Exterior Paint Color Palette Ideas & Tips

If the warm weather has drawn you outside, you might have noticed your home isn’t looking quite as pristine as it was last summer. You might be in the market for an exterior paint job. This will protect your substrate and give your house a new glow.

Since many homeowners decide to update their home with paint during the summer, you can get your project taken care of before the rush of jobs backs up with the painting crews. You’ll also have the benefit of a beautiful house through the spring season as well. If you’re eager to get started, let’s look at some house colors now.

Here are exterior paint color palette ideas and tips for spring.

Greige

The new darling of house colors. Gray can seem cold while beige is boring. Bridge the gap with a lovely combination of the two. The two paired up to create a richer tone than either can alone. It’s an ideal choice for an updated but still neutral color for your house. As an added benefit, it pairs well with nearly any color for accents. Blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, the list goes on.

Brown

Our pros are seeing browns in mid to deep tones show up on client requests. A brown home is a good choice for standing out against a green landscape. Pair the color with a bright trim for a modern take on the color, or white for a more classic option.

White

White is by far the easiest option to work with. Don’t let that fool you. Many homeowners have gone awry with the wrong undertones. It’s important to test, test and test again before choosing a white for your house. Warm or cool whites need to be paired with the right accent colors to create definition in your home while looking like the colors belong together.

Classic Yellow

With yellow, the best advice is to tread lightly. Sure, the color can create a cheery exterior but go too bright and your guests will need sunglasses to get to your house. Choose a light, buttery yellow for a classic feeling of happiness without going overboard. For an easy color pairing, try sage green, nearly black or warm white for shutters and trim.

Green

Greens are showing up all over houses in so many hues. From barely there, to bold and loud, green is being used with success. Use the surrounding landscape to determine the color you should choose. You want your home to stand out from grass and trees without clashing. Lighter greens work particularly well when paired with stone or brick on a home, since they will soften the tones.

Blue

Blue homes have never lost their following. With so many houses done in the color, there are ways to make nearly any blue work for you. As a suggestion, for those in sunnier climates, vivid and dark blues will lose their pigment quickly due to the UV rays in the sun. For those areas, opt for softer tones of the color.

General Exterior Painting Project Tips

Some styles of home and locations will somewhat dictate the colors you should be using.

Here are just a few highlights of these tips.

Pair with what you have

Choose a color that works with immovable style accents. This means if you have red bricks or gray stones, choose a color that complements your facade. Take into account driveway, roof and foliage colors. Otherwise, you’ll be looking to change the color of the bricks and stones rather quickly. If that’s part of your painting project, great. But don’t let this be an unwelcome surprise.

Check in with government

Some areas are riddled with HOAs and other governing bodies. Before setting out to pick a color make sure you check in with any that might apply to you. There could be lists of approved colors and providers you must choose from.

Test your color thoroughly

Colors tend to feel a bit more washed out when used outside. Because of this, homeowners can get overzealous and choose brighter options. Don’t end up with an overwhelming color on your house because you didn’t test it. Get sample quarts of paint mixed and bring them home. Paint a 2 foot by 2 foot square onto a more hidden wall of your exterior, or paint it onto a posterboard you can move around the house. Go check on the color at different points of the day, in different lights. This will give you a better idea of what the color will look like once applied fully.

Highlight architecture

For architectural aspects of your house like shutters and columns, choose a contrasting color to the majority of the house. If your walls are light, go dark and likewise. You want to have these areas stand out for the element that they are.

Hide necessities

Hide necessary items around your house that are less than pleasant. For example, paint your downspouts, air conditioning units and gutters in the same color they are against. This will help them blend into the backdrop and allow other items to take center stage.

Schedule an estimate

If you’re ready to take on a spring painting project for the exterior of your home, call us. Our estimator would be happy to discuss your project and any potential repairs that should be done in conjunction with the painting. Schedule a free, no-obligation estimate appointment now.