Paint: A Makeover, or a Costly Mistake
My house commands attention, as yellow houses do. Now that it’s faded and the woodwork needs repair, it demands attention as well. I love light yellow as a house color, but it fades badly and distracts attention from the plants. White would not only be brighter, but would make the house look like every other on the street.
A light colored house will reflect the light—good for the plants on the north side of the house. It will also reflect heat, making the house a little cooler in the summer. But a darker colored house will blend in with the plants, and reflect less light for them. Not a bad thing if the plants are already baking.
Here are a few tips that will help keep you from making a costly mistake. These tips are not only for choosing a house color, but a stain color for your fence and trellis (stain will extend the fence's life). My new house color: Salisbury green, a light verdigris color. The fence and trellis will remain blue and gray.
House: check out www.benjaminmoore.com. This free site can keep you from making a costly and expensive mistake. You can select among one of 14 pictures of houses and try different color schemes on it. Notice how a slightly contrasting trim color beautifies the house. The site also has some pre-made color schemes, although all but a few are hideous and probably forbidden by homeowners associations. However, most of the paint colors in the display photos look terrific.
Fence and trellis: As expensive as fencing and trellis are, I don’t know why more people don’t take a few hours to keep them from deteriorating. Traditional redwood stain and whitewash are traditional colors. But they contrast so strongly with leafy green plants that they scream for attention. Do you want your plants or your fence to get the attention? Try a subdued color like dark gray, Wedgwood blue, verdigris, or brown. These colors will recede, making the fence look farther away. I know—I’ve painted my back fence redwood, light gray, and Wedgwood. The first two were like a strobe light; the last blends in beautifully. The stain will also preserve the wood.
A light colored house will reflect the light—good for the plants on the north side of the house. It will also reflect heat, making the house a little cooler in the summer. But a darker colored house will blend in with the plants, and reflect less light for them. Not a bad thing if the plants are already baking.
Here are a few tips that will help keep you from making a costly mistake. These tips are not only for choosing a house color, but a stain color for your fence and trellis (stain will extend the fence's life). My new house color: Salisbury green, a light verdigris color. The fence and trellis will remain blue and gray.
House: check out www.benjaminmoore.com. This free site can keep you from making a costly and expensive mistake. You can select among one of 14 pictures of houses and try different color schemes on it. Notice how a slightly contrasting trim color beautifies the house. The site also has some pre-made color schemes, although all but a few are hideous and probably forbidden by homeowners associations. However, most of the paint colors in the display photos look terrific.
Fence and trellis: As expensive as fencing and trellis are, I don’t know why more people don’t take a few hours to keep them from deteriorating. Traditional redwood stain and whitewash are traditional colors. But they contrast so strongly with leafy green plants that they scream for attention. Do you want your plants or your fence to get the attention? Try a subdued color like dark gray, Wedgwood blue, verdigris, or brown. These colors will recede, making the fence look farther away. I know—I’ve painted my back fence redwood, light gray, and Wedgwood. The first two were like a strobe light; the last blends in beautifully. The stain will also preserve the wood.
posted by Lori Miller at 3:59 PM
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