The exterior of your house creates a first impression that can increase its aesthetic appeal, as well as the resale value of your home. Yet, choosing the right paint colours can seem confusing owing to the wide choice of paint colours and hues available on the market. The evolution of modern technology has made it much easier to select the most appropriate paint colour combinations, enabling you to veer away from traditional whites and make the most of creative schemes to create a positive image of the exterior of your home.
Once you have painted your exteriors it can be quite difficult to undo, and the colours are something that you will have to live with for quite a long time. That is why it is important to consider aesthetic and functional elements while selecting synergistic paint colours for your exteriors.
Use online colour viewer software
Several paint companies offer free colour viewer software programmes that enable you to upload a photograph of your home and create the perfect exterior paint combination. Click a digital photo of the front of your house and upload it in the colour viewer programme as directed.
Identify your exteriors main sections
To aid you with colour selection and colour placement in the colour viewer, you should first identify the three main sections of your exterior. As a general rule, these main sections will comprise of the body or walls, trim which includes the fascias, window and door casings, and any accent elements such as window sashes, shutters and doors.
Choose colours based on your exteriors and preferences
Depending on whether you have a large or small house, decide on darker or lighter shades of colour from the colour viewer. Use light colours or tinted shades of neutral to make your house look much larger than it really is. Opt for dark colours to make a large house seem more substantial.
While deciding on colour placement, always limit the number of main colours that you use to a maximum of three. For instance, select two colours from the same colour strip a few shades apart. Use either the lighter or darker tone of colour for the body of your exterior, and place the other colour on the trim. Experiment with different shades of the preferred light or dark colour, until you arrive at five acceptable colour schemes. Print out these colour schemes and take them to your local paint shop to view the actual colours, as paint colours tend to look quite different on computer monitor displays from what they actually are.
Purchase samples of paint colour schemes
Buy quart samples of two paint colour schemes and paint a section of your back walls and the trim of your home’s exterior. Observe the colour samples outdoors from various angles and at different times of the day. In this way, you will get a better idea of exactly how the colours will look in the various shades of light.
Paint your house in your preferred colour scheme
Once you are satisfied with the colour scheme choice for the exterior of your house, go ahead and paint it yourself if you are a DIY painter, or hire professional painters and decorators to accomplish the task.
