Choosing Exterior House Paint

One of my favorite pass times in the evenings is to take a walk with my husband through the various streets in my locality looking at the houses and picking out pointers as to what I would have when we would construct our own house. Very often we come across houses that are very aesthetically built but the exterior color of the house was, for want of a word horrendous. It becomes difficult to believe that somebody could punish a building so badly.

Choosing Exterior House Paint

To start off, whenever you decide on painting your house, choose reputable brands. There is no point in wasting time over low quality paint. There are many differences between high quality paint and low quality paint, the prominent ones being hiding and wash ability. Further, the higher quality of paints will be available in a wider range of palette. Also, look for the warranty of the paint. This will give you a benchmark that will give you a fair idea between the quality levels of various paints.

Exterior House Paint – Color Schemes

It is rather difficult to understand as to how and why different colors work together to give a pleasing look. The four types of color schemes are as follows:

• Monochromatic: The monochromatic color schemes use just one color. This color scheme is usually conservative and subtle. It tends to give a sophisticated and elegant look. This approach is ideal for people who have just started experimenting with colors.
• Complementary: In this color scheme, colors that are opposite to each on the color chart are chosen. For example, red and green are opposite to each other on a simplified color chart. Naturally, complimentary colors have a great deal of contrast and the resultant of using this scheme is a lively combination that can be very bright too. If you want to sober down a little, then you could choose a color combination where one color is dominant while the other color serves as an accent.
• Triadic: This color scheme uses three colors that are equidistant on the color chart. An example of this would be red-violet, yellow-orange and blue-green. This scheme requires high complex color treatments and a lot of experience to compose in an aesthetically pleasing palette.
• Adjacent: This color scheme is also known as analogous or related scheme and uses colors that are next to each other or close by on the color wheel. An example of this would be green and blue green and green. Usually, one of the three colors would be dominant while the other two would be accent colors. This is fairly simple scheme to create when compared to the triadic color scheme as there is inherent harmony in colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
  

Choosing Exterior House Paint - Tips

Here are some tips that you can consider while deciding on the exterior house paint:

• Neighborhood Context: You will have to consider the exterior paints used in your neighborhood especially if all of them have followed a uniform scheme. For example, if all the houses in your neighborhood are painted conservatively then a florescent colored Victorian colored house will look completely out of place and there will be a high possibility that it will invite a considerable amount of ridicule.
• Existing Colors: There are certain colors that are already established in the house. For example, you will have to consider the color of the roof and the color of the motor or any sides that will not be painted. Also, you may choose not to have the doors and the railings of the windows repainted. The new paint need not be the same as the existing color but the color that you choose for the exterior paint should produce an overall harmony.
• Durability: The darker the color of the house, the more likely it is to fade. A few years down the line, the deep reds and the vivid blues will appear faded. This is because the darker colors absorb heat and also suffer greater moisture problems when compared to lighter shades. Further, as the color fades, it becomes very difficult to touch up. Hence, if you are very keen on darker shades then you will have to consider the possibility of repainting it in a few years.