When you drive down a residential street, do you ever give any thought to how those homes got their various colors and the process that went into choosing them? Many people don’t think that much about their home’s exterior color and spend a lot more time thinking about their interior walls and the combinations of colors they can use in the house’s various rooms. While interior painting offers a lot of chances to display creative flair, your home’s exterior shouldn’t be any less important.
First Impressions
Consider that your home’s exterior color is truly the first thing that anyone sees on your home, whether they’re simply passing by or coming to your home as a guest. That being the case, your home’s exterior color should make a statement that reflects your taste and style. There are several things to consider before you begin the fun process of choosing exact shades for the main color and the exterior trim.
One of the first things to check into before painting your home’s exterior is to ensure that you aren’t limited in your color choice by any neighborhood association or community regulations. There are some areas where private homeowner associations or the local city government restrict color choices to a set palette for various reasons, but mainly to maintain a certain overall look and feel to the neighborhood. Ensure that if your home falls into one of these regulated areas, you know what colors are permitted before you begin choosing.
Consider Materials And Color Palette
Before you begin choosing colors, you should consider the type of material your home is made of. For example, a brick home offers vastly different painting options than a homemade one entirely of wood. There may be some other natural materials such as stone that you need to consider when you begin the process.
There are two major considerations to consider when you begin to decide on your home’s exterior color palette: main color and trim color. Trim often gets overlooked, but it is just as important as the main color because it works to complement and accent to give your home definition. Deciding on the main color and exterior trim takes a bit of know-how. Select colors that come from the same color family. The trim color should generally be the same tone as the main color, just a few shades lighter or darker to provide an accent.
Professional Or DIY?
You may be considering painting your home by yourself or trying to decide whether or not to call in a professional house painter to do the job. Although a homeowner can certainly do an exterior home painting job, there are several advantages to handing the job over to a professional house painter. Besides the fact that the professionals have all the right tools to get the job done and know all the trade tricks to finish just right, they can also advise you on color choice and exterior trim.
Getting Creative
There are a few other areas besides the main color and trim color to express your style and creativity. Consider your front door, for example. This area is where you might want to go bold and get a bit more daring, especially since the surface area is smaller. Don’t forget about other exterior features on your property as well, such as guest houses, gazebos, or fences. All of the elements should work together to make a color impression that is balanced and harmonized.
Painting concrete is trickier than painting most surfaces: It breathes, transports moisture, and sucks up paint. Choosing the correct concrete paint will help.
