# Back of House Color Scheme Help Please



## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

We desperately need help in selecting a new color scheme for the back wall of our home. Currently it is bright white. On a sunny day this hideous bright wall can be seen from the moon. Seriously, our lovely brick and partially wood siding home needs a face lift. We want to change the color of the wood siding, trim, gutters and garage door. Speaking of the garage door we would like it to be painted a different color from the wood siding.

To help you help us I am uploading reference photographs. We hope these photos give you a good overall look and nature of our residence.

Sometimes people simply respond with "use your personal preference" or "select a color found in your brick". While these responses are well meaning they do not bring us closer to selecting a true color scheme. Having looked at so many colors ourselves we are basically color blind. That is why we need a good opinions from folks like you. Please feel free to suggest any combinations or brands.

Thank you in advance and we truly look forward to your suggestions.

*PHOTOS:** 
Back Wall & Garage Door, Color name "Bright White" *_(Photo taken on a cloudy day and the very top of roof actually goes to a ridge)_ *House Front in Summer, House Front in Winter, Brick closeup, Backyard image one, Backyard image two *_(Important note: We have a zero clearance lot. The brick wall you see in "Backyard image two" is our neighbor)_


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I am on it. Glad to see you took my advice! Doesn't get you off the hook for a donation to charity though alright? Back at you in a bit.

Do the deck, trellis, fence and all have a colored stain or protectorant of any kind on them now?

I had a dream I saw pictures like this before but the black shutters on the front of the house blew of in a tornado. The dream had lots of red sequen shoes and tiny dogs. I might have just remembered the latter from all that walk around my hood on a daily basis. 

I was thinking of giving extra thanks because fi fi foo foo fake shutters that would never cover a window really bother me. I think they are hyper tacky, maybe even more so than most lawn ornaments. But in my dream, the owner with them on the house said they were gone.

I think your landscape designer should be sainted by the way. What nice work for a small space! I would invite myself for dinner in a heartbeat if I lived closer.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> I am on it. Glad to see you took my advice! Doesn't get you off the hook for a donation to charity though alright? Back at you in a bit.
> 
> Do the deck, trellis, fence and all have a colored stain or protectorant of any kind on them now?


How about we donate to a veterans fund or donate trees to burnt out forests? No, all of the cedar wood is left to fade to gray.

Thanks


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

Come on folks, do me a solid and provide your suggestions, any suggestions. :yes:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Sorry. It has been a zoo the last couple days but I have downloaded your photos and will take a pixel grabber to them soon. 

I do see shutters on the garage side. Are they still there and to be factored into the color scheme? I know you mentioned the majority of the black ones on the front of the house blew off, correct?


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I took a first look at your situation by doing a color inventory of what you have now. I also assumed you are not planning to re-roof anytime soon or pour a new drive so those colors are a given. I sort of ignored the cedar since it will be left to age. 

Anyhow my first suggestion has more to do with the value of whatever colors you pick for the garage facade. Value describes the same hue but in terms of its tint with white, or its shading wit black. 

Right now the fact that the garage door and the construction above it are the same value seems wrong to me visually. It is like the garage does not have enough substance to be holding up the floor above it. 

Anyhow I built a color wheel anchored on the color in your brick and then picked a split compliment not that far off from the hue of the shutters on the place now. My color wheel showed that it should have a bit more green. Look at the revised color pallette. Same colors just re-arranged with my greenish/grayish suggestion in the middle. 

If you like it at all, I can dump it into a virtual painting simulator. What I am thinking is to paint the garage door a much deeper value of the hue you like than the same color but a lighter value of it for the floor above.I think this will make it look like the floor above the garage is actually sitting on something substantial enough to hold it up.

As for shutters I had two thoughts. I could pull in a deep value of the other split compliment hue, or we could abstract a nice deep gray, not black from the roof tile color. 

Am I headed in the right direction here?


