Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of sets of colors instead of solitary colors. But the process is often more difficult because houses tend to be built of several materials that have different textures, such as hardwood siding combined with a stone foundation or a brick building with wood trim. If you wish to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element a different color.
Seeing the Big Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors that could work well collectively as a siding and trim mixture, may clash with the roofing color or various other elements including 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 close by landscape and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your friends and neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When deciding on a residence color, consider the local customs in your area. It is increasingly common for cities and neighborhoods to insist upon some control over house colors. For example, in the resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose exterior colors from a limited palette of muted tones and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the town of Charleston, there's a well-known area of pastel-colored homes called "Rainbow Row" where vivid colors are welcome. Some planned communities may also fine you or make you repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Schemes As with the inside color selection process, you could start choosing color positioning without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch an outline drawing of your home and then make several photocopies to try different layouts. Utilize a pencil or highlighter and color your home’s features and test out several high-lighting choices. Decide which features you want to emphasize and those you would like to hide. The goal here is to create a well balanced whole where no component seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you will not 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 house. Or you can provide a high resolution digital image. Even if you are not able to get a precise reproduction of your house, these programs will give you a sense of what sorts 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 house will appear too over done. If there are ornamental highlights in your trimming and molding, several colors are fine if the pattern repeats on the whole house. Some Victorian homes can look well-balanced with six colors, so there is absolutely no firm rule.
One common fashion is to paint the window sash and trim a color that is lighter than the body of the home. Shutters, if present, are usually decorated darker than the house body. Certainly, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the window sash. Nevertheless, you seldom see gloss dark paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trim work, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are Some Tips for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entry 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 entranceway making the access seem more inviting.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is to use both the trim and body colors. Allow the trim color to be the prominent one to draw a clear distinction from the top of the siding. Be careful not to introduce too many colors; you may finish up with an effect that is way too busy.
Brackets Brackets need to be regarded as part of the overall structure and should be painted so as to not appear that they are "floating free" of the framework. Use the principle trim color. Avoid using too much color. Some painters put in a leading edge of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they contain more than one layer and are more technical than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more appropriate 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 Post If you have simple rectangular wooden posts on the porch, you probably don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to match either the overall trim or body color of your home. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer on a square post or a band on the turned post, it is perfectly 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.
Rails The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they are usually colored in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railing Supports Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. When the posts and rails have been treated in the main body color, try using the trim colors to make sure they stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid way too many colors to show your handiwork. Besides the amount of time that might be involved in highlighting each baluster, the result will look busy.
Floors and Ceiling Porches are painted certain colors not only for adornment, but as concerns of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a feeling of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that has been used for years and years to suggest the sky overhead. It is rumored to keep nesting pests, such as wasps, from settling in. If the undersides of your porch roof rafters are open, you might paint them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more sensible because it shows mud and tracks less readily when compared to a floor decorated in a lighter color.
Riser and Step The risers of wooden steps are usually painted the trim color, as the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the bottom and really should be painted in the same color. The handrail and balusters on the steps should be painted to match the porch rail and baluster color design.
Concrete Foundations Many houses have a ring of brick or concrete blocks below the siding. While it is fine to paint this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the house seem firmly 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 attention to this door.
Professional 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 Internet for a list.
A great way to take a look at how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics tend to be designed by people who research color and also have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of a couch and cushion combination in a popular catalog may hold the color plan that can make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Strategies Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor scheme is 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 highlight 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
