The Pros And Cons Of A Dark Exterior Home Palette
More and more homeowners are discovering the benefits of using a dark color as the base of their exterior palette. Should you join them? While this trend is popular for good reasons, it's not for everyone — or for every home. Here are a few pros and cons to help you decide if it's right or wrong for you.
The Pros of Dark Exterior Paint
When it comes to the norms for color schemes on houses, light colors and soft neutrals are the expectation. So if you opt for a bold choice — such as dark gray, charcoal, black, or navy — you instantly make your home stand out. Dark walls bring out the drama and create a stunning curb appeal.
Darker and bolder colors also give a more modern feel to many houses. They could make for a quick and easy makeover for a dated home or an older, less interesting architectural style.
Is there some feature of your house you'd like to visually minimize? Draw attention away from odd structural elements rather than pay to remove or replace them. How? Use a dark color to camouflage and help unwanted details fade into the background.
The Cons of Dark Exterior Paint
Of course, no painting choice is without any potential drawbacks. Because the exterior of your home is exposed to the elements 24/7, 365 days per year, it will suffer normal wear and tear. However, a darker color makes chips, cracks, peeling, and warping more obvious and unsightly. So you can expect to have to do more maintenance of darker palettes.
In addition to actual paint damage from the weather, the sun will cause dark paint to fade faster than lighter colors. Depending on the hues you choose and how the sun affects the house, you may find that you need to repaint sooner than planned.
Finally, a dark home may absorb more heat than a light-colored one. This could be good for homeowners in a cold climate, but it's not necessarily good news for those in warmer areas. If your property doesn't include shade trees and other cooling structures, you may need to consider whether you can afford higher temperatures.
Where to Learn More
Do the pros of a dark exterior paint palette outweigh the cons in your situation? Or vice versa? Let a professional residential paint company help you decide. Call today to make an appointment to assess your home together.
To learn more, contact residential exterior painters in your area.