Selecting The Perfect Trim Colors For Your Brick And Siding House

Selecting the right trim colours for a brick house with siding can be challenging, especially with the many colours and textures available. There are a few guidelines to consider when pairing siding colours with brick. Firstly, brick generally comes in red, orange, yellowish-tan and dark brown colours, with mid-tone red brick being the most popular. Secondly, choosing a darker shade for the bottom of the house helps to ground the home. Thirdly, consider the colour of the roof—whether it's black, grey or brown.

If you want to modernise your home's aesthetic, choose one colour for both the siding and brick. Many homeowners opt to paint their brick to match their siding. Alternatively, you can coordinate with the existing brick. For example, redwood red siding goes well with red brick and black trim, while canyon brown siding pairs nicely with brown brick and black trim. If you're after a neutral palette, warm creams, beiges and light browns complement existing brick.

For a bold, on-trend look, consider saturated colours like Rapids Blue smooth siding with red brick, or Abyss Black smooth siding with light tan brick. For a rustic or natural feel, green is a good option. Sage, olive or hunter green siding pairs well with red brick.

If you're after a classic, Americana look, white or cream siding with red brick is a popular choice. Grey siding can also be a good option to modernise a classic-style home with red brick.

Ultimately, the colour choice for your trim, windows, and other exterior elements comes down to your design preferences.

Select a neutral trim colour if your brick and siding colours are different

If your brick and siding colours are different, it is recommended to select a neutral trim colour. This will help to ensure that everything matches without being too bold. Neutral trim colours include white, cream, taupe, tan, chocolate and black.

Neutral trim colours are a good choice when you already have multiple colours in your home exterior. This will help to create a cohesive look without adding more colours to the mix. For example, if you have red brick with tan siding, a neutral trim colour will help to tie the two colours together.

Additionally, if you have a brick home with siding, it is important to consider the colour of your roof when selecting a trim colour. For example, if you have a red brick home with a black roof, the black roof will help to establish the two primary colours. In this case, a neutral trim colour would be a good choice to complement the brick and siding without adding another colour.

Another thing to consider when selecting a trim colour is the style of your home. For example, if you have a Victorian-era home or cottage, a light greige brick with brown fencing can help to create exterior cohesion. In this case, a neutral trim colour would again be a good choice to complement the other colours without taking away from the vintage aesthetic.

Finally, it is important to remember that the paint colour choice for your trim ultimately comes down to your personal design preferences and the colours you think look best.

Choose a colour that complements the predominant colour of your brick

When choosing a trim colour for your brick house, it is important to consider the predominant colour of your brick. Bricks come in a wide variety of colours, including red, tan/buff, white/cream, pink, grey, brown, and black. Even within a single type, bricks can vary in colour from one to the next. For example, red brick may have more brown undertones, while others might lean more purple.

To determine the base colour of your brick, you can hold up paint swatches in a range of colours to see how they compare. You can also use the tone of your brick to help you choose the best paint colours to include in your scheme. For instance, red brick with brown undertones pairs well with shades of sage green and taupe. If your brick is more of a purple-red, you might opt for a complementary colour scheme, such as orange.

If your brick is predominantly tan or buff-coloured, consider a palette of warm colours. Cool tones can also work, especially as accent colours. Yellow or buff-coloured brick combines well with neutrals, such as cool greys or warm browns. Look for subdued or greyed shades to blend with the earth tones in the brick.

For pink brick, which can range from slightly lighter than red to neutral with a rosy glow, add soft colours and an accent or two that have the same subtle radiance as your brick. Grey brick can be either a cool true grey or a warm brownish grey. Match the temperature of your bricks to the temperature of your primary colour and neutrals for the best results.

Black and brown bricks are not usually pure brown or black, but rather rich dark neutrals that are brought to life by contrast and colour. When creating a black brick exterior colour scheme, provide contrast with a light to medium main colour, and then add medium to dark accent colours.

Consider the colour of your roof

When selecting trim colours for a brick house with siding, the colour of your roof is an important consideration. The roof is a dominant element of a house and can be a significant factor in choosing the rest of the palette. For example, a red brick home with a black roof establishes the two primary colours.

If you have a grey roof, it may be dark, medium, or light grey, and may have undertones of blue, green, or violet. Grey roofs can also be slightly brown, like weathered wood. The black and dark grey roofs are the most neutral and will work with a wide array of colour palettes. The other samples may contain colours like blue, green, and purple. Repeat the undertone colour elsewhere on the house for a cohesive look. For example, if your grey roof has green undertones, you could have a shutter in a similar or darker version of that green.

If you have a black roof, you can pair it with most brick colours, including red, orange, and yellow. You can also pair it with off-white, dark grey, or black trim (but not beige). A white house with a black roof is a classic and timeless combination. White siding makes houses look bigger on the outside and helps reflect sunlight, keeping energy costs down.

