Exterior Colors As with interior painting, when exterior painting it is best to think in terms of groups of colors rather than solitary colors. However the process is often more difficult because houses tend to be built of a variety of materials that have different textures, such as wood siding matched with a natural stone foundation or a brick building with solid wood trim. If you want to emphasize the difference in textures, paint each element an alternative color.
Seeing the Whole Picture When picking colors, note that two colors which could work well together as a siding and trim blend, may clash with the roof color or some other elements such as the deck or landscaping. So when picking colors, be sure you factor in things you can't, or won't change, such as the roof material, the close by landscape and plantings, any masonry work, and the color of your friends and neighbors' houses.
Local Customs When deciding on a residence color, consider the local customs in your town. It is ever more common for towns and neighborhoods to insist on some control over house colors. For example, in the resort community of Hilton Head, South Carolina, residents must choose external surfaces colors from a limited palette of muted colors and even the stop signs have color restrictions, whereas in the city of Charleston, there's a well-known region of pastel-colored residences called "Rainbow Row" where vibrant 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 Layouts As with the inside color selection process, you could start deciding on color positioning 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 choices. Decide which features you want to emphasize and those you would like to hide. The goal here is to make a well balanced whole where no factor seems to dominate. By "pre-painting" in this manner you will not only avoid any disappointments you will be inspired to try some distinctive plans before you pick up the paintbrush.
Some paint stores have computers that will "paint" your house for you right on the screen. The better systems are equipped to scan a high-quality picture of your home. Or you can offer a high image resolution digital image. Even though you cannot get an exact reproduction of your property, these programs will provide you with a sense of what sorts or combinations are pleasing and demonstrate some ideas of how you may 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 done in a single color, but if there is ornamental molding above the first floor, another color siding can be quite interesting. Casings around doors and windows should all be the same color or the home will seem too busy. If there are ornamental highlights in your trimming and molding, two or more colors are fine if the pattern 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 color the window sash and trim a color that is lighter than the body of the house. Shutters, if present, are usually painted darker than the house body. Needless to say, fashions change. For instance, at the turn of the century, gloss black was the most popular choice for the windows sash. But you seldom see gloss black paint today except on shutters.
Highlight ornate trimming, below left, with eye catching colors.
Here are Some Techniques for other Architectural Highlights:
Front Entry Way Create a striking effect by adding an accent color to this important element of your home. For example, a white home with a door painted a bright color, such as red or green, pulls attention to the door making the access seem more welcoming.
Frieze A historically appropriate treatment for the frieze is by using both the trim and body colors. Allow the trim color to be the dominant one to make a clear distinction from the top of the siding. Take care not to introduce way too many colors; you may wrap up with an impact that is too busy.
Corner Brackets Brackets need to be regarded as part of the overall composition and should be painted so as to never appear that 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.
Sandwich Brackets Sandwich brackets are a little different. Because they consist of several layers and are more technical than simple corner brackets, it is more acceptable to make use of several colors. Paint the exterior items to complement the trim and frieze, and the center another color showing off your scroll work.
Structural Posts If you have simple rectangular wooden posts on a porch, you almost certainly don't want to emphasize them with their own color. Paint them to match either the entire trim or body color of your house. However, if your posts have special millwork, such as a chamfer on a square post or a band on a turned post, it is perfectly acceptable to highlight these designs 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 are 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 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 way too many colors to demonstrate your handiwork. Besides the amount of time that might be involved in detailing each baluster, the result will look too busy.
Ceilings and Floor Porches are painted certain colors not only for decoration, but as matters of practicality. Light colored ceilings help maintain a feeling of airiness and brightness. Painting porch ceilings blue is a method that has been used for years and years to suggest the sky overhead. It is rumored to keep nesting pests, such as bees, from settling in. If the undersides of your porch ceiling rafters are exposed, you might color them by utilizing a combination of the body and trim colors. A dark floor is even more functional since it shows dirt and tracks less readily than a floor painted in a lighter color.
Riser and Step The risers of wooden steps are normally painted the trim color, as the treads carry a surface (porch or deck) to the bottom and really 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 design.
Masonry Foundations Many homes 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 securely planted and will hide dirt and grime. Basement windows are generally painted the same dark color to de-emphasize them.
A bright accent color, below left draws focus on this door.
Advanced 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 web for a list.
A great way to take a look at how colors work together is to see them in fabrics. Fabrics tend to be designed by people who study color and have worked with it for a long period. The microcosm of a couch and cushion combination in a popular catalog may contain the color design that will make your home look spectacular
Pre-made Color Strategies Deciding on the specific colors in a multicolor design 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 highlight colors in one step. These colors are also available in traditional shades designed to match the most prevalent 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
