Early and late summer are both great times to refresh your home exterior, but choosing the right exterior color can be overwhelming — where do you even start? The best place to start is with the roof, and then see how it can guide us from there.
Explore Articles:
Should roof shingles be darker than the paint color?
Does exterior paint have to match the roof?
What color should I paint my house if I have a green roof?
What color should I paint my house if the roof is brown?
What house color looks good with a gray roof?
How do I choose exterior paint color combinations
When choosing an exterior color scheme, the first thing to consider is which color compliments your roof color. Whether you're choosing a new roof or working with an existing one, the key is to ensure that your paint color doesn’t clash.
Should roof shingles be darker than the paint color?
Roof shingles need to be darker than the paint color. The key is finding colors that complement each other!
Darker shingles provide a beautiful contrast to lighter paint colors like white, gray or taupe. Tone-on-tone colors are also recommended.
Depending on the style and materials of the home, a more monochromatic tone-on-tone color scheme can give a modern look. This approach is also effective for concealing features of the house's architecture that you may not love.
Does exterior paint have to match the roof?
In your color scheme, the exterior paint and the roof should work together without looking mismatched. A well-curated exterior paint and roof color can do more for your home than just look pretty.
Increase your curb appeal
Choosing exterior paint color and roofing combinations helps curb appeal and improves your resale value big time!
Exterior paint color can boost your curb appeal by highlighting architectural details, and enhancing the home’s style. When colors are harmonious with your surroundings, your house can really pop and be *that house* on the block.
Harmonious design
When you have a harmonious design with complementary colors, you can capture the details of your home instead of feeling flat.
It goes beyond just matching the roof color. Accent colors on doors and garages, trim color, downspout color, landscaping, stonework, and even neighboring houses can all sway what colors to choose.
Tease your home’s style
Exterior paint colors can help accentuate a home's architectural style beyond just making them pop. The right color lets people know what your home is like and who its owners are before they even walk in the front door.
Choosing earthy tones can give your home a historical feel, perfect for a century home. Bold dark hues make a home feel modern and contemporary. Popular neutrals can make homes feel cozy and friendly. Think about how you want people to feel about you when they enter your home!
What color should I paint my house if I have a green roof?
Green roofs can be a little bossy, but they are incredibly popular. Paired with a warm neutral like white or taupe, the color scheme gives a charming cottage feel.
Peach and cream can give a more tropical vibe to a green roof. Perfect for Miami Beach or just feeling like you’re beachside.
Grays and greens can turn your green-roofed house from mossy and nature-inspired into a modern and contemporary home.
Green is a pretty dark roof color and if you have tall trees on your property it can kind of fade into the background and leave more emphasis on the rest of the house if you choose a lighter and more contrasting color.
What color should I paint my house if the roof is brown?
A brown shingle can be very versatile with various undertones such as oranges, reds, greys, or greens. You can choose a hue with high contrast that matches one of these undertones to create a light and bright look.
You could lean into the earth tones with tan, rust or soft greens. Don’t be afraid to go a step bolder and add some vibrancy.
You can also try going on the dark and moody side with a hunter green for a historical look with neighboring colors on the color wheel.
What house color looks good with a gray roof?
Like brown roofs, gray roofing can have a ton of color variations and undertones in the shingle. With newer roofs, we might see levels of metallic and metal in the roof color which can complicate things even more.
Understand the undertones of your shingles. Find a gray paint with similar undertones but lighter so you can create contrast and dimension. Some gray shingles read a little greener and so you can try a mossy green for a biophilic design.
The hue also matters. Is it darker? Could be a great opportunity to introduce a brighter tone. Is it lighter? You might want to stay away from gray paint and find contrast in a totally different color.
Want a more modern and architectural vibe? Darker shades of gray like charcoal and slate can give a bold change of mood. The only downside of going really dark is in a hot climate, this shade can take on a lot of heat, and paint can bubble and fade.
Green, blue, dark red or yellow could provide visual interest if chosen carefully based on the architecture and surroundings. Darker facade colors generally look great with light or medium gray roofing.
Ready to transform your home?
Hopefully, this has inspired you and given you some direction on the right exterior color for your home. You spend so long thinking about what your home will look like with a fresh coat of paint, wouldn’t it be nice to get the job done in just one day? That’s where we’re here to help. We have professional paint teams across North America ready to make your home Picture Perfect.
