Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is best to think in terms of sets of colors rather than single colors. But the process is often more complicated because houses tend to be built of several materials that all have different textures, such as hardwood siding matched with a stone foundation or a brick building with lumber trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element an alternative color.
Understanding the Whole 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 roofing material, the nearby ground coverings and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighborhood friends' houses.
Local Real Estate Covenants When deciding on a residence color, consider the local customs in your area. It is progressively more common for cities and communities to insist on some control over house colors. For instance, in the resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose external colors from a restricted palette of muted tones and even the stop signs have color constraints, whereas in the location of Charleston, there's a well-known region of pastel-colored houses called "Rainbow Row" where bold 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 Plans As with the interior color selection process, you can start deciding on color placement without actually painting anything. Copy or sketch a line drawing of your house and then make several photocopies to try different plans. Employ a pencil or highlighter and shade your home’s features and experiment with several high-lighting choices. Make a decision which features you would like to emphasize and those you would like to hide. The target here is to make a well balanced whole where no factor appears to dominate. By "pre-painting" this way 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 picture of your home. Or you can provide a high image resolution digital image. Even if you cannot get a precise reproduction of your house, these programs will give you a sense of what types or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate ideas of how you may paint.
Now that you have selected the colors for your home it is time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Usually the siding is done in a single color, but when there is attractive molding above the first floor, another color siding can be very interesting. Casings around doors and windows should all be the same color or the home will seem to be too over done. If there are ornamental features in your trimming and molding, several colors are fine if the style 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 house. Shutters, if present, are usually coated darker than the home body. Of course, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was the most popular choice for the windows sash. Nevertheless, you almost never see gloss dark paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trim work, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are Some Techniques for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entrance Create a stunning effect with the addition of an accent color to this important element of your house. For instance, a white house with a door colored a bright color, such as red or green, pulls attention to the door making the entrance seem more appealing.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is by using both the trim and body colors. Allow the trim color to be the dominating one to mark a clear differentiation from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce way too many colors; you may finish up with an effect that is way too busy.
Brackets (Corner) Brackets have to be perceived as a component of the overall framework and should be painted in order to never appear they are "floating free" of the structure. Use the principle trim color. Avoid using too much color. Some painters add a leading color of scarlet to these features.
Brackets (Sandwich) 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 acceptable to work with several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Structural Posts When you have simple rectangular wooden posts over 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, like a chamfer on a square post or a band over a turned post, it is quite acceptable to showcase 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.
Rails The rails are essentially extensions of the posts. Therefore, they're usually painted in the same color as the posts.
Verticle Railing Supports Try painting the balusters a lighter color than the rails. If the posts and rails have been treated in the primary body color, try to use the trim colors to make them stand out. Even though you have elaborately worked balusters, don't use too many colors to demonstrate your handiwork. Aside from the amount of time that might be involved in detailing each baluster, the effect will look too busy.
Floor and Ceilings Porches are painted certain colors not only for adornment, but as matters 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 over head. It is rumored to keep nesting pests, such as bees, from settling in. When the undersides of your porch roof rafters are uncovered, you might paint them by using 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.
Risers and Steps The risers of wooden steps are usually 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 decorated to match the porch rail and baluster color scheme.
Masonry Foundations Many properties 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 securely planted and will hide dirt and mud. Basement windows are usually decorated the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws focus on this door.
Expert’s Tips: There are numerous 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 are often created by people who study color and also have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of any couch and cushion combination in a popular catalog may hold the color plan that can make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Schemes Deciding on the precise colors in a multicolor plan 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 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 the cards would be 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
