Choosing Exterior Paint Colors: Brick Homes Edition

Choosing the right exterior paint colour for your home can be a daunting task. The paint colour you choose should ideally complement the colour of your roof, trim, and other structural details. It should also take into account the architectural style of your home, the lighting conditions, and the mood you want to set. For instance, greens and blues tend to evoke feelings of tranquility and ease, while yellows and other bright colours create a welcoming, inviting atmosphere.

If you have a brick house, the task of choosing an exterior paint colour can be even more challenging. Brick comes in a wide variety of colours, including red, tan, white, pink, gray, brown, and black. The first step in selecting an exterior paint colour for a brick house is to determine the true colour of the brick, including any colour cast or undertones. This will help you choose a paint colour that blends with or complements the brick. You should also consider the other design elements of your home, such as the roof, porch, steps, and landscaping, to create a cohesive and visually appealing look.

Consider the architectural style of your home

When selecting an exterior paint colour for your home, it is important to consider the architectural style of your house. The architectural style of your home gives its exterior character and is perhaps the reason why you fell in love with it in the first place. Each architectural style has a history to it, and honouring that history through exterior colour schemes can be challenging.

For instance, if you own a Victorian home, you may want to opt for vibrant, bold colours. In contrast, a minimalist, modern residence may benefit from neutral colours or a monochromatic scheme. Craftsman-style builds, on the other hand, are characterised by their broad proportions and can be accentuated by choosing colours that complement the natural materials used in the build, such as earth tones.

If you live in a contemporary home, you may want to take cues from the natural landscape surrounding your house. Today's contemporary homes often feature clean lines, interesting angles, abundant windows, and eco-friendly materials that blend seamlessly with their surroundings.

Additionally, consider the impact of light on exterior paint colours. Daylight and sunlight can drastically turn your exterior colour cool or blue, so it is essential to choose a colour that is a few shades warmer than your desired shade to achieve a balanced look.

By taking into account the architectural style of your home, the surrounding landscape, and the impact of light, you can select exterior paint colours that not only complement your home's features but also showcase your unique style and personality.

Evaluate your landscape

When selecting exterior paint colours for your home, evaluating your landscape is crucial. Here are some detailed tips to help you with this process:

Take in your surroundings:

Consider your landscaping, neighbouring homes, and other exterior details. Evaluate the colours and styles of the houses around you. This will help you choose colours that complement the surrounding environment and create a cohesive look for your street or neighbourhood.

Consider the impact of nature:

The colours present in your natural surroundings can influence your paint choices. For example, if you have a more naturalistic landscape with lots of greenery, you might be inspired to choose recessive colours like seafoam green, pastels, or soft neutrals. On the other hand, if you have a formal landscape with rows of boxwood shrubs, stronger colours and accents with a definite design rigour may be more appropriate.

Factor in the lighting:

The amount of sunlight your home receives and the direction it faces will affect how paint colours appear. An abundance of direct sunlight can make exterior colours appear cooler or bluer, so you may need to choose colours that are 2-3 times warmer than your desired shade to compensate. Test colour samples at different times of the day and in various lighting conditions to see how they look.

Sample colours:

Don't just rely on paint cards; test your chosen colours on a poster board or directly on a small area of your home's exterior. This will allow you to see how the colours look in different lights and ensure that you're happy with the final result.

Keep it simple:

When it comes to exterior colours, less is more. Limit yourself to 2-3 colours for the exterior of your home, including the body, trim, and accent colours. This will ensure that the architectural details of your home stand out and create a cohesive and balanced look.

Seek inspiration:

If you're unsure where to start, look for inspiration from nature, your neighbourhood, home design magazines, or trusted online sources. You can also use virtual house painter tools to upload a photo of your home and experiment with different colour palettes.

Remember, evaluating your landscape is just one part of the process when selecting exterior paint colours. You should also consider your home's architectural style, the materials used, and the mood you want to create.

Study your home's materials

When selecting an exterior paint colour, it is important to study your home's materials and their texture, such as roof tiles, bricks, and stones. Finding colours that complement your home's existing materials can help tie the exterior together.

If you have a brick home, you will need to factor in any strong undertones in your brick. If your home is full brick and you only need to choose a trim colour, match either the lightest, mid-tone, or darkest colour found in the brick and use that as your trim colour. If your home is not entirely brick, you will have more flexibility with colour choices for the exterior body. As long as the body colour has a slight hint of the brick's undertone colour, there shouldn't be any clashing issues. For example, if your brick has a warm undertone and you want to go grey, choose a light warm grey instead of a cool grey so that the warmth in the grey ties the new body colour to the brick.

