Blog

painting exterior brick tips in Lake Bluff

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Painting Exterior Brick Tips in Lake Bluff

Choosing colors in painting exterior brick tips in Lake Bluff can be quite a challenge. It often takes years of experience to learn what colors and materials will work together. The average person has never done this before and certainly doesn’t have training or professional experience. Choosing the wrong color paint or material can be a very expensive mistake that you'll likely have to accept for many years.

 The sun will wash out colors outside, so choosing a light color will end up looking like white. When choosing colors, keep in mind that they usually need to be more grey or brown than you think.

If you are having trouble choosing siding and trim colors, keep them related to each other, like a cream trim and a darker beige on the same paint chip strip. Then add an accent color like a deep eggplant color.

Many homes have vinyl windows which will usually be white. Painting white vinyl with a dark paint can be disastrous because of the expansion of the vinyl in sunlight. The dark color will cause the vinyl to expand even more than normal, leading to paint and possibly window failure. If you have trim around a white vinyl window, it often works best to paint that trim white too. That will tend to make the vinyl windows blend in more, and look more like a traditional wood window.

Just because you have a brick house, don't automatically rule out painting the brick. You will still have the texture of the brick, but you won't be stuck to the same color, which date many, many homes. But most of our homes are not so inspired. Painting the brick can really freshen up a dark and dreary house. Consult a good paint store when painting brick to be sure to get compatible products.

This is a place where you can afford to be a little riskier because generally accent colors are limited to a smaller area. You know what too much makeup does to a woman. The same goes for a house.

When the roof of a house is visible, it can be a very prominent element. Choosing the wrong color roof is a very expensive mistake so it's important to understand some general rules. When choosing the roof, consider what color the house is going to be painted .If the house is being painted warmer colors, then a brown roof will be the right choice. If the house will be cooler colors, then a dark grey roof will work better. If your house used to have wood shake shingles and you are replacing it with a composition shingle, most manufacturers make a dark brown color that is similar to shake colors. If you are installing a metal roof, consider colors other than the traditional green, which works well on buildings with log siding, but not too much else. Again, choose a color that will allow you some flexibility in your house paint color choices.

Choosing colors can be really challenging. Remember, don't choose from a little paint chip! Even trained professionals have large sample boards painted (or paint directly on the house). Purchase a quart of a few colors of paint and look at your samples in different light and on different sides of your house. Color can change dramatically in different light, so put in the time to choose the right colors. When you do the results can be an amazing transformation

Posted on 04/09 at 09:12 AM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

painting exterior brick tips in Lake Bluff

Give Your Home a Facelift Using Painting Exterior Brick Tips in Lake Bluff

No one would deny that the quickest and least expensive way to give your home a bright, new look is through a fresh coat of paint. There are thousands of paint colors to choose from, but the fact is, popular colors change.

The latest trend in color is toward gentle, relaxing pastels, some with earthy undertones. People are becoming more and more aware of the need for stress-reduction, and decorating trends reflect this move toward relaxing colors. One hot new color worth mentioning is honeysuckle, a happy, clean, uplifting rose-pink with mauve undertones. Honeysuckle can be used effectively on walls in the foyer or dining room. In fact pink is showing up virtually everywhere!

Another trend is use painting exterior brick tips in Lake Bluff with harmonizing colors, but not contrasting. For instance, you may choose to pair wheat-colored beige with a light golden copper in a bedroom, or two tones of aqua side-by-side in a spa-like bathroom. Kitchens are featuring brighter colors, like chili-red or even more of that popular pink.

Regardless of trends, decorators say that there are several interior colors that are simply hard to work with because of the effect of lighting on them. Two of these colors are dark green and brick red. These colors tend to look different than you expect. If you love them and want them in your color scheme, it's best to save them for fabric accents.

Exterior color trends continue to stay in the earthy range, with terra-cotta being a favorite. Grays, both pale and darker, are replacing the brown tones, but do consider the color of your stone or brick trim when choosing exterior colors. Consider how it will look with your roof color, too. Of course, white is always in style, but cream-white is often best for a more natural look.

Here is another tip for choosing an exterior color. The goal, however, is not to copy your neighbors, but to choose a color that coordinates with their homes. You don't want yours to be too different, but you don't want it to be a clone of the others, either. Also, even if you'd love to go with that trendy terra-cotta, at least for the doors and trim, you might want to rethink that plan if your home gets a lot of hot sunshine on the surfaces in question. Dark and bright paint colors fade fast in the hot sun, and will look tired soon.

There is one exception to the rule that your home color should harmonize with the other homes in the area. If you have a historic home, you probably should choose from the colors that were in use when the home was built. You might want to do a little research to pick an appropriate color, but clear yellow or light blue with cream colored trim are good choices.

Painting your house is almost like renovating or revamping it but is more cost effective. Paint can give your home an updated look for much less money than a complete remodel would cost. Also, if you happen to choose a color and then not like it, changing it is a simple as repainting.

Posted on 04/09 at 09:12 AM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink