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Choosing Exterior
Paint For Your Home
Article
By: Paul Bianchina
So the time has come to repaint the outside of your
house, but you're tired of the old color scheme. If
you'd like to try something fresh and new that suits
your style, some simple homework will help you get
off on the right foot.
First of all, you might be interested to know what
the rest of America is doing. According to a poll
conducted by the Rohm & Hass Paint Quality
Institute, the most popular exterior color is white
or off-white, which was selected by 34 percent of
the poll's respondents. Way too boring? If you were
thinking of red or pink, you're at the other end of
the poll, and can place yourself among only 4
percent of the people. In between, in descending
order of popularity, comes beige, tan or brown (28
percent), gray (15 percent), blue (7 percent), and
green or yellow (6 percent each).
Whether you're going with or against the crowd,
there are lots of tips worth considering when
selecting the perfect color scheme for your home.
Here are some questions you'll want to ask yourself:
What
color is it now?
You want to ask yourself what you like and dislike
about the current colors, and why. Are they too dark
or too light? Too bright or too dull? Between the
body color and the trim, are there too many colors
on the house, or perhaps not enough? A good rule of
thumb in your initial thinking about color is to
decide what you like, and work from that palette of
colors.
Are there restrictions to worry about?
Some neighborhoods have restricted color choices,
and you may need to check with your homeowner's
association or architectural review committee for
approval before deciding on a color. Certain
historical neighborhoods also have restricted color
palettes from which to choose.
Keep the style of your home in mind:
Certain color schemes are better suited for certain
architectural styles than others. Southwestern
stucco might do best with monochrome whites or
pastels, while your ornate Victorian may look best
with a coordinated set of three, four, or even more
colors. Most paint dealers can provide you with
color sample books that show coordinated groups of
colors for various styles of homes.
Look at your home's prominent features:
For some types of homes, color may be dictated by
such highly visible and unchangeable components as
brick or stone veneers, or by the color of the roof.
Large or small?
Remember the basic rule of color � dark colors can
make a large house look smaller, while light colors
can make a small house appear larger.
Dark colors:
If you favor dark colors, you need to keep in mind
that in harsh sunlight environments they are more
prone to fading, and also absorb and hold in more
heat. Very bright colors are also much more prone to
fading.
Light over dark:
If your existing house is a dark color and you want
to paint a light color over it, you'll probably need
to use a primer first in order to get that lighter
color to cover. While this alone is not a reason to
stay away from a lighter color that you like, it's
important to know that you'll probably be facing
some additional labor and material expense.
Break out the crayons:
When you have some color schemes in mind, a great
way to test things out is to sketch or photograph
your house, then make several black and white
photocopies of the picture or drawing. Using colored
pencils, paints, crayons or other art supplies,
color in the photocopies and see what you like.
Copyright 2004-2005 Inman News..
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