“On entering some of our villages, the only color which meets the eye is white. Everything is white: the houses, the fences, the stables, the kennels, and sometimes even the trees cannot escape, but get a coat of white wash… Is this taste?” —Samuel Sloan 1852
Painting the exterior of your largest investment—your home—is a laborious highly visible task. Most people know what colors they like, but agonize over exterior color choices because everyone can see the results.
In actuality it matters more where a color is used than what color is selected.
In many parts of the United States white is the most popular exterior color. However, in our NW region a white house seems out of place in a neighborhood where such shades as blue, yellow, brown, taupe, and gray dominate.
Meaningful colors fit the community, reveal your personality and tie the parts—roof, walls, windows, doors, and foundation—of your home together.
Before selecting the main color for your home study the fixed or permanent colors associated with it. Some colors on or around your home will not change. Most people do not change their roof or landscape colors but do factor them into their color scheme.
Consider your painting project as property improvement. A large home on a small lot will be brought into better proportion by selecting a darker color. Conversely the small home can appear larger painted a lighter or brighter color and using only a slight contrast between the body, trim, and accent colors.
A two-story home will appear shorter and longer by continuing the home’s body color on vertical corner boards. Painting the corner boards a contrasting color will make the home seem taller and make its footprint appear smaller.
A two-story home can also appear smaller by painting the lower level a slightly darker value of the same color as the second floor. The darker color anchors the home to the ground bringing the eye downward.
Trim and accent colors are important in any exterior painting project. Selecting different colors with the same color value or using a higher sheen than the body color will produce good results. Homes painted with a light body color and dark trim and accent colors will appear disjointed and visually cluttered. The same applies to homes painted with a dark body color with light trim and accent colors.
The home’s utilitarian features are the downspouts, vents, and ducts. If they are painted in the body color they will recede into the structure. Accent colors can emphasize positive architectural features and add value to your home.
Regardless of the color choice the end goal of any color scheme should be to highlight the positive and reduce the negative aspects of any home. Balance is created when each of the home’s features is considered as part of the whole.
Color Is Relative
The color you select for an exterior project will appear darker in the shade and lighter in the sun. The color you choose will seem darker used on a larger wall than on a smaller surface. The low sheen “flat” will appear lighter and high gloss will look darker. The smoother the surface texture, the lighter the color seems and the rougher the texture, the darker it looks. And when two colors are side by side each tints its partner with its own complement, the color opposite on the color wheel. For example red brings the green out of its neighboring colors and yellow brings out the violet undertones of its neighbors. And all color pigments will deteriorate after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. Lighter colors fade more slowly than darker colors. Warm colors—reds and yellows—fade the fastest along with blue, purple, and greens. But when the cool colors fade it is the red or yellow element within them that is fading fastest. Faded green will appear bluer because its yellow element has deteriorated and purple will become bluer as its red component is lowered. Vinyl siding will warp if painted a darker color than its original color.
Paulette Rossi is a Certified Master Recycler living in Portland, OR.