If you have stone on your home, you will need to factor in any strong undertones found in the stone. If your home is full stone and you just need to choose a trim colour, match either the lightest, mid-tone, or darkest colour found in the stone and use that as your trim colour. If your home is not entirely stone, you will have more flexibility with colour choices for the exterior body. As long as the body colour has a very slight hint of the stone's undertone colour, you shouldn't have any clashing issues.

If you have a roof with red, tan, green, or blue-grey undertones in your shingles, you will need to factor in your roof colour when choosing your exterior paint colour palette. If you have a dark brown roof with red undertones, you will want to stick with a true neutral main body colour for your home to be safe. If you have shingles with green or blue-grey undertones, you have more flexibility, and you will prevent colour clashing if you choose a colour with a slight hint of your shingle colour to blend and complement without fighting. If you have a black roof, you can pretty much do anything.

If you have a black or neutral grey roof, you don't have to worry as much about colour clashing.

When it comes to choosing trim and accent colours, less is more! Too much contrast and change of colour or shades can actually have the opposite effect, and the eye stops at each colour, and the architectural details no longer stand out. When choosing exterior trim and accent colours, it is recommended to work off of one paint colour strip. This is the safest way to guarantee that the undertones in the trim and accent colours play well and work together harmoniously.

Assess your roof colour

When selecting exterior paint colours, it is important to consider the colour of your roof. The roof is a dominant element of a house, and its colour can significantly influence the rest of the palette. For example, a red brick house with a black roof establishes the two primary colours.

If you have a black or neutral grey roof, you don't have to worry as much about colour clashing. However, if you have a roof with red, tan, green, or blue-grey undertones in your shingles, you will need to factor this into your exterior paint colour palette.

A good rule of thumb is to pick a paint colour that is a few shades lighter or darker than your roof colour to create an inviting contrast. For example, if you have a dark brown roof with red undertones, you may want to stick with a true neutral main body colour for your home to play it safe. If you have shingles with green or blue-grey undertones, you can choose a colour that is either neutral or has a slight hint of your shingle colour to blend and complement without clashing.

If you have a black roof, you have more flexibility, and almost any exterior paint colour will work. A black roof can also add drama and depth to exterior paint colours. Pairing it with white trim will highlight your home's architectural features and prevent the dark neutral from appearing too gloomy.

In addition, the style of your home should be considered when selecting exterior paint colours. For example, a Victorian home may stand out more when combined with vibrant, bold colours, while a minimalist, modern residence might benefit from neutral colours or a monochromatic scheme.

Remember to test sample swatches of your desired colours under different lighting conditions before settling on the right one, as paint colours can look different at various times of the day and in different types of light.

Test paint samples in different lighting

Testing paint samples in different lighting is crucial when selecting exterior house paint colours. Here are some tips to guide you through this process:

• Choose a Testing Area: Select an area between two windows or next to permanent features like trim, windows, brick, or stone. Avoid painting in the middle of a large expanse, as your old colour will influence your perception of the new shade.
• Test on the Right Surface: Ensure you test paint samples on the same type of surface you plan to paint. For instance, if you intend to paint brick, test the colours on brick. Different materials absorb paint differently, so testing on the correct surface is vital.
• Sample Size: Paint a section that's at least one foot wide by one foot tall. This larger sample size will give you a better idea of how the colour will look when applied to a more extensive area.
• Lighting and Time of Day: Observe the paint samples at various times of the day, as the light in the morning, midday, and evening will differ, making the paint appear lighter or darker and warmer or cooler.
• Multiple Sides of the House: Apply paint samples to at least two different sides of your house, such as the north and south sides, as they receive varying amounts of light throughout the day.
• White Background: Use a white or very light background for your paint samples. This technique helps isolate the new colour from the current colour and provides an unbiased perception.
• Compare Shades: If you like a particular shade but want to explore lighter or darker variations, ask your paint supplier to mix it 50–75% darker or lighter. A difference of less than 50% may not be noticeable.
• Evaluate Undertones: Pay attention to the undertones that emerge in different lighting conditions. For example, an abundance of light can turn exterior colours cool or blue.

Frequently asked questions