how to choose paint color for your vintage home

How to Choose Paint Color for Your Vintage Home

What’s the most daunting task about painting your vintage home?

Color –what colors would fit best with the character of your home and your personal preferences.

Monochromatic color schemes offer a sophisticated look.

For a more eye catching look, consider a complementary scheme of colors that have a huge amount of color contrast.

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Bad exterior color choices are costly. Unlike that lime green you thought would look great in your kitchen, outside “do-overs” aren’t as simple to change.

Some color schemes can intensify the look of an older house, while others will ruin the appeal of a classic home. Choose your colors carefully!









Yellow-orange and red-violet colors fall within a triadic color scheme. When you work with a triadic scheme, select colors that are equally distant on the color wheel.

Opposite to the triadic scheme is the adjacent scheme, achieved by using color options that are next to each other on the color wheel. A good example of this would be violet, blue-violet and blue.


Check the Color Wheel








Historical Appropriateness

Investigate the color palettes that were available and favored during the time your house was built. The further back in time you go, the fewer colors there will be to choose from.

Historical Color Collections can give you a hand in your paint color selection [search for “historic color charts”]. Exterior paint colors for very old homes usually mirrored the material colors of the day like brick, copper, bronze, and exposed timbers.


If you want to incorporate the colorhistory of your home, consider these guidelines for help:

http://oldhousecolors.com/








Refine color options further by searching for your home’s design style (i.e., Craftsman, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, etc.).


Many vintage home designs had their own unique range of color pallets depending upon the periodwhen they were built.

You may also find vintage colors in old print, such as those used on postcards, sheet music, in advertising and other like items.

http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/craftsman-style-home-ideas/

http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/queen-anne.htm

http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/colonial-revival.htm








Historical Accuracy

Matching your home to its original colors may be more difficult to match depending upon the age and/or uniquestyle of yourvintage home.

Old color photos (if available) may help, as would talking to long time neighborhood residents –completely dependent upon the age of your home, and your neighbors.









Best Method

Use a paint scraper to peel back the layers of paint to find the original colors of your home.

Scrape all aspects of your home, to reveal multiple colors hidden between the various areas of the body and trim.

Old paint will also most likely be faded. Bring scraped samples to a paint retailer or professional service provider with vintage home experience for help in matching today’s shades with yesterday’s colors.









If you adore the history of your house but are not married to preserving its historical accuracy, work with your personal color preferences and build from there.

Exercise your tastes, keep the vibe of your neighborhood in mind and take care in choosing colors you can live with for years to come.


For additional tips read:http://www.slideshare.net/fortunerestoration/how-to-choose-your-best-exterior-paint








http://www.slideshare.net/fortunerestoration/how-to-choose-your-best-exterior-paint

how to choose paint color for your vintage home

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