Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is advisable to think in terms of sets of colors instead of single colors. But the job is often more difficult because houses tend to be built of a variety of materials that all have different textures, such as lumber siding matched with a rock foundation or a brick building with real wood trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element some other color.
The Picture as a Whole When picking colors, note that two colors which could work well collectively as a siding and trim mixture, may clash with the roof color or various other elements such as the deck or landscaping design. So when picking colors, be sure you factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof covering material, the near by landscaping and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your neighbors' houses.
Local Customs 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 limited palette of muted shades and even the stop signs have color limitations, whereas in the location of Charleston, there is a well-known region of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where striking colors are welcome. Some planned communities can even fine you or force you to repaint your home if you don't use one of the accepted paint colors.
Trying Different Color Schemes As with the interior color selection process, you could start choosing color location without actually painting anything. Copy or sketch a line drawing of your house and then make several photocopies to try different strategies. Use a pencil or highlighter and color your home’s 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 create a well balanced whole where no aspect seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you will not only avoid any disappointments you will be inspired 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 computer screen. The better systems are prepared to scan a high-quality photo of your home. Or you can offer a high image resolution digital image. Even if you cannot get a precise reproduction of your property, these programs will provide you with a feeling of what kinds or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you may paint.
Now that you have selected the colors for your home it's time to decide which colors should be assigned to specific architectural elements. Usually the siding is painted in a single color, but if there is ornamental molding above the first floor, a second color siding can be quite interesting. Casings around windows and doors should all be the same color or the house will appear too over done. If there are ornamental features in your trim and molding, two or more colors are fine if the style repeats on the whole house. Some Victorian homes can look healthy 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 structure. Shutters, if present, are usually coated darker than the home body. Naturally, fashions change. For example, at the turn of the century, gloss black was typically the most popular choice for the windows sash. But you hardly ever see gloss dark-colored paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trimming, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are a Couple Tricks for other Architectural Highlights:
Entry Create a dazzling effect by adding an accent color to this important element of your house. For example, a white home with a door decorated a bright color, such as red or green, draws attention to the door making the entry seem more welcoming.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is to use both the trim and body colors. Let the trim color to be the dominating one to draw a clear differentiation from the top of the siding. Be careful not to introduce too many colors; you may finish up with an impact that is way too busy.
Brackets (Corner) Brackets need to be regarded as part of the overall composition and should be painted in order to never appear that they are "floating free" of the composition. Use the principle trim color. Stay away from too much color. Some painters add a leading edge of scarlet to these features.
Brackets (Sandwich) Sandwich brackets are just a little different. Because they contain more than one layer and are more technical than simple corner mounting brackets, it is more appropriate to make use of several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color to show off your scroll work.
Support Columns When you have simple rectangular wooden posts over a porch, you probably don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to complement either the entire trim or body coloring of your house. However, if your posts have special millwork, like a chamfer over a square post or a ring on the turned post, it is quite acceptable to high light 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 case the posts and rails have been painted in the primary body color, try to use the trim colors to make them stand out. Even if you have elaborately worked balusters, avoid way too many colors to show your handiwork. Aside from the timeframe that would be involved in highlighting each baluster, the effect will look too busy.
Floors and Ceiling 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 is used for years and years to suggest the sky over head. It is rumored to keep nesting bugs, such as wasps, from settling in. In case the undersides of your porch roof rafters are exposed, you might paint them by using 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 decorated 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 colored to complement the porch rail and baluster color design.
Cement Foundations Many houses have a band of brick or concrete block below the siding. While it is fine to paint this band the same color as the siding, a darker color makes the home seem solidly planted and can hide dirt. Basement windows are generally decorated the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws attention to this door.
Expert’s 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 look at how colors interact is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics are often designed by people who research color and have worked with it for a long time. The microcosm of a couch and pillow combination in a favorite catalog may hold the color scheme that will make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Plans Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor design is 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 highlight colors in a single step. These colors are also available in historic shades designed to match the most widespread color schemes of certain periods. One nice feature of the cards is 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
