Exterior Colors Much like interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of sets of colors rather than single colors. However the activity is often more complicated because houses are often built of several materials that have different textures, such as hardwood siding matched with a natural stone foundation or a brick building with real wood trim. If you wish to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element an alternative color.
Seeing the Whole Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors which 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. So when picking colors, remember to factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof material, the near by landscaping and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your friends and neighbors' houses.
Local By-Laws When choosing a house color, consider the local customs in your area. It is progressively more common for cities and neighborhoods to insist upon some control over house colors. For example, in the holiday resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose external surfaces colors from a limited palette of muted colors and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the city of Charleston, there is a well-known area of pastel-colored houses called "Rainbow Row" where striking colors are welcome. Some designed communities may also fine you or make you repaint your home unless you use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Schemes As with the interior color selection process, you can start deciding on color positioning without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch a line drawing of your residence and then make several photocopies to try different plans. Start using a pencil or highlighter and shade different features and test out several high-lighting possibilities. Make a decision which features you want to emphasize and which ones you want to hide. The target here is to make a well balanced whole where no factor appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you will not only avoid any disappointments you will be motivated to try some distinctive schemes before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your home for you right on the screen. The better systems are outfitted to scan a high-quality picture of your home. Or you can offer a high image resolution digital image. Even if you are not able to get a precise reproduction of your house, these programs will provide you with a sense of what kinds or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate 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 painted in one color, but if there is ornamental molding above the first floor, another color siding can be quite interesting. Casings around windows and doors should all be the same color or the home will appear too over done. If there are attractive highlights in your trim and molding, two or more colors are fine if the pattern repeats on the whole structure. Some Victorian homes can look balanced with six colors, so there is absolutely no firm rule.
One common fashion is to color 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. Of course, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the window sash. But 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 Entry Create a stunning effect with the addition of an accent color to this important element of your home. For example, a white house with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, draws attention to the door making the access 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 make a clear distinction from the top of the siding. Be careful not to introduce way too many colors; you may end up with an impact that is way too busy.
Brackets (Corner) Brackets have to be regarded as part of the overall structure and really should be painted so as to not appear they are "floating free" of the framework. Use the basic trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters add a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they consist of several layers and are more technical than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more suitable to work with several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color to show off your scroll work.
Verticle Beams/Posts If you have simple rectangular wooden posts on a porch, you probably don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Color them to match either the overall trim or body color of your structure. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer on the square post or a ring on the turned post, it is quite acceptable to focus on these decorations with a flourish.
Many people prefer to paint porch ceilings sky blue because they state the color mimics nature. White columns add a nice contrasting touch.
Railings The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they're usually decorated in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railings Support Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. In the event 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, avoid way too many colors to demonstrate your handiwork. Aside from the timeframe that would be involved in detailing each baluster, the result will look too busy.
Ceiling and Floors Porches are painted certain colors not only for adornment, but as matters of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a sense of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that is used for years and years to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting insects, such as bees, from settling in. If the undersides of your porch ceiling rafters are exposed, you might color them by using 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 colored in a lighter color.
Steps and Risers The risers of wooden steps are normally painted the trim color, as 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 colored to match the porch rail and baluster color design.
Masonry Foundations Many residences have a band of brick or concrete block below the siding. Although it is fine to paint this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the home seem solidly planted and will hide dirt. Basement windows are usually colored the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Professional Tips: There are many 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 terrific way to check out how colors interact 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 any couch and pillow combination in a favorite catalog may hold the color plan that can make your home look spectacular
Prefab Color Schemes Deciding on the precise colors in a multicolor scheme is just a little tricky. It is the reason that the vast majority of the major paint companies have created "combo cards" to help you to pick body, trim, and accent colors in one step. These colors are also available in historic shades designed 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 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
