Posts Tagged ‘color selection’

How to Choose An Exterior Paint Color

Tuesday, July 5th, 2016

When painting a home, selecting a color for the exterior can be a daunting experience. The painting professionals at Kevin Palmer Painting have been helping customers choose the perfect color for their homes for decades.

Color Collections

Colors, colors everywhere. Which to choose?

 

The best approach to exterior painting color selection is to choose the siding color first. Do not concern yourself with the color of the shutters or the front door until after you have selected the main body color.

 

We recommend driving around your neighborhood and locally to find house colors that are appealing to you. Try to differentiate what it is about the house you like from the houses that you don’t like. Sometimes it’s the color, sometimes it’s the combination of colors, sometimes it’s the roof and how it blends with the siding color, sometimes it’s how the house is sited or its relationship with the landscaping.

 

Recognize that shingles, shakes, and clapboard siding will appear differently even when painted with the exact same color and sheen. Stucco and brick will also influence the way a color appears. Determine what you like about a color. Isolate the color from the structure. Try to look at houses with siding similar to your house.

Colored house ideas

Beautiful home in a picture perfect setting.

 

Look at magazines. There are many pictures of houses which may have color combinations that might be what you are looking for. Apps are another excellent option to consider. Houzz and Pinterest have many examples of different houses and will offer ideas about color possibilities.

 

Paint manufacturers offer computer programs allowing you to take a picture of your house, upload the image, and paint your home in a virtual manner. This process will give you an idea of what your home will look like with varying colors and you can switch your options with a click of your mouse. My website offers many of these tools to help you with your color selections.

Sherwin Williams snap-it-banner

Apps are a big help when choosing colors.

 

A visit to your local paint store is helpful. There you will find color decks, larger color samples, and color collections. You will find groupings of historical colors, trending colors, contemporary colors, and everything in between.

Color fan deck

Color fan decks show many color options.

 

Once the primary color for the body of the house has been narrowed down, Kevin Palmer Painting makes samples for our customer’s consideration. We make samples on different exposures so our clients get a good idea of what the color looks like on different areas at different times of the day.

Entry door

A beautiful, gracious home. Perfect color choice!

 

Perception and reality are not always the same. If you don’t like the sample color on the house after a sample is made, no problem. We will not rush you on color selection and will make as many samples as you need to assure that you love your home’s new color.

Charlie painting door trim

Charlie putting on the finishing touches.

 

When you finally determine the body color that you like the best, move on to the shutter and door colors. Often times it is very helpful to use color cards for this process. What we typically advise is to look at coordinated color cards that show compatible and complementary colors. Look for one of the colors in the group that is the same as or close to your siding color, and then look at other colors in that grouping to see professional decorator’s recommendations. There are also apps available that will help facilitate the selection of compatible and complementary accent colors. Again, KevinPalmerPainting.com offers many tools to help you with this process.

Sherwin Williams color families

So many options, so many possibilities!

 

Choosing your house color should not be a threatening or worrisome process. At Kevin Palmer Painting, we do everything necessary to help you find the perfect color for your home. We spend the time necessary and assist you in every way possible to help you select the perfect color for you.

Dream house

Perfect colors on a gorgeous dream house. So beautiful!!

 

Kevin Palmer Painting services the interior painting, exterior painting, house staining, power washing, and roof cleaning needs of exacting homeowners in West Hartford CT and the surrounding Farmington Valley towns of Avon CT, Bloomfield CT, Canton CT, Farmington CT, Granby CT, and Simsbury CT. For further information or to discuss your next residential painting or commercial painting project you can reach us at (860) 658-2441 or visit us on the web at www.kevinpalmerpainting.com.

Tips for Selecting the Best Paint Color and Finish When Painting Your Home’s Interior Walls and Woodwork.

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

Selecting a paint color and finish for your home’s interior may seem like an intimidating task. Choices are infinite and paint manufacturers offer thousands of colors and a variety of sheen options. It is easy to become overwhelmed and confused.

Working with a qualified, experienced, professional painting contractor can make an otherwise daunting experience be rewarding and informative. Kevin Palmer Painting helps customers select products best suited for their home’s interiors. We simplify the process and give our interior painting customers the information they need to make an informed decision. We also have a trained color consultant to assist customers with choices based on their personal likes and needs.

When painting interior ceilings, walls, windows, doors, and trim, it is important to take issues such as wash ability, scrub ability, and gloss retention into consideration. A paint that works best for a Baby Boomer may not be appropriate or recommended for a family with young children. A competent professional painting contractor should be familiar with all issues relating to paint choice, and help make the next interior painting project an enjoyable, satisfying experience.

