How to Choose a Color Scheme for the Exterior of Your Home

If you have decided to tackle a re-side project, you will be faced with the choice of your home’s exterior color. While durability, workability and efficiency are all critical benefits to you as a homeowner, the most outward facing choice you will make during your building project is the color. Choosing the right color for your home can seem like a big task and with color decisions to make beyond siding, like trim and other exterior accessories, it can be difficult to determine what you want. We’ve compiled a list of siding color ideas to help you find the color scheme that’s right for you. 

Choosing the Right Color for Your Home

The first thing to consider when choosing a color scheme for your home is whether you are leaning toward a particular style. Typically, your home’s style informs your color decision. 

Not sure how to describe your style? Here are some home style descriptors to get you thinking:

• Mediterranean 
• Craftsman 
• Modern
• Ranch
• Tudor
• Farmhouse
• Coastal

If you don’t feel like your home has a strong tie to a specific style, start with colors you’re drawn to. Drive around neighborhoods in your city and take notice of homes you like. Are they all one color? What color is their trim? Do they have an accent color for other exterior accessories? Notice combinations that work together and ones that don’t.

Exterior House Colors for 2021

Looking at current exterior trends is another great starting point when you find yourself at a loss for color combinations. If you’re looking to explore new trends in house siding, there are a handful of colors that have risen to popularity this year:

1. Dark Gray: As a softer choice than ExpertFinish shade Abyss Black, dark gray can provide a way to stand out among lighter colors in a neighborhood. ExpertFinish colors Tundra Gray and Cavern Steel serve as excellent choices for this exterior trend.
2. Black: As a daring choice, all-black homes have begun to rise in popularity, especially on more contemporary and modern homes.
3. Muted Earth Tones: Great for ranch homes, LP^® SmartSide^® ExpertFinish^® shades Canyon Brown and Marshland Moss bring the warmth of natural colors to light.
4. Warm White: While stark white tends to be a great fit for modern farmhouses, a warmer choice could be ExpertFinish shade Desert Stone.
5. Black & White: The ever-popular modern farmhouse look can be achieved with ExpertFinish colors Snowscape White and Abyss Black.
6. Bright Blues: ExpertFinish shades Summit Blue or Rapids Blue stand out as great choices for coastal homes, inviting in the feel of sunshine, warm weather and nearby bodies of water.

Having too many options can be overwhelming sometimes. Prefinished siding is a great solution to help streamline your re-side. Choose from a variety of LP SmartSide ExpertFinish colors that fit the bill when you’re trying to align with a common trend. 

Think About Your Colors Holistically 

When you think about your home’s exterior, you likely think of one color. In reality, homes typically have two or more colors that create an exterior look. Choosing three main colors can help create a cohesive look and feel. The process doesn’t have to be complicated—divide your home’s exterior into three categories. 

1. Main Exterior: This is probably the part you thought of when initially thinking through choosing the right color for your home. Since this is the siding that will cover the majority of your house, it should complement your roof and reflect your home style.
2. Accent Color: This color will cover gables, accent walls and architectural details.
3. Trim: Tie your home’s look together with trim that complements your main and accent colors.

Discover specific color combination suggestions for both black and brown roofs here. 

Exterior House Color Visualizer

Once you’ve chosen some exterior color combinations, you may want to see what they’d look like on your home—use the LP SmartSide Home Visualizer Tool for a more realistic look at your color choices.