One of the most common questions we get has to do with choosing paint colors. Whether it is an interior or exterior, picking out the right house colors can sometimes be frustrating. If you have a project in mind but need help with the colors, here are a few things we recommend to make the process a little easier.
Look For Inspiration
You may already have a style in mind, but you’re not exactly sure which house colors would work together. Or maybe you don’t have a clue yet what you want. Pretty much anyone can benefit from browsing through a gallery of sample images and taking note of the ones you like the look of.
Home design magazines, Pinterest pages, even sales listings. These can all give you ideas about different styles and house colors and clue you in on the latest home color trends. We recommend even driving around the neighborhood and taking pics of which houses you like the looks of. Copy what works.
Visit A Paint Store
You can find a lot of information on paint and house colors by visiting your local hardware or paint stores. You can usually find brochures and paint sample cards to take home. You can also obtain a paint sample. These will typically cost a few dollars, but allow you to try out a color on a small area.
Look at samples during the day and at night under artificial lights. A nice interior house color might look great in the sun, but take on a different tint under different lighting.
A paint specialty store such as Sherwin-Williams will have more information available about the paints they sell, and there are brochures with color and style idea that can be taken home.
Check With The HOA
If your neighborhood has a Homeowner’s Association, it is best to check with them before starting an exterior paint job. Many HOA’s will restrict the house colors that are allowed in that area, or might require approval by their committee. It is even common for an HOA to have a pre-approved list of acceptable house colors.
If this is the case, simple make your choice from the approved list. The HOA will provide a brand name along with the paint color codes. Here are a couple paint vendors that have an archive of HOA paint colors:
Use Online Color Tools
Several companies now have online tools and apps that let you visualize different color combinations. The Sherwin-Williams Colorsnap Visualizer lets you try different colors on a stock image, or upload your own picture to try colors on. You can save different combinations to look at and compare, and download a list of the color codes to provide your painter.
The Behr Architect also lets you select and try different colors and combinations and visualize them in an image.
Talk To A Color Consultant
Still having trouble, and want someone to point you in the right direction? In that case, hire a color consultant. A design professional can make recommendations that are tailor-made to the customer’s tastes. While it might seem out of reach for many people having their house painted, it is really quite affordable. In fact…
WE WILL PAY FOR IT!
The Sherwin-Williams Colorsnap In-Home consultation is a great way to help narrow down your choices and make a great decision on your house colors. The service includes a phone interview as well as a 90-minute in-house visit with a color professional. This consultation runs $95. SurePro Painting will refund that fee on the final invoice for any of our customers that use the Colorsnap Consultation on a project of $3000 or more.