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> Sorry. It has been a zoo the last couple days but I have downloaded your photos and will take a pixel grabber to them soon.
> 
> I do see shutters on the garage side. Are they still there and to be factored into the color scheme? I know you mentioned the majority of the black ones on the front of the house blew off, correct?


The siding, garage, shutters, gutters and all trim are included. The shutters should be a color that compliments the wood siding and garages new color. Disregard the shutters current green color.

Honestly, you are speaking above my color knowledge level. Suggest the color scheme you believe is best. My sincere thanks for your hard work.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

First pass color consulting ideas for reaction. This time I added callouts. I can show you what it would look like on the house if I am close. I am not going to waste my time until near what you like on some former S California USAF missile humper.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

By the way, we should make sure your monitor is set to the standard industry color temp for viewing and talking about color. If yours is not, go into your settings menu, choose display, and look for profiles. Pick 6500K.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester,
Wife just told me that the cedar structures may be sealed or stained to retain their cedar color. I guess this presents "a what if" situation. Sorry for such a complication. Have been married nearly 34 years so I should be use to it b now.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> By the way, we should make sure your monitor is set to the standard industry color temp for viewing and talking about color. If yours is not, go into your settings menu, choose display, and look for profiles. Pick 6500K.


Will do.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> First pass color consulting ideas for reaction. This time I added callouts. I can show you what it would look like on the house if I am close. I am not going to waste my time until near what you like on some former S California USAF missile humper.


You've gotta "green light" on your scheme. Let's see what it looks like. 

You do know that if I told you what I really did in SoCal two big burly guys in black suits would soon be knocking at your door. LOL. We recently saw a USAF recruiting commercial talking about and showing technology that was TS back in 1977. Time sure goes by so fast.

Wife also sends her regards.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

sore thumb said:


> sdsester,
> Wife just told me that the cedar structures may be sealed or stained to retain their cedar color. I guess this presents "a what if" situation. Sorry for such a complication. Have been married nearly 34 years so I should be use to it b now.


No biggy and not a big idea. Does she think she wants a clear sealer or something with some color in it. I have posted this before but will again. 










As you climb up this illustration you will see you lose the actual color of the wood and start filling in wood grain is you move up. Solid stains are almost like paint but that they leave more texture showing. You can tint them to any color, like paint---in quality brands. 

I sort of planned this into my thinking anyhow so no surprise unless she wants to solid stain the garden structures pink or something?

34 years so far? I assume you check her teeth and hooves now and then. She might be worth keeping if you have that kind of history.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> No biggy and not a big idea. Does she think she wants a clear sealer or something with some color in it. I have posted this before but will again.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No pink or other strange color. Whatever the type the finish it will be tasteful and compliment the surroundings. Glad you planned that into your thinking. 

Wifey is a gem while I'm the one that could potentially be glue factory bound if I buck too hard! Seriously, plenty of give and take makes 34 years possible. We make a great team. Haven't mentioned it before but my best days are behind me. Seems I have a number of serious maladies. None that are taking me underground anytime soon just rather quite debilitating. Ah, that's okay. I gave my country 20 prime years the enjoyed a very successful 13 year corporate stint. I am blessed to have one very special lady.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

Thank you for your outstanding help sdsester.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I sort of sloppy masked your photo and used the Benjamin Moore visualizer to show you what the colors might look like in place. For some reason the software was misbehaving and would not let me mask the eaves. I would do them the same color as you choose for the garage door. 

The colors I chose are from the Benjamin Moore Color Preview Collection which includes the Historical Collection. They were:

HC-122 Great Barrington Green
HC-123 Kennebunkport Green
2120-20 Black Iron

The complete list of colors easyrgb.com kicked out with 4 closest matches (gave me a starting point) were:

*RGB 113-121-94
*
_Sherwin Williams_
SW 6180 - Oakmoss
SW 6179 - Artichoke
SW 6194 - Basil
SW 6186 - Dried Thyme

_Benjamin Moore_
HC-122 - Great Barrington Green
HC-126 - Avon Green
HC-112 - Tate Olive
HC-109 - Sussex Green

