# Help me decide what color to paint my house **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597 "2012-06-19T01:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/101 "2012-10-05T17:28:35Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Alright. I’m back again. [Here are the two latest samples actually on my house - the sage green and dark red](http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/StG61/PaintSample-Red-Sage.jpg). I’m very seriously considering the red. The green looks dirty and the red looks like a barn. Can I suggest you take another look at the pale pink I suggested earlier? Put up a patch and see what you think. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/102 "2012-10-05T17:45:24Z")
[http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/color-trends-20122013/](http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/color-trends-20122013/) Check out thse colors and logic behind them. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/103 "2012-10-06T03:12:54Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **j666** - It’s a Tennessee farmhouse. I don’t know how they differ from New England farmhouses. > > Horses and dogs will stay their same colors. Snakes can do what they want, as long as they pay for it themselves. > > StG Tennessee? Then I am lost. I have no idea what you should do. That is a gorgeous red; you have to use it for something. I just think it’s too strong for the size of the house. How about red with white trim on the porch, and white with red trim (and shutters) for the rest of the house? Or would that be too ‘cute’? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/104 "2012-10-06T03:48:19Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Alright. I’m back again. [Here are the two latest samples actually on my house - the sage green and dark red](http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/StG61/PaintSample-Red-Sage.jpg). I’m very seriously considering the red. The more I look at it, the more I like it, unlike the other colors. I’m not worried about looking suburban chic - I’m in the country, surrounded by cattle and goats and horses. I’m not worried about looking like a barn, my house isn’t barn-like. The sage is running a pretty close second, but I don’t think it’ll look good with white trim. > > I’m sure people are tired of looking at my house by now. I really hope I can soon post pics of it looking all spin and span. With a weather vane. > > StG I love the red. I hereby withdraw my suggestion of sage green and endorse the red. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/105 "2012-10-06T04:01:53Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I love the red. I hereby withdraw my suggestion of sage green and endorse the red. Missed the edit window because I was showing **Suburban Plankton** the red. I think I’ve talked him into letting me paint our house red. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/106 "2012-10-06T14:49:49Z")
I haven’t posted yet but have enjoyed coming back from time to time to this thread. **StGermaine** , from looking at the pics of your house(mainly #7 of 39) I would first suggest putting bannisters around the porch. In post #19 your 2nd pic that starts “This is cheery…”, from that, I would paint the house that shade yellow. The roof, screendoor with its little upper window, the outer window casings—I would have those an almost brick red. For the inside part of the window casings, the door and the bannisters, I would use a clay. Your porch looks so much like ours. I would hang the porch swing back one space (closer to the trellis) so you could have a low table under the window for tea (or tequila lol) and a couple plants that could be seen from inside. And the tip of the roof over the upper curved window on the left is calling for a weathervane…something ecentric, pertaining to a hobby or interests? That’s my 2cents. Love your house and land and animals. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/107 "2012-10-06T15:31:41Z")
> [@Ludy](#): > > [Here](http://sereneseneca.blogspot.ca/2009_12_01_archive.html) is an example of a nice sage green. You have to scroll down a bit to get to it. If you mean the picture with the bright pink sofas, yes, that would be a good choice. White trim. Grey wouldn’t be bad, but I’d go with a shade lighter than the two examples StG provided. White and darker grey trim. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/108 "2012-10-06T17:37:06Z")
Having lived in a yellow house for years, and having a neighbor with a pink house for years, I have to beg you not to use either. Do not use turquoise either. Those colors died after the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/109 "2012-10-06T21:01:11Z")
Hey, you could paint your house like [this](http://www.juliaodom.com/2010/crimes-against-paint-3/)! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/110 "2012-10-06T21:58:00Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Hey, you could paint your house like [this](http://www.juliaodom.com/2010/crimes-against-paint-3/)! I kind of like that. I came back to say that if you do go with the red, use the recommended primer. I had a hard time painting an interior way a strong red like that; it took four coats. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/111 "2012-10-08T00:58:13Z")
Okay, the decision has been made and painting commenced this weekend. Behold! [Pic 1,](http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/StG61/DSCN0037.jpg) [Pic 2](http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/StG61/DSCN0038.jpg). Of course, we didn’t get nearly as much done as we thought we would. I rented a boom lift to get him to the peaks, and we only got two of the four painted. Trim is in progress. Porch hasn’t been painted yet. I’m an exhausted, painty mess. But I think I love it. StG ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/112 "2012-10-08T01:02:03Z")
Very pretty. I meant to say earlier that I thought the red was great, but in looking back, I see that I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/113 "2012-10-08T01:06:43Z")
**jsgoddess** - And I meant to tell you before how much I loved the blue paint on your house. It looks so happy. I’m trying to figure out if I want shutters on the windows on the front. StG ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/114 "2012-10-08T01:10:52Z")
Personally, I don’t think shutters would be an improvement. I’m assuming (possibly incorrectly) that getting round-topped shutters would be pretty expensive, too. I like the more spare look you’ve got going on. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/115 "2012-10-08T01:17:52Z")
**jsgoddess** - The quarter round pieces are actually cheap - they’re separate pieces you add to regular shutters. I don’t like the look of cheap plastic shutters, though, and can’t really afford the expensive wooden ones. My sister is urging me to put black shutters on for contrast. StG ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/116 "2012-10-08T01:26:02Z")
Wow. Just … wow. That was absolutely the right decision. That looks like a perfectly ripe apple on a crisp Fall day. Perfect. I don’t know about the shutters - curved top shutter are ‘town’, not ‘country’ to me, but it may be different in Tennessee (red certainly is.) How about climbing roses on trellises on either side of the window? (That looks so much better than in the CG version.) ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/117 "2012-10-08T01:32:52Z")
**j666** - That’s funny - the color is actually called Red Delicious. Thanks for the affirmation - red was such a drastic color, but when I look at before and afters, it just looks so right. I may do some photoshopping of the pics with shutters to see what it looks like before I leap. I don’t think I have enough sun in the front yard for roses, but there is a trellis on the side of the front porch. I have some knockout roses in front of the fence in the front yard (out of view). I’d planned ot put hydrangeas in when I was going yellow or grey, now they’d clash. Up close you can definitely see that it was an amateur paint job, but from 10 feet away, it looks great. Anyone who wants to complain about some drips can come and repaint it! StG ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/118 "2012-10-08T01:37:47Z")
Wow! Looks great! Huzzah! 😃🆒 ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/119 "2012-10-08T02:38:03Z")
That rocks! As far as shutters go, I think some sort of climbing plantlife would be better. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597/120 "2012-10-08T02:38:07Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Up close you can definitely see that it was an amateur paint job, but from 10 feet away, it looks great. Anyone who wants to complain about some drips can come and repaint it! > StG I’m telling you, it’s the primer; I didn’t use the special primer for strong colors, and I was dead wrong. If roses won’t work, how about Moonflowers, Morning Glories, or climbing peas on either side? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-decide-what-color-to-paint-my-house/625597.md?page=7)