House Exterior: How the Right Paint Color Helps Add Appeal

An informed homeowner knows that maintaining the exterior of the home is just as important as the interior, and when it comes to choosing the exterior home colors, the task can be daunting. Paint is one of the easiest ways to beautify a home’s exterior. A well-maintained home exterior adds to the curb appeal and makes the home look attractive to people who pass by it. It reflects the owner’s style, and the more attractive it looks, the better. Below are some suggested ways to use creativity and choose the best exterior house colors to stand out in the neighborhood.

What Color(s) Should Be Chosen?

First things first, when planning to give a home exterior a fresh look, think about the right exterior house colors that will help elevate the style. There are many factors that contribute to choosing a color, personal preference being foremost of course. However, when deciding a color, be aware of the fact that dark colors absorb heat and that extreme heat can damage the siding. Choose from an endless variety of lighter shades but consider the home’s architectural style to choose the right shade of the color that will suit best. For example, if the home has a Victorian Era exterior, shades of grey will look best, and if it is a more modern style, lighter shades of green, blue, or yellow can be chosen.

To highlight the best features of a home use two different exterior house colors. Ensure that the wrong aspects of the home are not being highlighted, such as the gutter lines or the air conditioning unit; instead, consider highlighting the windowpanes, doors, and edges that stand out.

The Right Time to Paint

Choosing the right time to paint is critical to allow the paint to settle and give the right appeal to the home that has been envisioned. Painting a home exterior in winter can take a long time for it to dry and make it difficult for the paint to adhere to the wall surface causing cracks. If the plan is to paint the exterior during summer, it can leave brush marks or clumps as it dries too fast. The best time to remodel the home exterior is during fall or spring when the temperature isn’t harsh and it is neither too cold nor too warm to spoil the job.

Preparing the Surface

Before getting down to the actual business of painting a house’s exterior walls, keep some things in mind. Paint doesn’t apply neatly to rough or dirty surface so it is important to clean it thoroughly. The surface will have to be scraped to remove any existing paint in order to allow the paint to stick and look beautiful and this should be done thoroughly as well. Bare in mind that older houses may have lead paint that may cause health problems if ingested or inhaled. Paint removal on such homes should be done by a trained professional.

Paints usually include volatile organic compounds (VOC) which are released in the air as the paint dries. These compounds are harmful to a person’s health so when purchasing paint make sure that the paint has little to no VOC.

DIY home painting requires considerable effort. Be fully prepared to get down and dirty if the goal is to make the home look neat and professional from the outside. Or contact a painting professional who has all the training and equipment to get the job done right and fast.

End Note

Painting the exterior is not only a fun project to undertake but it is one that adds value to the home. At the end of the day, any renovation that carries the same intent, to enhance the beauty of the home. Having said that, it is very important to choose the right exterior house colors to create the right effect. If the color doesn’t match the style of the home it can result in making it look out of place instead of doing the opposite.

The intent of painting the exterior is to beauty the home’s outside appeal. With newer technology, paints have become quality laden, they will stick for a number of years and protect the home from external harm factors such as heat, sunlight rays, rain, and stormy weather. Make the right choice when choosing the exterior house colorsand don’t compromise on quality for a reduced price.