EXTERIOR PAINT CONSIDERATIONSBY MONK’S HOME IMPROVEMENTS

We have all driven through a lovely neighborhood, our eyes thanking the

residents of the homes providing such visual serenity.

More often than not, there is one house that stands out, not for the best, but rather rudely

interrupting the symphony of the surrounding landscape.

Don’t be responsible for that eye-sore. Our homes should act as a safe haven and a

representation of ourselves. The liberty to turn the key and enter a space that reflects who we

truly are is one of the things that gives meaning to the word ‘home.’

However, in regards to the exterior of the house, perhaps it should be a more subtle

approach at expressing ourselves. An article recently published by NOLA.com provides

some “dos” and “donts” for when it comes to painting the exterior of your home.

Choosing a paint color for the exterior of a house can be daunting, not only by the sheer

size of the area that needs to be thought about, but also because one must factor in

multiple aspects.

As tempting as it may be, your favorite football team’s colors may not be the best bet

for the exterior of your house. If you absolutely adore pink, must everyone need to

know through the color of your house?

Most companies have tried to make it easy by keeping a separate selection of colors for exterior and interior uses. Many times the exterior collection is more subtle than the

diverse array of the colors intended for the interiors.

Even then, if you find yourself indecisive about the direction to go in, here are six questions to ask yourself while flipping

through the pages of those perplexing books of colors.

WHAT KIND OF HOUSE DO I HAVE?

More often than not, the safest bet is to go with a color that is historically verified to have worked for the kind of house you have. Most

houses have designs that reflect a specific type of architecture, be it Victorian or mid-

century modern.

WHAT KIND OF HOUSE DO I HAVE?

Not only does sticking to the historically-accurate shades of color enhance the resale value of the house, but after

tried and tested, those colors usually tend to be the most appealing choice for the

structure.

WHERE DO I LIVE?

A good thorough look around the surroundings of the house usually provides clues to how the house should be painted.

The backdrop of the house plays a crucial role in how architecture develops in most places.

Often the houses blend in to capture the essence of the location.

WHERE DO I LIVE?

The blue-doored white houses in beautiful sunny San Torini will look out of place and

perhaps even shabby in the futuristic streets of Dubai; the mismatched apartments of cramped New York a monstrosity in vast

Dallas.

WHAT COLOR ARE MY NEIGHBORS’ HOUSES?

It helps to look around the neighborhood and see what tone the other houses set and

adhere to it. It is better to keep the exterior of the house neutral and compatible to

environment and community and not make a loud statement.

WHAT IS MY HOUSE MADE OF?

Often factors like texture of the house, the color of the stones used, the type of roof and all other such minute, but essential details are

overlooked while selecting a color for the exterior of the house. It is important to stick to

similar undertones to avoid any sort of unappealing mismatch.

HOW MANY COLORS DO I NEED TO CHOOSE?

While picking out a color for the exterior of the house, one color is almost never enough.

People often need to pick two, three and sometimes even four to five colors,

depending on the requirements.

HOW MANY COLORS DO I NEED TO CHOOSE?

The trim colors for windows and doors and the architectural accent colors are all

necessary to give the house a wholesome look.

HOW MANY COLORS DO I NEED TO CHOOSE?

Fortunately, these are not too difficult to select as the customers can can usually go a few

shades lighter or darker as provided in most paint companies’ booklets, to create the

desired effect.

Many companies have created color themes specifically intended for the purpose of accent

and themes.

HOW MANY COLORS DO I NEED TO CHOOSE?

WHAT’S TRENDING?

Conveniently, for exterior colors the trends do not fluctuate much, as it does with the coloring and texturing of interior walls,

perhaps because no one is keen on changing color schemes for the entire exterior often.

Interior paintwork can be focused on specific rooms, unlike painting the outside of a house.

WHAT’S TRENDING?

However, current trend does affect choices to a certain extent, especially because they filter

down to the paint companies who stock colors and styles and themes that are popular,

thus making them even more likely to continue trending as more and more people

select their themes.

After the painstaking task of choosing the right colors for the exterior of your house,

these nerve-wracking days wondering which shade looks best will soon be forgotten as

you drive through your lovely neighborhood and pull into the driveway of the equally-

lovely looking house.

And then step inside and relax in your all-purple living room, if you like.