# House Painted White: What Color Metal Roof Looks Best? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500 "2017-01-18T23:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/1 "2017-01-18T23:03:30Z")
House is small, old, rural two story house. Any opinions? There is also the question of energy efficiency. But living in the snowbelt where one spends a lot more money on heating than air conditioning dark roofs are probably not a negative. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/2 "2017-01-18T23:22:47Z")
My vote is Blue [Pic](https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+blue+metal+roof&tbm=isch&imgil=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%253Bo3zcliH7HQpCGM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.pinterest.com%25252Ftayspudelsuno%25252Fmetal-roofs%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%252Co3zcliH7HQpCGM%252C_&usg=__TaWWQG0oS6kNowZ_HZPUXBDqq84%3D&biw=1368&bih=779&ved=0ahUKEwjttqj36szRAhVE7oMKHd4jBpIQyjcIKg&ei=lvh_WO2TLcTcjwTex5iQCQ#imgrc=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%3A) ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/3 "2017-01-19T00:36:16Z")
I think a nice dark, pine green would look good. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/4 "2017-01-19T00:38:10Z")
Red and green are my first thoughts, but a pale blue could be pretty, too. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/5 "2017-01-19T01:18:03Z")
Slate Grey is always discreet and optimal. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/6 "2017-01-19T02:03:57Z")
Depends on the house and the surroundings. Could you give us a pic? ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/7 "2017-01-19T02:23:11Z")
Black will absorbs the most heat ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/8 "2017-01-19T02:50:58Z")
There’s a large farmhouse here that’s white with a red metal roof. It’s pretty spectacular. Blue or dark green would look nice, too, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/9 "2017-01-19T08:15:55Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > My vote is Blue > > [Pic](https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+blue+metal+roof&tbm=isch&imgil=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%253Bo3zcliH7HQpCGM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.pinterest.com%25252Ftayspudelsuno%25252Fmetal-roofs%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%252Co3zcliH7HQpCGM%252C_&usg=__TaWWQG0oS6kNowZ_HZPUXBDqq84%3D&biw=1368&bih=779&ved=0ahUKEwjttqj36szRAhVE7oMKHd4jBpIQyjcIKg&ei=lvh_WO2TLcTcjwTex5iQCQ#imgrc=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%3A) I came here to say red, but substituting ‘red’ in your search changed my mind - white houses with red roofs look they belong on the front of a retail pack of Lego. Blue looks good on all of those houses. Green looks good on houses that have a colonial-style look to them with a front porch or veranda, but it looks a bit cheap on simpler houses. Slate grey-purple looks nice if you’re going for a more subdued look. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/10 "2017-01-19T21:47:50Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I think a nice dark, pine green would look good. This. Used to have a family cottage colored white with green, looked nice. Then my aunt painted it ugly brown colors, yuck. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-painted-white-what-color-metal-roof-looks-best/777500/11 "2017-01-19T22:25:56Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > My vote is Blue > > [Pic](https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+blue+metal+roof&tbm=isch&imgil=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%253Bo3zcliH7HQpCGM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.pinterest.com%25252Ftayspudelsuno%25252Fmetal-roofs%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%253A%252Co3zcliH7HQpCGM%252C_&usg=__TaWWQG0oS6kNowZ_HZPUXBDqq84%3D&biw=1368&bih=779&ved=0ahUKEwjttqj36szRAhVE7oMKHd4jBpIQyjcIKg&ei=lvh_WO2TLcTcjwTex5iQCQ#imgrc=PWnG1Mk18-7AZM%3A) Mine too.