- 1). Use white paint. White is always a safe choice, as it creates a background against which you can feature almost any color. You may want to avoid colors like electric chartreuse for your home's decorative elements, like shutters, but even if you don't use classic black, colors like burgundy, cerulean blue or mauve can add a touch of color.
- 2). Use historic colors. A historic palette consists of classic tried and true color combinations, and almost every paint line offers its own take. An advantage of a historic palette is that historic colors almost always contain some neutral colors; a bit of brown or gray can be added to take the edge off of more intense hues. Thus, they offer a wide range for color mixing for the exterior and, if you select carefully, you can combine different base, trim, and door and window colors without having the scheme seem too active.
- 3). Avoid complementary colors. Complementary colors, like red and green, have a disproportionate impact on each other. They operate as opposites and powerfully magnify each other. If you wish to use blue and orange, at least add a lot of white to one of the colors to turn it into a pastel and tone it down.
- 4). Avoid fully saturated colors. Saturation is the relative strength of a hue. A fully saturated color is the brightest and most intense form of the color; you can recognize them as the colors that attract the eye at the far end of the paint swatch. Stick to more muted versions of colors, and remember that as the area that a color covers increases, its potential impact increases even more. Save the strongest colors for small areas.
- 5). Test your paints before you make your final decision. Almost all paint stores will supply you with a small amount of paint to try at home. Paint 3-by-3-foot squares on the home's exterior and see how you like the colors before investing in the paint.
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