3 Tips for Choosing a New Exterior Home Color

There’s more to consider than just choosing your favorite shade when it comes to finding a new exterior home color. It’s a long-term decision, with our data showing a 15-year life expectancy when you choose high-quality exterior paint. Finding the right painting company is also important. Here are our top tips for choosing your next home exterior paint color.

1. Get Samples, Not Paint Chips

Paint chips and sample color cards are never going to show you the true way paint will look on your home. By getting a small sample container and paint swatches of your final selections on the home, you can see how it will look in different lighting during the day, from the road or sidewalk, or if the shade makes your home seem smaller or larger. By testing out the paint color before you fully paint your home, you’re able to make a smarter decision about the color before you’ve invested in the labor and cost of an entire home paint job.

2. Style and Age of the Home

Exterior color selections should be appropriate to the style and era of the home. For example, craftsman bungalows have a certain style pattern and typically are painted in muted, earth-toned neutrals. While it is decidedly up to you what you paint it, by staying with your home’s style and era colors you’re going to keep the most home value.

Another thing to consider is if you are a member of an HOA or if you are on a type of historical registry. Both HOAs and historical registries may forbid certain color choices from being selected. Some also have a set color palette that you have to choose from. Always check and see if there are such rules in place for your home before you go selecting a color.

3. Make Several Selections

There are three parts of an exterior paint job: the trim colors for window casings and roof edgings, the field color which is the main part of the home, and the accent color which is for doors and shutters. Most painting companies will tell you that the trim color should be in contrast to the field color. Some paint jobs will offer a two-part color scheme made up of the field color and a combined accent/trim color. Ask for your color selections to be mocked-up so that you can see how they work together prior to making a final decision.

If you’d like to talk more and see if we are the right painting company for your home’s exterior paint job, we’d love to hear from you. Give our team at Estate Painting a call today!