Painting a house, both the interior and exterior, looks easy. All you have to do is to move the brush or roller up and down, and up and down again. Before you even make that first dip of your brush into the paint can, though, a lot of thinking and deciding and planning should first be done. A paint job on the exterior of a house can cost plenty of money.
If you know next to nothing about color schemes, and what color goes with what, you may want to consult with paint professionals. You don’t want, however, to talk with one unless you have at least a basic idea about paints. Instead, you will want to be able to discuss the matter intelligently. Understanding the basics of house painting is not exactly rocket science. If you keep in mind a few guidelines, you and the pros can come up with a good color scheme and plan for your house. If you already are an accomplished do-it-yourselfer, you may even want to go it on your own.
Here are some tips you will want to remember.
You are painting the outside of your house so the first thing you will have to do is to go out. Take a good look, not at your house, but at your neighborhood. Are all the houses painted in white, gray, cream, or beige? You might be surrounded by conservative neighbors who would frown on bright and bold colors. It might be better to give up a vibrant green or yellow than to be a pariah in your own neighborhood.
Often the architecture of a house dictates what colors are best suited for it. Those designed along traditional lines, for instance, would look strange when painted with the bright green or pink. Houses of modern designs, on the other hand, can look pleasing with bright and intense colors, taking into consideration its surroundings.
When choosing color combinations, you can draw inspiration from nature starting with your garden. Look at the colors of your plants, or the birds and butterflies flying around them. The mountains may suggest a combination of browns, greens, and other earth colors; the beach will give blue, coral, and turquoise.
Look at the parts of your house that cannot be painted, such as a wall of bricks or natural stone, or a door with beautiful grains, or your roof. These will also limit your choices to colors that would complement them.
Don’t forget the color of your house interior. Like the outside paint, it is also influenced by many factors, but exterior and interior paints should also be harmonized and complementary with each other.
There are plenty of techniques employed by professional painters to enhance the look and value of any house, but with this basic knowledge, you won’t be lost when discussing what colors are best for yours.