Dual-Color Exterior House Painting

by Rob Lobitz

Selecting the right color to paint the exterior of your house is trickier than it might initially sound. Not only do you have to take into account your personal taste and preference, but you also have to consider other factors such as: how the house fits in with general color schemes used in the neighborhood, what colors look appropriate considering the foliage and flora in the area, will the colors selected stay vibrant for a particular period of time, etc. Sometimes, the right answer is not simply what color you want to paint your house, but what colors would work best?

Painting a home in two colors can incite a lot of apprehension in homeowners who’ve never undertaken such an effort before. By adding an extra color into the mix, there’s only another facet that could potentially go wrong and create unpleasing aesthetics for the house’s exterior. Before you decide to paint a home in two different colors, think about the following two contributing factors, and how they could play into the final look: Is your home single-level or two stories tall, and if the home is multistoried, how do the two floors fit together?

For novice house painters, stop at the first question if you’re house is only a single story high. A one-story home can be painted more than one color, but that’s a lot to take on for a first-timer, and should therefore be avoided. The latter question is also fundamentally critical, as how the two stories of the home fit together will affect how the paint job will be taken afterward. A home with a uniform, flat front that is very box-like on both stories can have two colors, but finding the right separation point can be tricky. A two-story home that has a second floor that struts out in front, or that has unique angles and shapes visible on the outside on both stories, makes for a much more apt dual-color painting scheme.

Just because a house is picture-made for a dual-color paint job doesn’t mean that you should just rush ahead with two random colors and start painting. Consider how the colors will pair together first. Mixing a bolder, brighter color with a more neutral tone, or perhaps even black/white, is a fairly safe bet. Mixing together two vibrant colors can be trickier, but can also provide for an even more impressive final appearance. If you do go with two bright colors, the first rule is to avoid pairing together two opposing colors on the color wheel. Don’t mix green with red, or blue with orange, etc. Provided that, you’re better off consulting a designer with color-arrangement experience, or even picking out good color pairs from one of those cards at the local paint or hardware store than you are just choosing two colors at random.

Think of your home like a set of twin-over-twin bunk beds in a typical kids’ bedroom. On some of these bunk bed sets, the sheet sets for both beds match perfectly, for a very uniform, clean look. On other bunk beds, there are differently colored or patterned sheets on each bed. Those that have well-selected color pairs can actually create a bolder look for a room, one that’s inviting and intricately thought-out. Those that have poor color combinations usually weren’t thought out well, or were put together that way simply because two different kids had two different color preferences. So just like with bunk beds, make sure the top and bottom story have colors that pair well together for a more refined look. After all, unlike with kids’ bunk beds, people won’t overlook color clashing like they would for a couple of grade school-aged brothers.

A few last tips before you take off on your dual-color painting project:

• If you do go with two vibrant exterior colors, choose a more neutral shade for window shutters.
• If you have an unusually colorful or eccentrically designed roof, using dual colors can overwhelm that piece. Avoid dual coloring in this circumstance.
• Don’t be afraid to repaint one floor or both. It may seem like a time-draining nightmare, but it’s better to revise later than leave up paint colors that just aren’t working together, no matter how hard you tried on your initial bout.