Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is best 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 all have different textures, such as wood siding paired with a rock base or a brick building with wood trim. If you wish to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element some other color.
The Big Picture When picking colors, remember that two colors which may work well alongside one another as a siding and trim combination, may clash with the roofing color or some other elements such as the deck or landscaping design. So when picking colors, be sure you consider things you can't, or won't change, such as roofing material, the nearby landscape and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When deciding on a house color, consider the neighborhood customs in your area. It is increasingly common for towns and neighborhoods to insist on some control over house colors. For example, in the resort community of Hilton Head, SC, residents must choose outside colors from a limited palette of muted shades and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the city of Charleston, there is a well-known region of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where strong colors are welcome. Some planned communities may also fine you or force you to repaint your home unless you use one of the accepted paint colors.
Trying Different Color Strategies As with the interior color selection process, you can start deciding on color positioning without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch an outline drawing of your home and then make several photocopies to try different schemes. Make use of a pencil or highlighter and shade your home’s features and test out several high-lighting choices. Decide which features you would like to emphasize and those you would like to hide. The goal here is to make a well balanced whole where no factor appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you won't only avoid any disappointments you will be motivated to try some distinctive plans before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your house for you right on the computer screen. The better systems are equipped to scan a high-quality image of your home. Or you can provide a high image resolution digital image. Even though you cannot get an exact reproduction of your house, these programs will give you a feeling 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 is time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Generally the siding is painted in a single color, but when there is attractive molding above the first floor, a second color siding can be quite interesting. Casings around doors and windows should all be the same color or the home will seem too over done. If there are decorative 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 healthy 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 home. Shutters, if present, are usually colored darker than the home body. Needless to say, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the window sash. But you seldom see gloss black paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trimming, below left, with eye catching colors.
Below are a Couple Tips for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entrance Create a dazzling effect with the addition of an accent color to this important element of your house. For example, a white house with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, pulls attention to the entranceway making the entrance seem more inviting.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is by using both the trim and body colors. Let the trim color to be the prominent one to make a clear distinction from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce way too many colors; you might end up with an effect that is way too busy.
Brackets Brackets have to be perceived as a component of the overall structure and really should be painted in order to not appear they are "floating free" of the composition. Use the principle trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters put in a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are just a little different. Because they contain more than one layer and are more complex than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more satisfactory to make use of several colors. Paint the exterior portions to match the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Posts When you have simple rectangular wooden posts on a porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to complement either the overall trim or body paint of your house. However, if your posts have special millwork, like a chamfer over a square post or a ring over a turned post, it is quite acceptable to showcase these adornments 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.
Rails The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they're usually decorated in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railing Supports 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 highlighting each baluster, the effect will look too busy.
Ceiling and Floors Porches are painted certain colors not only for beautification, but as concerns of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a sense of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a technique that has been used for years and years to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting insects, such as wasps, from settling in. When the undersides of your porch ceiling rafters are uncovered, you might color them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more functional since it shows mud and tracks less readily than a floor painted in a lighter color.
Riser and Step The risers of wooden steps are normally painted the trim color, as the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the bottom and 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 plan.
Masonry Foundations Many homes have a ring of brick or concrete blocks below the siding. While it is fine to have this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the house seem securely planted and will hide dirt and mud. Basement windows are generally painted the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Professional Tips: There are lots 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 look at how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics tend to be created by people who research color and have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of a couch and pillow combination in a popular catalog may hold the color scheme that can make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Strategies Deciding on the precise colors in a multicolor design 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 a single step. These colors are also available in traditional shades designed to match the most widespread color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of the 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
