Colour Expert Shares Tips for Painting the House

A great exterior paint job should make passersby think, “What a lovely home.” But if you get it wrong, people who drive by will wonder, “What were they thinking?”
If you are considering a fresh coat of paint on the outside of your home, you may want to take some advice from colour consultant Paul Helmer. He offers these suggestions for painting various parts of the home:

• The roof. Think of the roof as one noticeable piece of colour. The steeper the pitch, the more noticeable the roof is. If the roof is a light-coloured composite, don’t choose a dark colour for the house or it will look like the roof is trying to fly away. Use a colour wheel to find pleasing shades.
• Exterior stone, brick or metal. Orange-tinted bricks look better with warm tones. Rose-tinted bricks are enhanced by cool tones. Repeat shutters or trim colors whenever possible.
• Windows or fascias. Don’t paint the windows white and the house a deep colour, otherwise, your house will look like a whitewall tire.
• Landscape artfully. Don’t plant shrubbery that looks ghastly against your house. For instance Burgundy-leaved shrubs clash with a yellowish-green house.
• Respect the neighbours. Don’t paint your home a colour that either matches or clashes with the house next door.

Source: The Baltimore Sun (09/09/2007) (REALTOR Magazine Online)