Exterior Colors Much like interior painting, when exterior painting it is best to think in terms of sets of colors rather than solitary colors. But the job is often more complicated because houses are often built of a variety of materials that have different textures, such as solid wood siding paired with a rock foundation or a brick building with timber 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 roof color or various other elements including the deck or landscaping. So when picking colors, be sure you consider things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof covering material, the near by ground coverings and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Covenants When choosing a residence color, consider the local customs in your area. It is significantly common for cities and communities to insist on some control over house colors. For instance, in the resort community of Hilton Head, SC, residents must choose outside colors from a limited palette of muted tones and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the city of Charleston, there's a well-known region of pastel-colored houses called "Rainbow Row" where striking colors are welcome. Some planned communities can even fine you or force you to repaint your home unless you use one of the accepted paint colors.
Testing Different Color Strategies As with the interior color selection process, you can start choosing color placement without actually painting anything. Trace or sketch a line drawing of your residence 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 possibilities. Make a decision which features you would like to emphasize and which ones you would like to hide. The goal here is to make a well balanced whole where no aspect seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you won't only avoid any disappointments you'll be motivated to try some distinctive strategies before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your house for you directly on the screen. The better systems are prepared to scan a high-quality photo of your home. Or you can offer a high resolution digital image. Even if you cannot get an exact reproduction of your house, these programs will give you a sense of what types or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you might 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 a single color, but if there is decorative 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 house will seem to be too busy. If there are decorative highlights in your trim and molding, two or more colors are fine if the design repeats on the whole house. Some Victorian homes can look well balanced with six colors, so there is no firm rule.
One common fashion is to paint the window sash and trim a color that is lighter than the body of the house. Shutters, if present, are usually decorated darker than the house body. Obviously, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was the most popular choice for the windows sash. But you rarely see gloss black paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trimming, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are a Couple Tips for other Architectural Highlights:
Entranceway Create a dazzling effect with the addition of an accent color to this important element of your home. For instance, a white home with a door painted a bright color, such as red or green, pulls attention to the entranceway making the entry seem more inviting.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is to use both the trim and body colors. Let the trim color to be the prominent one to draw a clear difference from the top of the siding. Be careful not to introduce way too many colors; you can finish up with an impact that is way too busy.
Brackets Brackets have to be regarded as a component of the overall framework and really should be painted so as to not appear they are "floating free" of the framework. Use the basic trim color. Avoid using 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 consist of several layers and are more technical than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more acceptable to use several colors. Paint the exterior items to match the trim and frieze, and the center another color to show off your scroll work.
Verticle Posts/Beams If you have simple rectangular wooden posts over a porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to complement either the entire trim or body paint of your structure. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer over a square post or a band on the turned post, it is quite acceptable to showcase these adornments with a flourish.
Many people like 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 case 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, don't use too many colors to show your handiwork. Besides the timeframe that would be involved in highlighting each baluster, the result will look too busy.
Floors and Ceiling Porches are painted certain colors not only for decoration, but as matters 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 overhead. It is rumored to keep nesting pests, such as hornets, from settling in. If the undersides of your porch ceiling rafters are exposed, you might paint them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more practical since it shows mud and tracks less readily than a floor colored in a lighter color.
Steps and Risers The risers of wooden steps are usually 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 complement the porch rail and baluster color plan.
Masonry Foundations Many homes have a ring of brick or concrete block below the siding. While it is fine to have this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the home seem solidly planted and will hide dirt and mud. Basement windows are usually colored the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Pro tips: There are several 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 look at how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics are often created by people who research color and have worked with it for a long time. The microcosm of any couch and pillow combination in a popular catalog may hold the color design that will make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Schemes Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor scheme 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 accent colors in a single step. These colors are also available in traditional shades designed to match the most common color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of these cards would be that the trim and highlight 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
