I have been paying attention to how people paint their homes lately, probably because I am in the middle of painting my own. Home inspectors do not look at the quality of a paint job per se, but we do note where damage may result. I noticed that many jobs are not of the best quality when you consider that the painter took short cuts. On the other hand it is definitely not my job to comment on design choices, although home inspectors will joke among themselves about the decorating attempts of others, not that we are any better, mind you. When speaking to a friend, I realized that choosing a color scheme for a home is not as easy to some as I thought. This post will deal with the basic theory behind color choices in your home.
You are standing in front of those little cards of paint colors in your local paint store to find a bewildering array of choices. Each year brings a new color. How is it that we are still finding new colors? I think it is all increasingly subtler shades of the same color. Moreover, what exactly is “sandstone peach”? Let’s get rid of all of that. You have three basic colors on the color wheel: red; yellow; and blue. To expand this wheel, mixtures of these colors are formed. Simple, we learned this in elementary school. This wheel makes it easier for us to create a color scheme. By picking several of those color samples, we can make our own wheel.
Looking at the wheel on this page, we visualize the two basic concepts of color theory: analogous colors; and complementary colors. The safer choice for most homeowners may be analogous colors, which means colors right next to each other on the color wheel. In our basic color wheel, we could see that shades of red an yellow would go together. As the wheel expands, we see that different shades of orange refine this concept. On the other hand, colors that are opposite each other are called complementary. For example, red and green are complementary. Basic red and green evokes Christmas too much, so go with different shades of these colors to find a combination which is not reminiscent of Christmas. This is what can make complementary colors harder to work with, because basic combinations may not be suitable, but with some effort, they can be create exciting color schemes for your home.
Are there other factors to worry about? My home is brick in a red-yellow-orange tone. Since I am not painting the brick, I have to take that color into account. The structural elements of your home, the color of your neighbors home, and the landscape around the home can also play a role in your color choices. When working inside the home, you have more options to change the colors of furniture, plants, and other items by removing them or by resurfacing them. For the exterior, I suggest always buying those paint samples in the color that you have chosen. I painted the entire garage area with these samples, so my wife and I could look at the colors in comparison to the surroundings. This is cheaper than having to go back to buy more cans of paint.
Where do white and black come into the picture? You will notice that they are not on the color wheel. I tend to view these as accent colors, but you may see them as being analogous to all of the colors. Used together, these colors bring to mind a color scheme favored in classical revival, which is to say stately. On my house with its analogous greens, I painted the window elements black to have them recede. I feel that white would have made them stand out.
Walking down my street, I notice that the majority of homes have a single color, which would be a shade of white, yellow, brown, green, or grey. The houses which standout upon reflection are the ones that have two or three colors of paint. I like the effect of having the fascia a different color than the body of the home. This is the board just below the roof. Paint the fascia a darker color; this grounds the house. Then the body can be a lighter color, which I sense as more inviting. Fixtures (like lamps), window elements, and house numbers are all in black. I have chosen an easy color scheme (two analogous colors with black as an accent) that helps the house catch the passers eye. I am making that point, because I want to say that it is not too hard to be adventurous to come up with something unique. Moreover, if you feel uncomfortable with choosing three colors, paint stores have those brochures which provide color combination suggestions.
A note about preparing your house for painting. My wife is of the opinion that we needed to sand everything down to bare wood. That is extreme. Repairing the fascia, and cleaning the surface are the first steps. Scraping off any peeling paint should be your next. I saw a newly painted house where the paint is peeling off already. This exposed the wood beneath to moisture, which can lead to damage. Sanding may be required, but scraping off loose old paint could be enough. Also consider all of those nails, screws, staples, or hooks that are poking out from the wall. You may need to take time to paint around them. For small holes, have wood epoxy on hand to make a patch. Seal joints with the appropriate caulk before you paint. An exterior wall caulk can be painted over.
A note about the paint. I used the primer Kilz as my first coat. This was done because I had some bare wood surfaces and patches. I did prime the fascia all the way around the house, because I wanted to help prevent future damage. There are similar products to Kilz, which prime and help with moisture issues. The type of paint can effect the home too. I chose paint from Sherwin Williams’ Resilience line. This is ten dollars a can more than the standard paint, but I found that it went on well, and it is said to offer extra protection against the weather. There are more expensive paints that require no priming. I am not convinced that they are worth the cost. For that matter, the paint I chose might not offer the protection that I am expecting, so many factors could effect the paint’s performance, but I liked the feel of this paint. Typically, flat paints are used on exteriors, while interiors have more choices. I did discover that satin finishes are recommended for fascias. This makes sense to me. A high gloss finish is easier to clean, and satin is a step in that direction. Water should shed off of it better than a flat finish, but it will not stand out like a gloss finish.
If you take one thing away from this post, please take away the idea that you can experiment with color combinations. Be sure to buy samples to check out the look. Sample paints are meant for interiors, but using them to check an exterior is fine. Maybe even live with the sample colors on the walls for a few days to see what you think.
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