What Are The Best Exterior Paint Colors For Summer 2020?

With a bit of guidance, it becomes easier to determine the best exterior paint colors for your home or building. Read on.

Finding the best exterior paint colors for summer involves choosing the right color and using the correct paint. Both are instrumental to achieving the most aesthetic, long-lasting results possible.

Seeing examples of the most popular colors and learning tips about their use helps bring the ideas together.

The Type of Paint Used is Important

Exterior paint is different than interior paint. They both consist of a mixture of pigments, resins, solvents, and additives, however, they’re found in different concentrations with differing additives.

Interior paint is delicate in comparison to exterior paint. Interior paints aren’t subject to extreme temperature changes and UV rays that exterior paints must withstand.

Exterior paints tend to be more flexible to prevent cracking and peeling as the surface below expands and contracts. They also contain additives to help them resist fading, mold growth, and fungus growth.

Quality exterior paint will be able to:

• Cover any surface. This is called hiding power and is determined by how much pigment the paint contains and how thick you apply the paint.
• Retain its color. Colors that easily fade in different elements are said to have low color retention.
• Resist chalking, or forming a light powdery film on the surface. This is caused by the paint degrading over time.
• Resist blistering that happens when moisture accumulates between the surface of the object and the layer of paint.

How to Choose the Best Exterior Paint Colors

Color plays an important role in people’s comfort and even influences mood. Some studies have shown that color accounts for up to 60% of people’s reactions to an item they see.

For example, red objects generally indicate urgency or anger. Stop signs are red, and anger is often described as “being red in the face.” But red can also signify love, as in red roses or ruby red lips. Often the reaction depends on the object and circumstance.

Blue is often associated with notions of stability, tranquility, and the sky. But it can also indicate depression, and blue light keeps people up at night.

Choosing the best exterior paint colors is not only based on its mood-affecting properties but also on how it relates to the color of the objects near it.

Some colors increase the value of the property, but others detract. And colors are perceived differently based on things around them such as landscaping, furniture, and architecture.

For instance, a large evergreen located near a building will become more noticeable in front of a red building, and less noticeable in front of a green building.

Another example of surroundings affecting color is how brown patio furniture looks when placed behind a beige building as opposed to brick. The brown stands out next to the brick as opposed to the beige.

Finding the Best Colors

Below are some additional helpful hints to help you choose the best exterior paint colors for your home:

• Look at favorite items such as furniture, paintings, or other decorations for common themes. Exterior paint will last several years and will be visible for a long time so think of what colors are pleasant to be around.
• Will the building will be sold soon? That should affect which color to choose. Buyers often prefer muted neutral colors rather than anything trendy or bold.
• Investigate local neighborhoods to see what others are doing. This sparks creativity, shows what’s popular, and helps coordinate ideas.
• Consult Homeowners Associations or Property Managers for a list of allowed colors. Some neighborhoods and commercial centers only permit specified colors.
• Get inspiration from what colors are trending in other industries such as fashion or interior design. Often times there will be an overlap of the colors that people are using.
• Pay attention to how the sun and shade cover the building. Colors look different in bright natural light than they do in the store, and even more different on an overcast day.

It’s not a bad idea to initially choose a few colors. This way you’ll have a backup if your original choice doesn’t fit in exactly how you expected.

Suggestions for Using This Season’s Popular Exterior Paint Colors

Once you’ve chosen a few color options your next step is to accessorize and see what palette you like.

Often this is the most difficult part of finding the best exterior paint colors because its appearance can change so much depending on how the homeowner uses it.

What follows is a description of how designers typically use this season’s most popular colors:

1. Reds are eye-catching no matter what they pair with. They work well with neutrals such as dark browns, black, and beige.
2. Sage pairs nicely with cream trim pieces and a black door. Sometimes adding a bit of brick makes everything pop.
3. Light blue accents well with light-yellow or white trim, but it’s now common to pair it with bright red trim. This is a good pair to use to draw attention to architectural details.
4. Yellow matches nicely with cinnamon tones. The overall look is happy and cozy.
5. Grey is popular because it’s easy to accessorize. You can keep it neutral with darker shades of the same color or even a deep turquoise, or you can add unexpected pops of bright color.
6. Purple functions well for small details such as a door. When used with aqua the overall look is reminiscent of the oceanside.

Conclusion

Finding the best exterior paint colors for summer is an engaging process that involves choosing a color that is both functional and meets personal preference, then learning how to use it with your existing exterior structures.

It also involves using the right materials. The cost of painting depends on a number of factors, it helps to get several estimates.

If you need help with choosing the best exterior paint colors for your home or building, call your local painting contractor who can help you with color coordination and ideas.