Exterior home paint is often the victim of a lack of imagination. Homeowners will spend hours and hours designing a color scheme for the interior of the house from the ceiling to the floor. However, they often just pick a bland color for the exterior. That can be easier and even easier to manage but you’re squandering the largest canvas at your house. If you want to make your home stand out and really complement a design scheme, you should consider the color of the exterior. The exterior paint can have some practical effects as well.
Black and Gray
The idea of black exterior paint can seem frightening for some people; it might evoke images of a haunted house. However, certain houses can look great if they’re painted black. Black exterior paint works best if you have a home that has a lot of trim, a contemporary style, and a lot of windows. You need to offset the black with either natural light and openness from the windows or a bright color from the trim. As far as practical effects, black paint tends to absorb heat better than lighter colors. That means that your exterior walls will hold heat from sunlight a little bit better. That’s great for areas that have cold winters.
If you aren’t ready to commit fully to black, gray is a great option. Gray is obviously not as drastic as black but still offers the same bold contrast. It also looks great with brightly-colored trim.
Blue and Green
In some parts of the country, especially parts of the Deep South, brightly-colored homes have long been the norm. New Orleans is known for brightly colored shotgun houses; since the houses are built so close together and oftentimes have very similar facades, the bold colors help them to stand out against their neighbors. The same is true of single family homes or whatever type of home you have. If you choose royal blue or forest green, your home will stand out against all of the rest. It will look very memorable.
Furthermore, you will have several options for practical effects. For example, navy blue will offer many of the same heat absorption benefits as black or dark gray. Also, you won’t have to clean it very offer. A light green or a light blue will reflect a lot of light and offer cooling benefits. It will need to be cleaned more often but it won’t look as odd if it starts to fade in the sun.
These are just a few of the most popular trends in exterior home painting.