Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of groups of colors instead of solitary colors. But the task is often more difficult because houses are often built of a number of materials that all have different textures, such as solid wood siding paired with a stone foundation or a brick building with wood trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element some other color.
The Big Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors that may work well collectively 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 roofing material, the nearby ground coverings and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Covenants When choosing a house color, consider the neighborhood customs in your town. It is progressively common for towns and communities to insist on some control over house colors. For example, in the resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose external surfaces colors from a restricted palette of muted tones and even the stop signs have color limitations, whereas in metropolis of Charleston, there's a well-known district of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where daring colors are welcome. Some planned communities can even fine you or force you to repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Trying Different Color Schemes As with the interior color selection process, you can start deciding on color placement 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 color different features and test out several high-lighting options. 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 element appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" this way you won't only avoid any disappointments you will be encouraged 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 computer screen. The better systems are equipped to scan a high-quality photo of your home. Or you can provide a high quality digital image. Even if you are not able to get a precise reproduction of your property, these programs will give you a feeling of what kinds or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you may paint.
Now that you have selected the colors for your home it is time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Usually the siding is done in one color, but if 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 highlights in your trim and molding, several colors are fine if the style repeats on the whole house. 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 structure. Shutters, if present, are usually decorated darker than the house body. Needless to say, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was the most popular choice for the home window sash. Nevertheless, you seldom see gloss dark-colored paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trim work, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are a Couple Techniques for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entrance Create a striking effect by adding an highlight color to this important element of your home. For instance, a white house with a door colored a bright color, such as red or green, draws attention to the door making the entrance 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 dominating one to mark a clear distinction from the top of the siding. Be careful not to introduce way too many colors; you can finish up with an impact that is too busy.
Brackets Brackets need to be perceived as part of the overall composition and should be painted in order to never appear that they are "floating free" of the framework. Use the principle trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters add a leading edge of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are just a little different. Because they consist of more than one layer and are more complex than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more satisfactory to utilize several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Support Columns If you have simple rectangular wooden posts on a porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Color them to complement either the entire trim or body color of your structure. However, if your posts have special millwork, like a chamfer on a square post or a ring over a turned post, it is perfectly acceptable to high light 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 colored in the primary body color, try using the trim colors to make them stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, don't use way too many colors to show your handiwork. Besides the amount of time that might be involved in highlighting each baluster, the effect 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 sense of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that is used for centuries to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as bees, from settling in. In the event the undersides of your porch roof rafters are uncovered, you might color them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more practical because it shows mud and tracks less readily than a floor painted in a lighter color.
Steps and Risers The risers of wooden steps are usually painted the trim color, while the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the ground 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 design.
Cement 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 house seem solidly planted and will 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.
Pro tips: There are plenty of 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 check out how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics are often designed by people who study color and also have worked with it for a long time. The microcosm of a couch and cushion combination in a favorite catalog may hold the color plan that will make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Plans Deciding on the precise 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 highlight colors in one step. These colors are also available in historical shades made to match the most prevalent 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 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
