Painting your house a new color, or freshening up your existing one, is an exciting way to beautify and add value to your home. A new paint job keeps your property looking great, boosts your curb appeal, and protects your siding from the elements.
Painting the exterior of your home requires more than just slapping on a new coat of paint, however. When it comes to setting the tone, look, and visual appeal of your home, the exterior trim color plays a leading role.
Narrowing the Field
When beginning the search for an exterior trim color, start by deciding what you don’t want. By eliminating the colors and tones that you know you aren’t looking for, you can narrow the field and start to focus on what you do want. Do you want a tim color that blends with your home’s existing color? Or would you rather have a contrasting trim that adds character and catches the eye?
Choosing a Color
Having decided on how you want your trim to interact with your house paint, you can start honing in on the trim color that you want.
- Determine the shade. After selecting a blending or contrasting trim color, it’s time to find the right shade. If you have a spare brick, piece of siding, or something you can paint the same color as your house, it is helpful to bring it with you to the paint store so you can compare swatches. Having something solid in your hand that is the real color of your house will help you find and eliminate colors much quicker. A helpful rule of thumb for trim that blends or fades is to select a color that is modified one or two shades up or down from your existing home color. An easy way to get contrast is to either use white trim or a shade much darker than the color of your house. If you decide to go with white trim, adding just ten percent of your house’s paint color to the true white base will add a pleasant hint of hue to your trim and will help keep the undertones of the trim in line with the house color. This seemingly small step will add incredible aesthetic to your trim instead of using pure white.
- Research other examples. If you’re having a hard time imagining what a blending or contrasting trim color will look like on your home, do some research. Search the Internet for images of homes similar to yours in color and look at the trim options people have selected. Your local paint store, or your painting professional, will also have examples, images, and photographs they can show you to give you an idea of what your newly painted trim will look like.
- Sample, sample, sample! After finding the color or shade you want, take several home to sample. Take some cardboard or poster board and cut them to size, paint them, and tape them to a piece of your existing trim. Take a few days to get a feel for what the color looks like on your home. Take pictures, look at it from different angle, and cross the street to see if from a distance. Look at it in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Make note of what you like and what you don’t like. If the color is right but the shade is a bit too dark, simply have your paint professional lighten it up. The same goes if the color is too light. Remixing the color with slightly more or less white can help you achieve the perfect shade.
Finding the right trim color is a process of elimination that may take some time, but it well worth the effort. Hopefully this brief guide to trim color selection helps you find just the right shade for your home.
“Image Credit: flickr.com”
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