*RGB 165-176-137*

_Sherwin Williams_
SW 6430 - Great Green
SW 6437 - Haven
SW 6423 - Ryegrass
SW 6178 - Clary Sage

_Benjamin Moore_
HC-118 - Sherwood Green
HC-115 - Georgian Green
2140-30 - Rosemary Sage
HC-123 - Kennebunkport Green

*RGB 48-48-48*

_Sherwin Williams_
SW 6990 - Caviar
SW 6258 - 
SW 6258 - Tricorn Black
SW 6991 - Black Magic

_Benjamin Moore_
2120-10 - Jet Black 
EXT RM 1 - Black
INT RM 12 - Black
2129-10 - Midnight Dream

I need to get my hands on stain chart before recommending a color for the cedar. I loaned mine out and none have come back.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

So on to the new cedar elements and the old deck. Is there a coat of stain on the decking now? I cannot really tell but looks like their may be a dark grey semi-solid? When was it last stained? And the new cedar trellis, solid fence and lattice privacy screen have nothing on them yet at all correct?

And by the way, before I forget. If you like the greens picked for the back of the house I would be tempted to use the darker green for the trim elsewhere on the house and the bluish-charcoal gray for the shutters if you replace them. When it comes time to paint. I already mentioned carrying the color of the garage door up to the eaves, downspouts, etc.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

If it were me I would just paint those shutters black and call it a day.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

sdsester said:


> So on to the new cedar elements and the old deck. Is there a coat of stain on the decking now? I cannot really tell but looks like their may be a dark grey semi-solid? When was it last stained? And the new cedar trellis, solid fence and lattice privacy screen have nothing on them yet at all correct?
> 
> And by the way, before I forget. If you like the greens picked for the back of the house I would be tempted to use the darker green for the trim elsewhere on the house and the bluish-charcoal gray for the shutters if you replace them. When it comes time to paint. I already mentioned carrying the color of the garage door up to the eaves, downspouts, etc.


The deck is going to receive minimal touch up since it is going to be completed replaced. Thanks anyway.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Alright then. My work is soon done! I still cannot remember who has my stain samples so picked two from the internet. The vertical one is for Cabot semi-solids and the second is for Sikkens Semi-Transparent. You should also look at those of Ben Moore and Sherwin Williams.

Back up a few posts to the graphic I showed of your options for sealing and staining wood from the standpoint of what type of stain to use. 

You should get something on the new cedar trellis, lattice wind/privacy break, and fence sooner rather than later. I know it sounds great to let cedar age naturally but there are two many variables for it to do so uniformly and later on you are forced to more dramatic stain options to blend in areas or different grades of cedar to each other. 

You could clear seal and clear coat it with a Sikkens two part system. The next step up is a sealer with minimal amount of pigment in it. Moving to a semi-transparent product allows you to balance out color differences or introduce subtle color shifts. The majority of the wood grain and color will stil show through. In your case you might think about a bit of deep green to pull from the new trim color or even a gray. Or add some red to tie in with the brickwork. 

If you are replacing the deck I guess there is no reason to do much to it. I do not like using solid stains on decks but you could get a season or two out of it. Sem-solid might hold up better but that deck looks to be in pretty rough shape.


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

Steven, you have been super. Many decisions yet to be made but your information has given us valuable information. Since you have become a part of our project I will keep you informed. Our best to you and yours.

Louis


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I love this house. Such charm and character. Wish I had your landscaper.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Startingover said:


> I love this house. Such charm and character. Wish I had your landscaper.


I just bet there might be one that would fit your needs, goals, little owned piece of the Earth, and personality in the directories of either:

APLD - Association of Professional Landscape Designers
http://www.apld.com/

ASLA - Association of Landscape Architects
http://www.asla.org/


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## sore thumb (Mar 31, 2013)

Startingover said:


> I love this house. Such charm and character. Wish I had your landscaper.


Thank you very much. I hope you find your special place in the sun.


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