Helpful Tips Selecting an exterior Color Palette
There are a lot of people painting their home exteriors this Spring! I am working on a few different home projects and I would say 80% of my workload is exteriors. People seem to be more into sprucing up their homes this year. I am glad to see homes being repainted and refreshed and lovely.
A lot of people, myself included, have trouble visualizing how colors are going to look together. One way I like to help ‘see’ the paint colors, is with a Photoshop render using considered paint colors. Here is a white palette I put together to help compare the different exterior whites for a homeowner:
Even though the colors are on a computer screen and not 100% accurate, you can still see how they compare to each other and ‘see’ the undertone better. White Duck has more beige than the other whites, Alabaster has a touch of yellow, Pure White has a blue undertone and the Snowbound is an off-white with a touch of warmth. Not a bright white, which is just what she was looking for. The homeowner selected SW Snowbound, for the exterior brick walls, so next I wanted to show colors that would work well together with the off- white Snowbound:
In another exterior project below, I was trying to help visualize which paint colors worked best with the exterior stone:
Doesn’t it make it easier to see how the colors will work together?
Did you Know?
Benjamin Moore is again selling their half pint jar paint samples at $5.99 each. I did not care for their large one pint sample cans. Expensive and wasteful! Recently Ben Moore has also come out with the 9 x 12” peel-and-stick samples here.
I found a great list of Sherwin Williams ‘The Top 50 Colors.’ “These colors are consistent customer favorites for a reason. If you're looking for a hue to stand the test of time, pick from the top 50.” Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams Director of Color Marketing.
Trending for 2022: All white/cream exteriors and using the same color for the trim. You can read more here on that. This photo below is one of my top saved pins on Pinterest:
I know I have mentioned it before, but in case you forgot, you can not match up any paint color to siding. There are no colors that match the siding and if you try to match up, it will look like you tried and failed.
One question I get asked all the time is what should I paint my gutters? Some think that painting them in a darker color than the body will look nice. But when you paint them a darker color, they will stand out against the house and say, “Look at me!” Maybe your gutters are so beautiful you want to highlight them? But if you just want to have the gutters blend in and not be noticeable, paint them the same color as the exterior walls they are against.
Thanks everyone and have a great week!