Nov 18 2009
Secrets Of Choosing Colors With Confidence Before House Painting
When it comes to house painting, color alternatives for most homeowners is made more complicated than it needs to be. Choosing colors for your next house painting program doesn’t have to be complicated and stressful. To begin with, most homeowners are mixed-up by the sheer amount of colors to select from. Then there is the fear that they will make a mistake in color choice and have to live with it. Having your home painted twice is not an expense most homeowners want to undertake. Besides, what will the Jones think about the new colors. Below is some house painting tips that will help you feel more confident with your color choice.
1. The first thing to consider is what colors are permanent on your home. Roofs typically last from 30 years to lifetime.Roofs typically last from 30 years to lifetime. Bricks are permanent and should be one of the first considerations in matching colors. Stones are also permanent. Stones are also permanent. Be sure and coordinate any color change with these permanent colors. You will want your wall and trim colors to compliment these existing permanent colors, not fight with them. This should guide you to the right color family.
2. Another consideration should be the landscape and the neighborhood. The colors surrounding the house as well as the geographic location. The type of building materials used on the house.
3. The architectural style of the home needs to be considered. For instance, a French Victorian home may need a different color scheme than an English tutor style home. Planning a color strategy around a traditional home typically will be different than modern architecture.
4. Changing the front door and shutter colors are an easy way to freshen up the look of a home without changing the siding and trim colors.
5. Some homeowners wonder if there should be a connection between the interior colors and the exterior colors of their home. It really is a matter of personal taste. If you own a historic home you may want to keep the authenticity of that time period by keeping a connection between interior and exterior colors, but again it is a personal preference. Frequently homeowners put now limitations on interior color schemes.
6. Coordinating colors is a common problem with many homeowners. I recommend you make a trip to your paint store. Most major paint stores have pre-selected color schemes. Most offer palette collections that provide accurate historical reference along with collections of colors that work well together. There is not a better place to start planning your house painting project.
7. Some of your major paint stores like Sherwin Williams, offer an online service that allows you to construct color variations using a visualizer. Call your store for the web address and you can go online with your computer and play around with a lot of different colors for both exterior and interior house painting. Different Scenes are available for you to drag and drop colors for both interior and exterior planning.
8. One of the most important things I recommend is, buy a quart of the colors you plan to use and apply it to the wall in a 4ft by 4ft area next to the trim color you plan to use. The small paint chips supplied by the paint stores are too small to make a determination. (Caution: If the siding is textured, or you have stucco, do not apply paint on a large area with a brush or roller. When the house is painted by the contractor, you will be able to see where you applied the test sample underneath the paint they apply. Paint fills the pores of textured surfaces so you have an uneven distribution of paint where you applied the sample causing it to be visible. Instead, apply the test sample on a piece of plywood and hold up to the trim to test your color samples.)
Make sure you have made a decision on your paint colors before you hire your contractor. Too often homeowners make the mistake of rushing into painting their home without giving adequate time to the color decision process. Suddenly, they feel rushed to decide on colors and end up not confident with their choice of colors. House painting doesn’t have to be stressful. Just give a little time to planning.