If you have a brown roof, you can pair it with a red brick home. Brown is a warm-toned roof that pairs well with the warm nature of red brick.

If you have a grey roof, you can pair it with cool stone colours, such as off-white, grey, blue, grey-green, and purple.

Use the FRESH approach to create a unified look

The FRESH approach is a five-step method for selecting an eye-pleasing colour palette for your home's exterior. Using this approach, you can create a unified look that boosts your home's curb appeal. Here are the five steps:

Fixed Features

These are the permanent design elements of your home that won't change frequently. They include the roofing style and colour, porch, steps, walkways, decks, patios, and hardscapes. When selecting colours for your home's exterior, consider the fixed features as a starting point. Look for repetition of tones in these elements, as this duplication allows different materials and textures to work well together.

Roofing, Siding, Doors, Windows, Shutters, Trim, and Accents

The FRESH approach involves choosing the right colour for each of these elements to create a cohesive look. Consider the colour of your roof, siding, doors, and windows, and select a trim colour that complements them. If your home has shutters, choose a colour that stands out or complements the other colours. Finally, add accents such as plants, lighting, or decorative elements to enhance the overall look.

Exterior Colour Scheme

When creating your exterior colour scheme, consider the colour cast of your home's exterior materials, such as brick or stone. The colour cast refers to the dominant colour within a mix of colours in these materials. Choose colours that blend with or complement the colour cast to create a harmonious look. For example, if you have grey bricks, you can select a blue shade that blends with the bricks rather than a bright, clear blue.

Starting with the Most Important Feature

When using the FRESH approach, it is essential to start with the most important feature of your home's exterior and work from there. For example, if you have a brick home, start by selecting the brick colour and then build the rest of your colour scheme around it. This ensures that the brick colour, which is a fixed feature, is the foundation of your exterior design.

Home Exterior Colour Schemes

Once you have considered the fixed features and chosen colours for the various elements, it's time to put together your home exterior colour schemes. This involves selecting colours for the siding, doors, windows, trim, and accents that work well together and complement the fixed features. Consider the overall colour cast of your exterior materials and choose colours that create a unified and appealing look.

Select a trim colour that makes your brick pop

When selecting a trim colour for your brick house, it's important to consider the colour of your brick and choose a trim colour that will complement it. Here are some tips to help you select a trim colour that will make your brick pop:

Determine the base colour of your brick

Before choosing a trim colour, it's essential to determine the base colour of your brick. Bricks come in various colours, including red, tan, white, pink, grey, brown, and black. Look closely at your bricks and consider whether they have a cast of another colour. For example, red bricks can vary from clean, straight lines to rustic uneven edges, and may have undertones of brown or purple. By understanding the true colour of your brick, you can choose a trim colour that will enhance its beauty.

Consider the colour wheel

The colour wheel can be a helpful tool when selecting a trim colour. Analogous colour combinations involve choosing one primary colour and accenting it with the colours on either side of it on the colour wheel. For example, if your brick is red, you could choose orange or yellow as accent colours. Complementary colour schemes, which include hues across from each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange, also work well together.

Follow the 60/30/10 rule

When combining colours for your home's exterior, consider using the 60/30/10 rule. Allocate 60% of the facade for the dominant colour, which is often the colour of the brick itself. Use a secondary hue for 30% and paint the remaining 10% in an accent colour. This rule can help you create a balanced and appealing colour scheme.

Choose a trim colour that complements your brick

If you have red brick, consider a trim colour like white or cream to make the brick colour pop. These colours are classic and timeless and will never go out of style. If you're looking for something more modern, grey siding can work well with red brick, helping to update the look of your home. Green is also a good option for red brick, as red and green are opposite each other on the colour wheel and therefore complement each other.

For white or cream-coloured bricks, consider a dark brown, chocolate, or coffee colour for your trim. The dark colour will add drama and make the light-coloured brick stand out. Grey brick can be paired with natural stone siding or a vinyl siding painted in a natural grey stone colour to create a modern look. Tan brick goes well with cream-coloured siding, resulting in a warm and inviting colour palette.

Consider the fixed features of your home

When selecting a trim colour, it's important to consider the fixed features of your home, such as the roofing style and colour, porch, steps, decks, and patios. Look for repetition of tones in these elements, as this allows different materials and textures to work well together. For example, if your roof is black, consider a black trim to create a cohesive look.

Test your colour choices

Before finalising your trim colour choice, test it out by painting a small section of the trim or using paint swatches to see how it looks against your brick. This will help you ensure that the colour complements your brick and creates the aesthetic you desire.

Frequently asked questions