It never ceases to amaze me how often people don’t consult a professional when choosing exterior paint colors for their homes. With both new builds and remodeling, many homeowners make all the design choices on their own. While they are spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on materials and labor, they spend NOTHING on design, resulting in one of two outcomes. At best – a lackluster and unremarkable exterior, and at worst – disastrous and costly mistakes.
find out how to avoid this common mistake at the end of this post
Have you ever driven around looking for houses with exterior paint colors you really like that you can copy for your own home? It’s not as easy as you might think to find the right color palette for your particular home – if you don’t believe me, you should try it someday! I am constantly analyzing exteriors every time I am riding in a car. And I can honestly say I see less than 1 out of 500 homes with color palettes that truly “work” and that I would actually repeat on a similar home.
Kole Custom Home Builders, color design by The Decorologist
Lucky for you I have teamed up with a global leader in the building industry, LP Smart Side, to help homeowners (like YOU) make the best and most updated choices for every home’s exterior. Not only do homeowners need fresh, new color palettes to choose from, but they also need expert advice – and I’M GOING TO BE GIVING YOU BOTH.
I’ll be attending both the International Builders’ Show (IBS) and the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) Convention later this month, and I’ll tell you more about what I’ll be doing there in my next blogpost. In the meantime, registration is officially open for our next Expert Psychological Stager™ course, and it’s going to be the best one ever! Find out everything you need to know about our certification course here.
Now back to choosing exterior paint colors – did you realize that there is a ridiculously common mistake that results in exterior disasters for homeowners who are painting their home’s exterior? Learn my insider secret that will keep you from costly mistakes in the first article in my ongoing series for LP SmartSide’s website by clicking on the image below:
click the image above
*UPDATE: The next Expert Psychological Stager™ Training Course is being offered March 9-11, 2017. Spots are filling up, so sign up now!
Thanks for the great info Kristie! I’m undergoing an extreme renovation of my house (also in TN) and LP smart side is actually my preferred choice for the new exterior but my issue has been finding someone to install it. None of my local builders seem knowledgeable of the product, and are unwilling to learn how to properly install it. I even called the installation services arm of a big box store who sells it and they couldn’t help me with one of their own contractors. All were quoting me prices of what it would take to install Hardie and from my research it’s a less daunting labor process. Super frustrating.
Wow, that’s so surprising! What city are you living in, Lacey? I may able to get more info for you . . .
I live on a century farm in Madisonville, TN, about an hour south of Knoxville, TN. I appreciate it! I’m so looking forward to seeing the colors you’ve selected for the Smartside siding, I’ve kinda been stalking the the blog since you hinted at it months ago 🙂
Lacey, I sent your issue to my LP contact – I’ll let you know when I hear back! Btw, what color of roof do you have or will have?
As we say in the south, “Bless you!” The roof we recently installed is called Charcoal I believe, so variations of gray. Our home is on top of a hill in the middle of a pasture, so while I love love love the contrast between a dark siding color and light trim, I’m unsure if this would work for my home. We also are contending with the white windows we had to install when moving in. I like the windows, but it does limit my palette options I think, but I didn’t have the luxury of choosing all my exterior options at one time.
Is there any stone or brick on the house?
(It wouldn’t let me respond to your last comment,so this will probably be out of whack) No there is no stone or brick, the foundation was covered with a stucco like texture that would be painted. We’re hoping to cover with stone in the future. The siding right now is cedar board and batten. I love the board and batten but it hasn’t been properly cared for in the past.
Got it – I’ll share with you some color palettes I’ve created specifically for gray roofs and white windows when they are ready – which will be soon, I hope!!!
Oh my! Have a friend or family member read this post out loud to you. If the words “condescending” or “arrogant” come to mind, please edit this posting. If the words “sounds fine to me” come to mind, please disregard my comment.
Joanne,
I’m really sorry that I would come across to you that way! I’ve worked really hard to get to this point in my career, and I’m honestly just so excited about the opportunity to work with an amazing company like LP and am hoping it will be helpful to homeowners struggling to make these decisions.
Kristie, I don’t feel as though you are coming across as uppity or anything – there’s nothing wrong with being confident of your skills! Your blogs have helped me so much with my home, and I’m sure many others are as appreciative as I am.
Thank you for saying that, Gloria – I’m glad that I could help you!
Hi Kristie,
First, with all due respect to Joanne, I didn’t think the post read as condescending or arrogant at all :). Second, I read the linked article and enjoyed it, but I have a question on it and the Captcha code function is not working at all – it doesn’t recognize ANYTHING I enter even when I reset it and enter the new code. I’ve tried 5 times. Can you have them look at the problem? I think that’s why you are getting any feedback there. Thanks!!
Lisa
Thank you, LW 🙂 I will talk to LP’s website people and see what the problem might be with the Captcha code – thank you so much for letting me know it isn’t working correctly! As to your question, please feel free to ask it here and maybe I can help.
