A Simple Guide to Choosing Exterior Paint Colours

Choosing colours for the exterior of your home can feel overwhelming, especially if you have never done it before. The good news is that most homes follow a simple formula. Once you understand how the different parts of a house are typically painted, the process becomes much easier.

This guide will walk you through the steps so you can confidently choose a colour scheme that looks balanced, practical, and timeless.

Decide if You Prefer Warm or Cool Tones

Before choosing colours, it helps to decide whether you prefer warm tones or cool tones.

Warm colours tend to include soft creams, warm greys, taupes, and earthy tones. These often feel welcoming and work well with natural materials such as timber, brick, and stone.

Cool colours include blue-based greys, crisp whites, and charcoal tones. These often create a cleaner, more modern look.

Try to keep the roof, walls, and trim colours within the same warm or cool family so the home feels balanced. Mixing warm and cool tones can sometimes make a colour scheme feel slightly off without it being obvious why.

Start With the Roof

Before choosing wall colours, it is important to consider the roof colour. The roof is one of the largest visible elements of the home and is usually not changed during a repaint, so the wall colours need to work with it.

If the roof is dark (charcoal, grey, black), most exterior colours will work well with it. Dark roofs tend to anchor the house visually and allow flexibility with wall colours.

If the roof is lighter (light grey, beige, or metallic tones), softer wall colours often look more balanced.

If the roof is a strong colour, such as deep red or green, it is usually best to keep the wall colours more neutral so the overall look does not become too busy.

The goal is to make sure the walls, trims, and roof feel like part of the same palette rather than competing with each other.

Choose the Main Colour

The next step is choosing the main colour of the house. This is the colour used on the largest surface area, usually the weatherboards or exterior cladding. Because it covers most of the home, it will have the biggest impact on how the house looks.

Mid-tone colours tend to work very well on exteriors because they hide dust, marks, and imperfections better than very light colours. Lighter colours can make a home feel larger and brighter, while darker colours create a more dramatic, modern appearance.

When choosing the main colour, it is also helpful to think about elements that cannot be changed easily, such as the roof colour, brickwork, stone, or paving. A colour that complements these existing materials will always feel more cohesive.

Add a Second Colour for Trim

Most homes look best when they use at least two colours. The second colour is normally used for the trim and structural details of the house.

This trim colour is commonly used on areas such as:

• Fascia boards

• Barge boards

• Gutters or Downpipes

• Window trims

• Corner boards

• Exposed rafters

• Verandah beams or Posts

Using a different colour here helps define the architectural features of the home and gives the exterior more visual interest.

The trim colour usually works best when it contrasts slightly with the main colour. For example, a light trim against a darker wall colour creates clean definition, while darker trim on lighter walls creates a more modern feel.

Select a colour for the Soffits

Soffits are usually painted in a white semi gloss, either matching the white already used on the trim, or in a white that compliments the Main colour

For houses with exposed rafters instead of soffits, painting the rafters the same colour as the fascia or barge boards usually keeps the roofline looking tidy and intentional.

Consider a Third Accent Colour

A third colour is optional but can add personality to the home. Accent colours are usually used in smaller areas so they can be a little bolder.

Common places for accent colours include:

• The front door

• Window sashes

• Decorative brackets

• Feature panels

Because these areas are small, a stronger colour can work well without overwhelming the house. This is often where homeowners add a deep green, navy, charcoal, or warm red tone.

Choosing the Right Paint Sheen

Paint sheen refers to how reflective or shiny the finish appears. Different sheens are used on different parts of the home because they perform differently.

For cladding or weatherboards, a low sheen finish is usually the best choice. It has a soft appearance and helps hide small imperfections in the surface of the wall. This makes it ideal for larger wall areas.

For trim areas, a slightly higher sheen works well. Semi-gloss finishes are commonly used on fascias, window frames, exposed rafters, and soffits. Semi-gloss paint reflects a little more light, which helps highlight these details and also makes them easier to clean, especially on surfaces where dust lands (sills) and people touch.

Doors and other small feature areas are sometimes painted in a higher gloss finish, which gives a crisp look and makes colours appear slightly richer.

Using a slightly higher sheen on trims compared to the walls helps create subtle contrast even if the colours are similar.

Think About Contrast

Contrast helps bring a house to life. When trims such as fascia boards, barge boards, soffits, and window frames are a different colour from the walls, the architectural features stand out and the house feels more balanced.

Lighter trim against darker cladding can create a crisp, classic look, while darker trim on lighter walls can feel more modern and grounded.

The key is balance rather than extreme contrast. Colours within the same tone family often work best. Too little contrast can make the house look flat, while too much can feel too busy.

Understanding Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

When choosing exterior colours, you may hear the term LRV, which stands for Light Reflectance Value. This number tells us how much light a colour reflects.

White reflects most light and has a high LRV, while black absorbs most light and has a very low LRV. The darker the colour, the more heat it will absorb from the sun.

This is important because darker colours can cause surfaces to heat up more, which can lead to movement in some cladding materials over time. For this reason, many exterior cladding systems recommend choosing colours above a certain LRV level.

As a general guide:

• Very light colours have high LRVs and reflect more heat.

• Dark colours have low LRVs and absorb more heat.

• Some cladding materials require a minimum LRV to maintain the product warranty.

If you are considering a darker colour, it is always worth checking whether your cladding has any recommended LRV limits.

Test Colours on the House

Exterior colours almost always look different outside than they do on a small paint chip. Sunlight, shade, and surrounding colours can all change how the colour appears.

Before committing to a colour, it is a good idea to paint a large sample area directly on the wall and observe it throughout the day. What looks perfect in the morning sun may look very different in the evening shade.

Testing colours on the house helps avoid surprises once the entire exterior is painted.

Keep the Scheme Simple

In most cases, the best exterior colour schemes are also the simplest. A combination of two or three colours is usually enough to create a balanced and attractive result.

By selecting a main colour, a trim colour, and possibly a small accent colour, you can highlight the architecture of your home while keeping the overall look clean and timeless.

Taking the time to think through these steps will make the repaint process much easier and help ensure the finished result looks great for many years to come.