Paint Color for Curb Appeal

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Exterior paint color is the ultimate change maker in attaining the perfect curb appeal. Picking exterior paint color requires some foresight and planning.  It’s not as easy as seeing a house you love and copying it, because every house is different. 

That said, our color experts use undertones and fixed elements when we help choose color for a brick&batten client. Sounds easy?  Hardly. Each project brings something new and interesting to the table.  Sometimes there are design elements on a house we are trying to conceal and sometimes beautiful elements we want to highlight. There is a strategy at play in every design.

Some of the biggest considerations:

1st. Fixed Elements:

Fixed elements are things that aren’t going away.  Roof, stone, brick, nature, windows, neighbors, railings, etc.

2nd.  Garage Placement:

Do you have a front loader that we want to ignore or highlight?

3rd. Porch Size:

Do we want to draw attention to the door and porch?

4th. Asymmetry:

Do we need to create balance to make it more aesthetically pleasing?

That said, color is quite possibly the biggest change maker when it comes to addressing the above considerations.  In addition, it costs the same amount to paint the right color as it does the wrong color…let’s get it right!

What is the 60/30/10 Rule?

Most exterior facades have a palette that combines three colors in just-right proportions. That’s known as the 60/30/10 rule: 60 percent of the paint is one dominant color, 30 percent is a secondary color, and 10 percent is an accent color. In many cases with brick homes, the color of the brick itself will end up being the dominant color.

We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.

So, what color is the brick? 

Bricks come in all different colors…from super red, to neutrals to more varied with gray.  Before you pick a color to go with the fixed element of brick, you need to look for the undertones in the brick.  Is your brick more brown, or orange or even purple or pink?  By holding up paint swatches in a range of colors, your brick’s undertone will start to reveal itself.  

In conclusion, paint is the ultimate change maker in curb appeal. A brick&batten exterior design takes the guesswork out and SHOWS you how your home will look before you pull the trigger on this investment. Get started on yours today.

Author

Cassie co-founded brick&batten in 2017 with her sister, Alli, but her love of home design was born years earlier. Cassie’s passion for design can be traced back to her childhood, when she’d accompany her parents on road trips through small towns in search of inspiration for properties they would buy, fix up, and sell. Prior to launching brick&batten, Cassie worked as a fourth grade teacher, but her love of design, architecture, home renovation, and open houses inspired her to pursue a new career. When writing for brick&batten, Cassie aims to empower homeowners to make the best informed decisions for their property. She knows from experience how challenging home renovation can be, and when she writes, she puts herself in the shoes of every homeowner with similar frustrations. Cassie currently lives in Florida with her four children, an old dog, and her loving husband. When she’s not working, Cassie is most likely checking out a nearby open house or traveling to learn about the latest house trends.