Hi Kristie – my question is: Can you elaborate on what “two shades darker” means? I always assume it means to choose the shade two steps away on the same paint strip, but I’m not sure that would always work. Thanks!
Great, great question. Typically, paint manufacturers arrange paint colors on strips of 5+ colors that are arranged from lightest to darkest. They are not always exact graduations of color, but are typically close. Some specific brands that do this include PPG, Sherwin Williams, and Benjamin Moore. This is NOT the case if you are looking at specific “collections” like Benjamin Moore Historic Colors (they start with HC-) or Off-White Colors (they start with OC-), but it’s pretty obvious when they are arranged light to dark. So choosing the 4th color down, rather than the 2nd color down from the top of the strip in a fan deck would be a better bet for choosing an exterior paint color, since the color will appear considerably lighter than on the chip in natural sunlight. Another thing I sometimes do: look at the strips in the fandecks on EITHER side of the strip you are considering, but again, 2 colors down from what you think you want. Sometimes, particularly in the Ben Moore fandeck, these may be better options than the ones further down the same strip. I hope this helps!
Thanks – especially for that last comment on the BM decks. I use BM almost exclusively and it’s been my perception that they combine colors on some of their strips that are similar, but do not always seem to just be varying shades of the same color. That’s why I asked. I like the idea of considering the adjoining strips. Thanks!
Edit – I meant why you AREN’T getting any feedback not ARE 🙂
Great post, Kristie! Helpful information from an award-winning professional!
I’m reminded of this quote as a reponse to Joanne’s comment.
I have been reading your blog for years now and you have NEVER EVER sounded condescending or arrogant. I’ve had the pleasure of working with you long distance (via phone) and you are definitely not those things! You are great at what you do and there is nothing wrong with being confident about it. You are also very personable and funny as crud , which makes you approachable and non-intimidating. Thank you for what you do!
You are very sweet for saying so – I really appreciate you!!!
Everything you mentioned in this current article on your blog and the LP article are spot on ! You gave excellent advice for homeowners as well as us Decorologist followers. You have never been condescending in the few years I have been reading and following your articles. I even recall the article you wrote this past year about interior designers and how snobby, and bossy they can be even to you. I think Joanne needs to go back and read all of your blogs and get to know the real you, before making broad sweeping judgements. You have given valuable information to all who read this blog for free, not just to those who take your seminars or buy your videos and books, which has been very generous of you. Take those words with a grain of salt and know that so many of us love “The Decorologist” just the way you are. Though we have never had the opportunity to meet in person, I know instantly you would be a friend to all. {{{HUGS}}}
Oh Mary,
You are such an angel. I know I should have grown a thicker skin by now, but occasionally comments like Joanne’s really get to me. The self-promotion that is required to continue in a business like mine is a very tricky thing – especially for women, I think. And for those of us who are (like me) people pleasers, it can be particularly difficult since I really do care what people think!!! There are two realities here: this is a BUSINESS – I don’t do this as a hobby or for the love of writing (here’s a secret: I kinda hate writing), and I AM A REAL PERSON. Not a robot or marketing guru behind a screen. I’m doing the best I can to grow my business, raise a family, and be a good person. Part of growing my business requires self-promotion and unfortunately, at bit of bragging here and there for what I’ve accomplished. It’s part of it, but it’s sure not the whole story.
Thank you so very much for your kind words and support. Your ongoing feedback and comments make you feel like an old friend to me, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you. xoxo
You are too sweet. I totally get you because I have the same personality !! Have a wonderful weekend with your family !
You did an excellent job Mary. Really loved to read this type of acticles. I enjoy the knowledge on your blog. Your color combinations are great.
I’m late to this set of comments, but I think Joanne was way out of line. You are right that it is very difficult for women to be “authoritative”. We are trained to downplay our skills and experience and it hurts our careers and earnings from the time we are young women until we retire. It takes effort and courage to untrain ourselves from undermining our own authority. I doubt she would have made that comment to a man. Let’s not make things harder for each other, sisters!
I read Joanne’s comment and seriously thought I had changed windows by accident because her comment, in my opinion, did not apply to the article I just finished reading about choosing exterior paint. I made sure I was on the right page, and I was. I can be a real critic but I think I just found someone even worse than me, and that’s saying a lot! 🙂 I love your articles and, quite frankly, wouldn’t be reading them if I didn’t feel that you’re an expert and teaching me along the way. Keep up the good work.
Why does no one offer advice for cinderblock homes? There must be 10,000 in Ormond Beach Fl. Paint does not look the same on cinderblock as it does on other surfaces and yet nothing!
Sue,
Different substrates do take paint color differently, but I assume general paint color recommendations would be similar to painting brick or wood siding. Can you describe the difference you see in painting cinderblock compared to other building materials?