exterior paint colors

[dana b]

we're getting ready to paint the exterior of our house and i have no clue what to do as far as colors. how did you make this decision? we figured we'll just drive around and look at other houses in the area for ideas, but even if we find something we like, how do we go to the paint store and choose those exact shades? we've been wanting to have the exterior painted since the day we moved in, i'm afraid of choosing the wrong colors and hating it. i'm notorious for painting a room 3 times before i like it.

[JoyfulGirl]

Dana,
I know what you mean about picking out colors. They never turn out like the paint chips look like they will!
I just went to a newer subdivision and asked what color their house was when I found a color that I liked. They had the paint cans right in the garage since it was new construction. They were so excited about their house they didn't mind me copying them. They live two towns over anyway.

Hope this helps.

JoyfulGirl
:D

[linda_loo]

I went to the paint stores first, and ruled out combinations that I didn't like... keeping the ones I did. Then, I drove around and looked at houses, trying find houses with colors similar to what I liked from chips.

I also played around online, on Behr's site, where you can look at different combinations on different houses.

[MrsSmith]

I looked at houses that were similiar to mine. I also knew that we were only considering a few base colors. So, we looked at different combinations of those on the computer at Home Depot.

[dana b]

thanks! i guess that's the best way to go about this. we're going to drive around today, get some ideas and go to the paint stores. i'll try that behr site, too.
did anyone take into consideration the color of your neighbor's house? i just thought about this today...our neighbor's house is turquoise. we were thinking of a light greyish-green and i think it might clash :confused:

[rileyandfredsmom]

This is one thing my mother is really good at, picking out colors for the outside of her home. She lives on one of the main streets in a small town so everyone notices when she repaints. You would not believe the amount of people that stop and ask what color she used!

I've mentioned to my DH that we should stop and ask at a particular house whose colors I liked and he thought I had lost my mind. Sometimes I forget that I live in a big city now as opposed to a small town in rural KY. :p

[wine_o_girlie]

Is your house a particular style? Are the houses on your street the same style as your own house? If your house is completely different from your neighbors then I don't see why you would need to worry about clashing with their house. Also, are there any particular restrictions on exterior colors due to a Homeowner's Association?