Exterior Paint Palette: CLASSIC GRAY HOUSE
It is that time of year - exterior house painting projects. No matter if you are hiring someone to paint your house or you are taking it on as a summer project, you must choose the paint color scheme. Sometimes I think people just paint their house the same color it already is not because they love it, but they do not want to go through the process of choosing new colors. For instance, why in the world would someone repaint a 70s brown house brown again? Seriously - I used to live in a neighborhood filled with houses built in the 70s and I just could not believe that people would move in and repaint the house brown. If you love your house color scheme, by all means you should keep it. However, if you do not love it and you are investing the time and money into painting the exterior of your home, take the time to pick out a new scheme that you love and makes you happy. Do not be afraid of change.
Step 1 - take pictures of houses that you love around your town or go out onto the world wide web and save exteriors on Pinterest or Houzz for example that you love.
Step 2 - Evaluate the similarities of the houses that you picked. What colors do you keep picking? What else about the exteriors do you love?
Step 3 - Determine what color tones you want to explore. After doing the first 2 steps you should have a pretty good idea of colors that make you happy. Then you need to relate those colors to actual paint colors and how they relate to your particular house.
For exterior paint colors I am partial to Benjamin Moore and if you have no idea where to start, I recommend starting with the Benjamin Moore Historical or Williamsburg Paint Collection Palettes in addition to the Off-White Collection. Narrowing the choices will make life easier for you.
Begin choosing Base color options. Buy samples of colors that you like. Then create real color palettes and/or just paint the samples on the house. DO NOT CHOOSE A PAINT COLOR BY A 2”x2” STORE PAINT CHIP. Investing the time and energy into real paint samples is essential. Painting an interior room a color you end up hating is one thing - the exterior of a house is an undertaking and expensive.
After you have chosen or narrowed the base color, then choose trim color options - once again - buy samples and put them on the house next to the sample base color.
Window Sashes - if you have real wood sashes, choosing an alternative color other than the trim creates depth to the windows. If your windows are clad or vinyl, this will not be a concern to you. However, if you have clad or vinyl windows, take these colors into consideration when choosing your trim color.
Shutters - wood shutters will need to be removed and painted. You will need to choose a shutter color to coordinate with your color scheme. If you have vinyl shutters, these will need to be removed also. If they are faded, you can ask your local paint professional about how you can paint them. Another option, is to remove them or invest in real wood shutters. Choosing real wood shutters is another topic. However, quality custom real wood shutters make a huge difference in your house curb appeal.
Doors - I would have the doors other than the front door match your shutter or sash color. The front door is its own identity you are free to go bold. If your doors are natural wood, then maintain to keep the door integrity.
Garage Doors - these should be painted the base color, trim color, sash color or shutter color. The exception is black or other deep pigment shade that the manufacturer of the garage doors will not warranty. Black garage doors are very sharp - but the dark color can cause heat damage. Lots to consider.
The Classic Gray House Exterior Paint Palette
I choose Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray color that is a lighter gray with a slight bluish tint. I consider it to be a happy gray. Then I have 3 off white options. The BM White Chocolate is a soft cream with yellow undertones, the BM Soft Chamois is a cream that has neutral undertones and the Ancient Ivory is a deeper cream than White Chocolate with yellow undertones. Using an off white trim with the gray creates a richer classic end result than using a more pure white. You could even go creamier than the ones that I choose for this example. I choose classic Black for shutters, sashes and entry doors with the option to paint the front door a classic red or a fun teal color. In this color scheme, I would paint the garage doors the base color or the trim color.
NOTE: if you want professional help with your new exterior color scheme, contact me and I will let you know how I can work with you to meet your needs.