You always hear about one big thing affecting the value of your home — location, location, location.
There’s something else that can boost your home’s worth, and it’s cheap, easy, and simple to do.
Painting the exterior of your home can add — or subtract — dollar signs from your home’s value.
For example, a slate grey door can add over $1,000 in value to your place. Or go bold and use a brighter accent like a red or coral colored door.
Sometimes it’s not about selling the house. It’s about making it more “you” or giving it an upgrade.
Let’s look at some exciting exterior paint color palettes that will bring your vision to life.
What to Know Before Choosing Your Exterior Paint Color Palettes
Before you grab your brush, there are a few things you need to consider.
First things first — determine why you want to paint your house. If it’s to give it more resale value, do your homework to see what colors are popular right now.
Remember how we said that one color can add $1,000 to your asking price?
Find out which colors are selling well in your local market for the best results.
If your home needs an upgrade, think about factors that affect your exterior house paint. Does it snow a lot, or does bright, constant sun fade the paint easily?
Want to paint your house a particular color?
If you want a lime green cottage or a lavender Victorian mansion, see if your neighborhood allows the kinds of colors you’re looking for.
Even if you can’t have a screaming chartreuse bungalow, you can still find a way to incorporate your favorite color into your home.
Now that you’ve got these house painting tips under your belt, let’s look at some color schemes that you’re going to love.
Light and Lovely
For best results, stick to the 60-30-10 rule when painting a home’s exterior. 60% of color should be the main color, 30% the trim and the garage door, and 10% small pops of color, like front door and shutters.
That means you’ll have to pick out three total colors for your home. To start, consider a color palette that’s light and easy on the eyes.
For the main body of the house, go with a warm beige. Trim and garage should be a soft white.
A great choice is Sherwin-William’s Snowbound paint color. It’s a great off-white color that works well with today’s popular paint colors.
You can have an accented door with a darker oatmeal color. A dark, rough finished wood can look nice with this color combo, too.
Mossy Green
Green seems to be having a moment in the world of exterior painting. Go with a soft sage or mossy green so that it’s not too loud.
Accent the home with brick reds, grays, or a lighter shade of your main green.
Classic Black and White
Like those classic old movies, you can’t go wrong with a vision of black, white, and gray.
If your home has a black roof, this is a perfect look for you.
Paint the body of the house a dark — but not too dark — gray. Add white trim and a glossy black front door.
Bonus: this color scheme really makes your front lawn pop.
If you want to show off your greenery, go with black and white for high contrast.
Navy and Brick
Blue and red are opposites on the color spectrum. This contrast will look lovely on your home.
Be bold and paint the body of your house a strong navy blue. Accent with white or beige then add a brick colored front door.
Floral Appeal
Think about your favorite flowers when trying to find inspiration for a new exterior paint scheme.
You’ll start to see some interesting combinations that might work on your house.
For example, paint the majority of your house a buttery yellow. Add dark grey trim for contrast and a pretty purple for your front door.
Soft blue with white trim is another pleasing exterior color. With floral inspiration, add a cheerful yellow or orange door.
Keep it Simple
Don’t want to bother with a lot of different shades? Stick to one color in various hues to make it easy on yourself.
Think medium green house, dark green trim, bright green door. This works for practically any color and is an easy, stress-free way to pick your palette.
Coastal Dreams
Homes that are near the water get a little more leeway. Don’t think about Miami Art Deco pastels, though.
Think different shades of cool blue. Add in white and red accents for a New England feel, or beige with yellow or light pink for a more Florida vibe.
Bright White
Bright white can be as boring or as bold as you like it to be. An all-white exterior creates a blank slate for you to add pops of color.
Think about painting your shutters dark purple or even teal. Black shutters and a sunny yellow door are sure to catch everyone’s eye.
You can always stick to plain black or grey trims and accents. White will give you the opportunity to take it in any direction you’d like.
Opposites Attract
While we’re talking about eye-catching accents, let’s talk about how to use small pops of color to transform your home. You don’t have to go all out to refresh your look.
Painting your front door can have a huge impact. Think about bright red, deep blue, or unexpected purple for the entrance of your home.
Try playing with opposite colors in your color palette. For example, if your home is beige, try a hunter green door.
Make Your Home Your Own
As you can see, there are tons of gorgeous exterior paint color palettes that are sure to satisfy everyone.
From whimsical to practical, you can achieve it with a few coats of paint.
Don’t be afraid to go bold. While painting the exterior of a home is a big commitment, don’t hold back from trying out a color that excites you.
Even if it’s a small pop of bright green, express yourself and make your home your own. After all, you’re the one living there and you get to see it every day.
If you liked these ideas, check out our “other” tab. We’ve got a lot of interesting ideas that are sure to inspire you.