Everyone has an opinion on how to improve your home’s curb appeal with exterior paint. On one hand, it’s pretty straightforward and guided by common sense. On the other hand, it can sometimes be difficult to get everyone in your home to agree on the simplest recommendations because color is an extremely personal item.
We asked an expert, Joey Lang, Principal Interior Designer of Downs Design Group, Inc. in San Francisco for his feedback on this issue.
You Have to See If You’re Bold or Classic
“To me, you have to see what’s around you to see what your benchmark is,” Lang says. “You have to determine if you’re bold or you’re classic. You want to take inventory of what the homes in your area look like to improve your home’s curb appeal with exterior paint. But you also have to realize that outdated embellishments or trim can be omitted.”
He continues, “You don’t have to spend a lot of money. You can trim back your shrubs. You can update your fixtures from big box stores – lights, numbers, or a new mailbox. You can make sure that your walkway and house numbers are illuminated correctly. But the biggest tip I can share is to call a professional to help with your paint colors.”
Don’t Just Go with White Trim
If you want to give your house a more modern look, for example, most people tend to use the colors around their garage door, but don’t just go with white trim.
Other tips include:
- Getting rid of old shutters and simplifying your window coverings with a more up-to-date color palette.
- Adding a color trim to embellish your white windows without drawing too much attention to them.
- Painting your exterior every five to 10 years, depending on how much hot sun, wind or rain your home gets.
- Coveting what your neighbors have – you want to be the Joneses on your street and have the neighbors follow your
Hire Someone to do a Paint Consultation
Another way to improve your home’s curb appeal with exterior paint is to hire someone for a paint consultation. “It’s like insurance,” Lang adds. “You don’t want to come up with a heinous combination. Take the right steps to get the right colors. If you get the right person doing your color consultation, they’ll give you the right colors with a color study of your house.”
But that’s not all. “A 1” x 2” swatch is not the right size. Paint some large swatches on one wall to see the big picture. Remember that colors fade. So you have to also consider how much sun you get – eastern or western exposure. If your façade is facing south – a charcoal color can turn to dark brown or black over time. You might want to paint your front door chartreuse for a stunning effect, but not your whole house.”
Be Brave with Your Exterior Paint Colors
If you have the right combination of colors in your paint color consultation, you can look at the samples and take your time deciding which ones to use. If there’s one element that’s bugging you or something that seems wrong, you can always tweak it before you paint your house.
What More Advice on Exterior Paint?
Since 2005, MoonDance Painting has built our business by providing advice to our customers that helps them improve their home’s curb appeal with exterior paint. We’d love to talk to you about making your house the best one on the block. Give us a call or contact us for a free estimate by filling out the form on our Contact page.
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