I am a fan of cement (or hardie) board on an exterior. It’s durable, looks great and it’s PAINTABLE! So if you’re doing an exterior renovation (like painting your cement board) or you are building a new home you will want to know a few things before you give your painter the green light on a color.
Most people want to paint their home in a neutral color and these colors have undertones. An undertone has to do with how the paint color is put together. Often you will have a dominant color (like red) and add a little bit of another color (like brown) resulting in a brownish red color (like maroon). The secondary color IS the undertone.
If you have stone on your exterior you must identify the undertone of that stone before you select a paint. If your stone and paint undertones don’t match your stone will look like a mistake. It will stand out in a bad way.
Even if you don’t have stone on your exterior, identifying the undertone of your paint is very helpful. As the weather and sun fade your paint over the years your undertones will be more noticeable. I’ve seen homes that are painted a medium brown fade into a muted purple. Like Harold came and colored the southern exposure of that house!
If you aren’t sure what undertones you are working with a simple color consultation will help you. Spending a few hundred dollars on a consultation is a great way to protect your investment of thousands on your exterior. This will help ensure you will love driving up to your home for years to come!
