house seem securely planted and can hide dirt. Basement windows are generally painted the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Pro tips: There are many 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 check out how colors interact is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics are often designed by people who study color and have worked with it for a long time. The microcosm of a couch and pillow combination in a popular catalog may contain the color design that will make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Strategies Deciding on the precise colors in a multicolor design is just 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 a single step. These colors are also available in historical shades designed to match the most widespread color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of these 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
