Asked on Aug 16, 2012
Suggested paint colors
by
Cindy P
+21
I am going to start painting my house but have no idea on a color scheme. Since there are some great idea on this site, I am asking for paint colors.Thanks for helping me out.
Front of House
21 answers
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Hi cindy, If you want a classic look start with a light grey for the body of the house and a rich charcoal for trim, adding shutters is a great idea. Deep raspberry red for the front door would be fantastic A cobble walkway and boxwood plantings out front would be great too!
Cynthia Weber @ A Button Tufted Life...
on Aug 16, 2012
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How about a creamy yellow with more beige tones.. Shutters in a dark olive would give some interest. Also paint the walls under the porch two shades lighter to keep the area brighter. A set of white wicker chairs & a small table would be nice and how about a hanging basket with ferns or ivy. Paint the front door and screen door a dark burgundy and the screen door won't stand out so much. Don't forget some low plantings aroun the front to soften the look.
Donna Wright Interiors
on Aug 16, 2012
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If it were my house, I would go white, with black trim and black shutters, and maybe some black railing on the porch. Just imagine this, with a lighter background
Leslie D
on Aug 16, 2012
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I like Donna's color scheme, too! The shutters give the house more interest and a light background and dark trim always work well together.
Leslie D
on Aug 16, 2012
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Is that water behind your house? I'd try a main color to match the water, sand trim & a door color that stands out; maybe something in the red family that suits your taste ... muted or bright, your choice.
KL K
on Aug 16, 2012
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Each time we needed to paint the exterior of our old home during the 35 years we lived there, I would drive around our city's neighborhoods, looking for color inspiration. I'm very visual so seeing colors painted on real houses always helps me decide on colors better than trying to pick them from a color swatch in the paint store. When I found homes painted in colors I liked, I would make my hubby go up and ring the doorbell and ask the homeowner what colors they used. Haha. People were flattered to hear we liked their color choices and were always happy to share the colors. Once, when we couldn't catch a homeowner at home, I tracked the homeowner's name down through the local property appraiser's office, then looked him up in the phone book and called him. (I was bound, bent and determined I was painting my house THAT color!) He couldn't remember the name of the color so he said he would find out and call me back, and he did! It was Behr's "Cloud Burst" with white trim. We got a ton of compliments on that color. Now we live in a red brick house so all we have to worry about painting is shutters and doors. I recommend driving around your city or town to see if any particular colors appeal to you.
Shari
on Aug 16, 2012
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What a sweet home!! Sounds like you've gotten some great ideas and I'm sure you have a few yourself. If you are painting, the great thing is you can change it up every so often so feel free to experiment a bit. Be sure to post pics when you are done, I would love to see how it turns out!
Dee W
on Aug 16, 2012
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There is an app at Sherwin Williams called chip it. Check it out
Suzanne
on Aug 16, 2012
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Chip it is for determining paint colors from a finished picture - but Sherwin Williams online does have feature for loading your picture of your home and "trying on" different colors. A lot of paint chips are grouped in categories like historical, traditional, contemporary. If you have a style preference, that can help narrow down the choices. (There are so many choices.)
Ellen H
on Aug 16, 2012
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You can start with looking at the combo color collections on your local paint stores color charts and then buy samples to put around. Chas.
Peace Painting Co., Inc.
on Aug 16, 2012
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My first thought was shutters, but then I saw you had wide window trim with a bit of detail at the bottoms so I thought just new colors would be enough to give your home a lift. I chose a creamy yellow and a watery blue since it appears your home backs up to some sort of waterway.
Z
on Aug 17, 2012
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Hi Cindy! I just painted my house. Check out my post that talks about my colors! http://havoc-to-heaven.com/?p=1444
Missi S
on Aug 17, 2012
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Do use the water as inspiration. You must get a lot of light bounce from the water which is great! Do drive around or walk around your neighborhood and take pics of houses you like that are similar in style to yours. Keep in mind that a three paint color combo will look totally different on a Tudor, a Colonial, a McMansion or a Saltbox Shotgun or Ranch... different planes and angles cast light and shadow differently..Looking at a color wheel to see how colors play off of each other is a good tool also. (Like colors on the wheel that are opposite are complimentary to each other ie Blue/ Orange, red /green ..) As Chas said try out some color combos on the side or back. You have a blank canvas so to speak and that can be daunting but exciting @ the same time... Have fun! Good luck and post updates ! ............. Kath
Kathleen M
on Aug 17, 2012
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BTW this house is almost identical to one I lived in before I moved to the shore. We couldn't paint ours w/out going thru the historical society tho because if fell in the Historical part of the village. Which is another route you could take if there is a Historical Society in Williamsport they could give you ideas of historically what the color trends were........... okay back to my coffee ;)
Kathleen M
on Aug 17, 2012
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I want to thank everyone for the great ideas and inspiration. BTW, that is not water in the background. I live next to an alley and I think what you are seeing in the background is my neighbor's garage. I do like your ideas. I knew I could count on this site and all of the wonderful people who took their time to help me out.
Cindy P
on Aug 17, 2012
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lol on the water........ oopsie! still eager to see how you go ;) Kath
Kathleen M
on Aug 18, 2012
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Becky's choice of colors is beautiful. Being on water, you want to keep it light and happy...even if you prefer dark and rustic.
Jeanette S
on Aug 18, 2012
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Thank you Jeannette.
Z
on Aug 18, 2012
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I like most of the suggestions but with so many great suggestions, I would be confused. I like the drive around the neighborhood idea just take a camera to take lots of pictures. There was a house in our town that stuck out like a sore thumb. The wife couldn't decide on a color for their house and after about a year, the husband painted it her favorite color, purple (light purple with darker purple trim). This wasn't so bad until you looked at the brown roof. It stayed that way for a number of years, until they sold the house. As part of the offering, the seller promised to have the house painted whatever color the buyer wanted. I think I would have kept it purple and have opted for a new " slate" roof. That brown roof just didn't go with the beautiful purple paint.
Carol
on Aug 23, 2015
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Is that the original siding that was on the house, if so use care in prepperation and then encapsulate with a very good primer and paint. The tiles appear to be the old style asbestos siding panels, very brittle and easily broken!
Galen W. Yoder
on Jul 17, 2016
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I'm with Galen, safety first! I'd power wash the house first, then apply a good exterior primer, then paint. For resale purposes, a nice light cream color would be good. If not, you might consider Morning Mist by SW, a beautiful light blue that is easy on the eye and will work with any trim shade. Best of luck.
Diana Deiley
on Jul 18, 2016
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