Hartford Courant (Sunday)

A palette of colors, ideas for exterior house paint

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Tribune Content Agency

Mother Nature’s effects can often show their toll on a home’s paint. Giving your home a new coat of paint can make it look refreshed and renewed, but the problem is never deciding to paint, it’s usually around trying to decide on colors. Following a few guidelines will help you select an exterior paint color that looks terrific for your home. of home. There are certain color standards for various styles of homes, such as a Colonial or Craftsman. Victorian and modern homes also have their own color styles, so looking online at homes that are similar to your home’s style is helpful when choosing a paint palette.

You may also want to select your house color using regional influences. If your home is located near the shore or the coast, colors that reflect a seaside feel will look appropriat­e. A house in the desert Southwest will always look better with a color palette that looks right for the region versus the palette for a house on Cape Cod. Most paint manufactur­ers have paint color palettes that can be used by region or by style of home. brighten it up and keeping it from fading into the background.

By the same token, small houses will look smaller with dark colors and will seem larger and have more presence with a lighter shade. A large home can handle dark colors more easily than a small one. Once the field color is chosen, then the trim and accent colors come next.

Before making your color selections, be sure to check color palettes from your local paint dealer. They often have a variety of options, and some have smartphone apps that will let you see how your house would look with various colors.

If you can’t leave your home, check your local store’s website for paint samples and supplies. Retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot even have painting tutorial videos for novice painters.

Once you’ve done all the research and narrowed down your choices, it’s still a good idea to order those samples and paint a small section of your home first to ensure that the colors are exactly right before making the investment in paint.

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