09 Aug Choosing Exterior Paint Colours: How to get started

Choosing the right exterior paint colours for your home can be tough but at Signature Painters, we aim to make the process easier. Our team has been painting Brisbane homes for more than a decade, so we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t when it comes to colour. As a local painting business, we’re aware of the huge difference the right exterior paint colours can make to your home’s street appeal. We also know the worry (and sometimes family disagreements!) that choosing colours can cause.

So is there a way to get your exterior paint colours right? The answer is YES. Together with our Dulux Colour and Colour Overlay partners, we have assisted many customers to achieve a result they love and add value to their homes. We offer free colour consultations and digital overlays with full repaints, but if you’d like some insight now, here are 5 tips to help you get started on exterior paint colours for your home.

Tips For Choosing Exterior Paint Colours

1. Identify the style of the neighbourhood

Use the styles of surrounding homes in your neighbourhood as a starting point when choosing the right exterior paint colours. If traditional Queenslanders dominate the area, it’s safer to opt for a more traditional scheme. If the neighbourhood contains more modern homes, bolder colours or accents may work well. Choose colours that complement (not clash with) your neighbours’ homes, but are not identical, so you subtly set your house apart from theirs.

2. Trust nature’s colour combinations

The surrounding landscape can give clues about which paint colours will look good on your home. Is it predominantly cool green with sandy neutrals, or more warm, earthy tones? Are you surrounded by vibrant tropical foliage or in a more urban area? Taking your cue from nature will generally lead you in the right direction when choosing the best exterior paint colours.

3. Look to your home’s features for guidance

Existing colours on your home, like the foundation or roof, should guide your exterior paint choices. Avoid trendy colours that clash with your current palette. For instance, if your roof is red, opt for warm neutrals rather than cool grey tones to create harmony. If you own a Queenslander with decorative details, accentuate them with contrasting darker or lighter shades colour.

4. Offset dark with light exterior paint colours

Dark colours create a striking modern appearance, but excessive dark exterior paint can make a home feel smaller and gloomy. For traditional homes, balance dark shades with whites on trims, verandahs, and accents. Light colours generally make a house seem more spacious. However, if your home is on or near a busy main road and pollution is a concern, practical considerations mean white may not be the best option.

5. Observe exterior paint colours in different lights

Lighting significantly influences your choice of exterior paint colors. Consider how colors appear in bright sunlight compared to cloudy weather. Also, take into account your home’s orientation; west-facing homes will make colors appear more vibrant and intense. Bright white can be too glaring, but lighter shades typically reflect heat and tend to be more durable than darker, heat-absorbing hues.

Signature Painters — Steps To Choose Exterior Paint Colours For Your Home

When you engage us, our Step-by-Step approach to colour decision-making will ensure you get the result you envision.

• Step 1 Take advantage of our practical guidance when one of our master painters visits your home to quote. Advice at this early stage can help you understand which colours will withstand heat, sun, and pollution your home may be exposed to.
• Step 2 Once you engage us for a full interior or exterior repaint, we’ll arrange a free professional Dulux colour consultation for you. There’s no substitute for an on-site visit by a qualified colour professional to advise on exterior paint colours for your home in person.
• Step 3 Following your colour consultation, we’ll arrange a digital overlay of 2-3 final shortlisted colours on a photo of your home. With a digital colour overlay, you’ll see the end result before we start the project and won’t have to rely on your imagination.
• Step 4 Finally, buy sample pots and apply paint samples to different parts of your home. This is a crucial step that should not be skipped. You need to know how a colour will look on different base materials (e.g., weatherboards, woodwork, or render) and in different lights to confirm your choice. We’re happy to assist with this if needed and guide you through final decisions on shades and finishes.

We’ve found this process delivers beautiful results every time. If you’d like to begin choosing your perfect colour scheme, contact Signature Painters today to book a free quote for your full exterior repaint.

See our Exterior Colour Schemes blog for more colour ideas,  or learn about our residential painting process or our Queenslander painting and restoration service.