Which exterior paint colors fade the fastest?

Yellows and reds. The pigments used in both fade quickly, and Colorado's year-round sunshine accelerates it. Many yellows are interior-only colors that cannot be made into an exterior product at all.

Why do exterior colors look bolder than the swatch?

Colorado's year-round sunlight makes exterior colors read bolder and brighter than they do on a small chip indoors. Choosing from a Neutral, Timeless or Historical collection, and favoring colors with a slight gray undertone, keeps that in check.

Can I still use a color I love if it is on the avoid list?

Usually, in a smaller dose. Yellow and red both work well as a front door or accent color, where they add a pop without setting the tone for the whole house. If you use red on shutters, choose a deep red with some brown in it, because bright reds can read clownish at that scale.

What makes a blue work on an exterior?

Gray. A gray-blue still reads clearly as blue on a house, so you do not need a saturated one to get the effect. Bold, true blues like Salty Dog SW 9177 or Smoky Blue SW 7604 are far more pigmented in reality than they look on a chip.

Exterior House Colors to Avoid

Everyone wants to know which exterior paint colors are best. The more useful question is which ones to avoid, because ruling out a whole family of colors makes the rest of the decision much easier.

There is a time and a place for every color, but exteriors are unforgiving. We paint across the Denver metro, so this is written with Colorado homes in mind, though most of it travels.

Start by avoiding the "color" section

Whether you are looking at Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore or another brand, avoid shopping for an exterior color from the "color" section of the deck. That section is bright, bold, highly pigmented paint.

This does not mean you cannot use color outside. It means you should shop from the right collection. Look for the ones labelled Neutral, Timeless or Historical. Those groupings are built from colors that behave well on an exterior.

The three we steer people away from

Yellow

Yellow tops the list, mainly because it is so susceptible to fading. Given how much sunshine Colorado gets, fade resistance deserves real weight in the decision, and yellow pigments give it up quickly. Many yellows are what we call interior-only colors, meaning they cannot be made into an exterior product at all.

Yellow also sits awkwardly in a Colorado landscape. It is not an earthy tone, so it stands out rather than settling in. If your heart is set on it, use it on the front door: all of the cheer, none of the commitment.

Red

A red and white house exterior — Classic red and white reads more barn than house.

Red behaves much like yellow and fades just as fast. The classic red-and-white combination reads distinctly barn to our eye, and red paired with green reads Christmas to most people, which is a strong association to take on year-round.

Red works best as an accent or a front door. If you do want it on shutters, choose a deep red with some brown in it. Bright, colorful reds can end up feeling a little clownish at that size, and the added depth pulls it back into harmony with the rest of the house.

Bold blues

Deep navy has been popular in Colorado for years, and plenty of homes still wear the New England-inspired look well. The trick is to find a blue with a lot of gray in it.

A gray-blue still reads clearly as blue on a house, so there is no need to go saturated to get the effect. On exteriors you generally want colors that are subtle and nuanced rather than vibrant and true to the chip. Rich, bold blues like Salty Dog SW 9177 or Smoky Blue SW 7604 are much more pigmented in reality than they appear on a sample, and they can read playful in a way you may not intend.

What to know about exterior color generally

The single most important thing to account for is how bold a color becomes outside. Colorado's year-round sunlight makes exterior colors read bolder and brighter than they do indoors on a chip.

The fix is to shop the right collection and favor colors with a slight gray undertone. A gray undertone grounds a color and takes the edge off the saturation. It also sits far better alongside fixed earthy features like brick and stone, which you are not repainting.

Other colors that tend to hurt resale

Beyond the big three, the shades that most often work against a home's value on an exterior are pinks, brick red, straw yellow, dark greens, and any exceedingly dark or bold palette.

And then do what you like

At the end of the day it is your home, and no color selection makes everyone happy. If you are worried about what the neighbors will think, neutrals are a safe bet. Plenty of our clients want something colorful, and color preference is deeply personal, so do what you like.

Just get large samples up before you commit, and look at them on the actual house in actual daylight. A color behaves differently across a whole exterior than it does on a card.

If you are unsure, a professional color consultation is the fastest way to get confident, or follow us on Instagram to see how these combinations look on real homes.

Short version: avoid bright yellows, fast-fading reds, and bold saturated blues, and lean toward neutrals with a gray undertone. If you would like a second opinion on a color you are considering, reach out and we will take a look.