Choosing Exterior Colors for your Historic Florida House

Choosing Exterior Paint Colors for Your Historic Home

Time to Paint
Big impact remodeling project
Most painting projects done for aesthetic reasons
Protects home from the elements
The number of colors to choose from makes it a daunting task

You will live with your choices for a long time

Approaches to Choosing Colors for a Historic House
Historically Accurate
Colors used on your house previously
Historically Appropriate
Colors typical for your house type in the era it was constructed
Start from Scratch
Pick colors you like

Historically Accurate Colors Paint analysis
Inspect existing paint record
Porch or other protected area good place to look
Can send off to a lab for detailed analysis
Look in areas covered by additions/ renovations Descriptions in letters/ other records

Historically Appropriate Colors
Historic color charts
Pattern books from the time period
Photos/ postcards
Most traditional exterior colors emulate building materials, such as stone, brick, tile, stucco, old copper, bronze, and exposed timbers
Colors were trendy but personal taste played a role

Architectural Style Queen Anne, Shingle, Folk Victorian Craftsman, Prairie, Mission, Mediterranean Revival, Tudor Colonial Revival, Minimal Traditional Ranch, Modern/ Contemporary

Victorian Era (1880s-1910s)
Combination of neutrals and accent colors
Dark stain for Shingle Style body w/ lighter trim
Queen Anne typically lighter body, darker trim
3-6+ colors used depending on degree of ornamentation
Highlight architectural
features
Dark mulberries,
gingers, moss greens, brick reds and buffs

Craftsman/ Bungalows (1920s)
Earthtones - Browns, tans, peach, warm greys, burgundy, greens (olive, forest green)
2-4 colors typical
Body (may be two colors if two materials used)
Trim (window and door trim, cornerboards, brackets, rafter tails)
Accent (window screens,
screen/front door, foundation lattice)
Porch deck
(Porch ceiling)

Craftsman/ Bungalow
Take existing material colors into consideration such as brick, stone porch piers
Coordinate with roof color
No pastels or jewel tones
Only Slate/ Grey Blues
NO WHITE – only off-whites, creams
Similar schemes for Prairie style but more use of rusts, less burgundys

Simple Formula for Period-Appropriate Craftsman Paint Scheme

Formula for Period-Appropriate Craftsman Paint Scheme
Pick an earthtone body color
Earthtones – Browns, Greens, Greys, Rusts/ Burgundys

Pick a coordinating off-white/ cream trim color
Accentuate architectural details – soffit and rafter tails should be different colors

Pick a dark accent color
Black, Forest Green, Burgundy, Brown

Mission/ Med Rev (1920s)
Warm pale colors
2-4 colors
Body
Trim (window and door trim, cornerboards, brackets)
Accent (window screens, screen/front door)
Porch deck (if not tile)
Coordinate with tile roof color

Colonial Revival (1880s+)
Pale color body for revival homes
White, pale blue, light grey, yellow, tan
Trim and windows white or off-white
Contrasting accent color for shutters, doors
Black, forest green, burgundy, navy blue
Similar for Minimal Traditional style homes

Ranch (1950s)
White trim, windows
White or pastel body colors
Two-tone body paint schemes

Mid-century Modern (1950-60s)
Neutral background with bold accent colors

Starting From Scratch
A house you like
An object with colors you like
Paint manufacturer suggestions
Using a color wheel

Color Terminology Hue: The hue is the basis of a color, such as blue or orange. A light blue and a dark blue are of the same hue. Value: The value refers to the darkness or lightness of a color. Dark greens, medium greens, and light greens have different values but the same hue. Shades: Shades are colors with values that are closer to black. Tints: Tints are colors with values that are closer to white.

Color Terminology Primary Colors - Red , Blue , Yellow . These are the basis for all other colors in mixing paints. Secondary Colors – Green , Orange , Violet . Made by mixing equal parts of two primary colors. Tertiary or Intermediate Colors - These colors are formed when a primary color is mixed with an adjacent secondary color. For example, mixing blue with green produces the tertiary color, blue-green. Warm Colors – Reds , Yellows and Oranges Cool Colors – Blues , Greens and Purples

Monochromatic Using just one color, but often containing lighter and darker values of that color, monochromatic color schemes are typically understated, conservative, and sophisticated. An example of this type of color scheme for an exterior paint color selection would be dark green shutters and trim with light green siding. CONSERVATIVE

Complementary These color schemes use two colors that are directly opposite one another on the color wheel, such as yellow and violet, giving complementary color schemes the maximum amount of color contrast. When the exterior paint color selection is done right, complementary color schemes can be both eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing. LIVELY

Adjacent This type of color scheme uses colors that are next to one another on the color wheel, usually with one dominant color and two accent colors. Your exterior paint color selection in this system could be blue, blue-green, and green.

Triadic Triadic color schemes use three colors that are equidistant on the color wheel. An example of a triadic exterior paint color selection is blue-green, yellow-orange, and red-violet. VIVID

Taking the Plunge
Try paint samples on the house
Colors may look lighter, washed out in bright sunshine
Flat body paint, semi-gloss or gloss for accent and trim
There are a lot of “RIGHT” Color Choices

The Best Color Choices in the World Won't Bail Out a Poor Paint Job
Most important part of painting is not painting, it's prep
A poorly prepped paint job will fail prematurely
Lead paint

Proper Prep
Wash lightly – no power washing wood – clean w/ hose and brush
No painting until completely dry
Remove loose paint
Hand scrape
Heat gun
Infrared remover
Paint shaver
Chemical removers

Proper Prep
Sand – buff out edges of rough paint (wear a respirator)
Repair damaged wood through replacement or patching
Epoxies
Wood patch for exterior use
Prime bare wood
Acrylic primer works better in Florida with modern formulations (oils attract mildew quicker)
Can tint primer
Caulk

Proper Painting
Acrylics are flexible like wood, less mildew attraction
Spray body but only with caution (overspray, drips, missed spots, thin spots)
Brush trim, windows, etc.
Start at the top and work down
Try not to paint in direct sunlight
Rain showers are not a painter's friend
Minimum two coats – allow to dry between

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Choosing Exterior Colors for your Historic Florida House

by Preservation Resource, Inc./ Historic Shed on Nov 28, 2011

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