Choosing Exterior Paint Colors for Your Historic Home

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

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

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

Trim (window and door trim, cornerboards, brackets, rafter tails)

(Porch ceiling)

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

Trim (window and door trim, cornerboards, brackets)

Accent (window screens, screen/front door)

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

Flat body paint, semi-gloss or gloss for accent and trim There are a lot of “RIGHT” Color Choices

A poorly prepped paint job will fail prematurely

Lead paint

Heat gun

Infrared remover

Paint shaver

Chemical removers

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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