Choosing the right custom exterior paint for your home is no doubt a difficult task. It’s not enough to pick out your favorite color, you need to choose colors that compliment the other homes in your neighborhood as well as the style of your décor. The right exterior paint makes a huge difference when it comes to curb appeal, which is especially important if you are trying to sell your home. But even if you aren’t, you don’t want your house to stick out like a sore thumb. With that said, choosing a quality custom paint is essential in making your home look its very best. The top custom paint options come from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and BEHR. If you are looking to paint your home, check out these most frequently asked questions about choosing the best custom exterior paint.
When choosing a custom paint for your exterior, you’ll find there are countless visualizer tools that can help you determine what paints will look good for your home. A visualizer tool will allow you to see how a color will look on your home. The top paint companies like BEHR, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore all offer a visualization tool on their website. Many tools will even allow you to upload exterior shots of your home and see how a color looks on them. The ColorSnap visualization tool from Sherwin-Williams can be downloaded on your iPhone or Android devices so you can bring the tool with you into the store.
While visualization tools are fairly accurate in determining the right color for your home, they aren’t fool-proof. Seeing your home virtually painted on your computer isn’t enough to determine what your eyes will like once it’s actually applied to your walls in the daylight. The next step you want to take is to collect color samples that allow you to see actual colors on your actual wall. You can find these at any paint store such as Sherwin-Williams or at hardware stores like Home Depot.
While you might be focusing on the main attraction when it comes to choosing an exterior paint color, it’s just as important to pick the best accent colors too. Shutters, doors, and other exterior accents are typically a different color from the rest of your home, so you’ll need to pick accent colors that go well with your custom exterior. While white is usually a default for some people, it’s not always the best choice.
The biggest factors that should determine what paint you use are the permanent materials of your home. You need to keep in mind brick or stone foundation, your patio, and accents among other things. Many designers will recommend that you choose the opposite colors. For instance, if you have a home with exposed red brick, you choose a cooler color.
If you are really lost on what looks good, choosing a custom paint matching company like The Color Coach is a good place to start. Schedule a one-time visit that can last up to three hours and someone will come to your home to discuss colors that you like and then help you determine just the right color for your home when considering your roof, landscape, and other factors.
Sheens are something very important to keep in mind when choosing a custom exterior paint. A sheen can make a paint color look completely different to the eye and sheens also have their benefits and downsides too. Matte sheens usually provide the most modern look for your home and it’s the best for hiding imperfections. However, it’s very difficult to clean. Eggshell paints also do a good job of hiding flaws and they can also more easily be cleaned, but they make lap marks more noticeable. Gloss paints are ideal for doors and trims because these are areas that make frequently need to be cleaned and glossy paint makes that easier.
Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore are among the most renowned paint manufacturers around. These companies offer hundreds of paint colors with thousands of possible combinations of colors. Both companies offer visualization tools. Sherwin-Williams even provides in-home consultations to help you pick a custom color and you can also go into the store to pick out samples.
Home Depot is one of the largest suppliers of BEHR paint. There you’ll have access to numerous color options and samples to choose from. If you can’t find the color you are looking for, Home Depot will help you mix it, making the color you have been searching for. They do, however, charge a fee for this service.