It is very important that homeowners take their time when choosing paint colors. A quality paint job properly maintained will last years, and there is no need to rush the process. Take the time necessary to make a decision you will be happy with years down the road. Haste truly does make waste. Kevin Palmer Painting makes paint samples for our customer’s consideration and approval. We allow our painting customers to have the time necessary to view paint at different times of the day and under different lighting. No one is rushed. We want our customers to have the time to reach a decision best for them.

Years of experience in residential painting has taught Kevin Palmer Painting that color selection is not an easy task. Different people like different things. There are, however, some generalities that appear true. Color preferences vary with age groups. White and off-whites tend to please the widest variety of people. And nothing needs to be forever… you can always easily change a color.

One of the major suppliers of Kevin Palmer Painting offers excellent advice on color selections:

“Choosing appropriate colors for the right audience is an important part of the equation. While color preference is often highly personal, research has made it possible for color experts to make general observations about the color preferences of the major demographic age groups.

Here is a look at the four major age demographic groups and their color preferences:

The Mature Market

The colors that surround people have a profound effect on mood and well-being. Individuals over 65 compose the Mature Market, and because they may be retired or less active, they often spend a great deal of time indoors.

To meet the needs of the Mature Market, it’s important to seek out color combinations that are functional, enjoyable and comfortable. Instead of muddy colors like khaki, fresh and cheerful ones such as buttery yellows, clear blues, fresh pinks and warm whites are preferred.

Don’t avoid all greens, though. Studies show that people report less stomach upset when surrounded with lush foliage colors even while under stress. For the Mature Market, cleaner hues of green jade, for instance, are preferable to avocado.

The Baby Boomers

Leave it to the Baby Boomers — the 76 million people born between 1945 and 1964 — to seek self-expression and spirituality from their color choices. For Baby Boomers, home is a sanctuary, a place for artistic expression and relaxation as well as inspiration. Baby Boomers are drawn to soothing colors that cool and refresh the spirit: sky blue azures, cleansing blues enhanced with purple tones, and intense, iridescent blues with the slightest tinge of green.

Favorite neutrals are chameleon shades that take on the undertones of colors around them. These could be grays married with plum or green, or perhaps yellow-green undertones that bridge the gap from gray to beige.

Generation X

Generation Xers — those born between 1964 and 1980 — are old enough to remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, but have primarily lived in a global economy. So it’s not surprising, as they experiment with styles from around the world, that Gen-Xers show strong acceptance of the global color palette.

For this age group, popular colors include violet and indigo hues, or exotic greens from the Australian landscape. Asian reds also add drama to neutral spaces awash in contrasting textures.

Generation Next

For teenagers, cool sophistication is the design goal. Faux finishes can be useful in teen rooms to hide a multitude of sins and add drama and sophistication to the décor. Children delight in rich, tropical hues and neon-like colors, especially green, yellow and purple. Sports team colors and flower garden shades are always popular for children’s spaces, as are murals and other whimsical color and decorating ideas.

There has even been research on the visual preferences of babies. High-contrast colors and simple patterns that encourage scanning, focusing, orienting and pattern recognition are not only favorites, but also help to stimulate physical and cognitive development. Studies indicate that reds and blues are the colors preferred by infants.

Though reactions to color are psychologically and culturally induced to some degree, age does make a difference in how people respond to color. That’s one reason why color preferences change over time as people move through the life cycle.”

Kevin Palmer Painting has had the pleasure of painting for customers in Avon CT, Bloomfield CT, Canton CT, Farmington CT, Granby CT, Simsbury CT, and West Hartford CT for nearly a half century. Let us help you with your next interior painting project. We have years of experience with everything from living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, foyers, bedrooms, and family rooms. We can help you realize why people say “Painting done by Kevin Palmer Painting looks better, lasts longer, and offers the ultimate in beauty and protection.” Painting is our passion. The painters of Kevin Palmer Painting bring experience, skill, and a devotion to achieving the best paint job possible to every interior painting project we undertake.

Kevin Palmer Painting services the interior painting, exterior painting, house staining, and power washing needs of fine homes in West Hartford CT and the surrounding Farmington Valley towns. For further information or to discuss your next residential interior painting, commercial interior painting, or power washing project you can reach us on the web at kevinpalmerpainting.com or call us at (860) 658-2441. Contact us for a free quote on your next interior painting project. We will be happy to service your painting needs.