How to choose exterior paint for your house

Your home’s exterior is an opportunity for you to make the impression on the bypassers, onlookers and guests. The exterior sets an image for the interior and must be carefully designed and painted.  Do not hurry when it comes to taking a decision about the exterior paint color because you aren’t going to change it anytime soon.  Exterior paint should not just be pretty looking but also durable and should be able to withstand the various weather conditions and changes.  So if you are confused about how to choose exterior paint for your house, then the following points will help.

1. Do not be afraid to spend

The first thing to remember is that the better quality of the paint, the better will be the results and longevity of the paint.  It is a good idea to invest in a good brand of paint so that it lasts for years. If you choose rather low quality paint then it is likely that you will have to change it soon, thus proving to be an even more expensive affair than buying an expensive paint in the first place.

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2. Make full use of technology

If you are not able to decide which color will look good on your walls, then you can make use of technology and computer test the color. Many paint companies are now offering online tools for color matching which can show you the exact image of how the paint will look on your wall.  This way you can experiment with various colours and hence decide the final tone.

3. Consider the style and architectural design of your house

If you have a house that looks Victorian or like a midcentury bungalow, then getting bright color paints on it might not be a good idea. You need to coordinate the paint shade with the style of the house so that everything looks in place. For this, you can also check out the paint collections offered by paint companies which might fit exactly to your architectural style.

4. Choose three or more paint shades

You can’t just choose one single shade of paint for the entire exterior. You will have to choose atleast three paint shades: field color, accent color and trim color. Field color is the color that dominates, accent color is one which is used on doors and shutters whereas trim color is one which is used for windows and door casing etc. Field color and trim color must be contrasting to one another so choose accordingly.

5. Don’t go by paint chips alone

A lot of people make the mistake of choosing an exterior paint color for their house by sampling paint chips alone. However since the exterior is a big area, paint chip sampling alone may not help.

Now that you know how to choose exterior paint for your house, you can make the choice properly and without any mistakes.