Bring the color to your Colonial
Born out of the days when America comprised 13 colonies, the classic Colonial-style home can still be found in every state across the country. An evolution from the log cabin, the Colonial house is characterized by simplicity, often built out of brick or wood with two or three stories stacked in neat symmetry. Most Colonial houses have the kitchen and living room on the first floor with the bedrooms on the upper levels, with dormer windows and a chimney punctuating the roofline.
Since the Colonial period spanned the better part of two centuries (from the 1600s through the late 1800s), the era’s color palette is quite diverse. Whether you want to follow the no-nonsense architectural style or modernize your older home as you renovate, you’ll find the best exterior paint colors for a Colonial house here.
There’s nothing as timeless as a white exterior paint job, and the Colonial period made use of this neutral paint color liberally. A seamless tie to the simplicity of the era, a white facade with white trim was a very common combination used on Colonial houses. Using bright white as the primary color and adding bolder colors in the trim, doors, and roof is also a common choice for this style of home.
One downside of painting the exterior of your house white is that dirt and mold will show more easily than with a darker color, meaning you’ll need to pressure-wash your home more frequently, though the ease with which you can touch up dings and scratches in the future often outweigh the extra work of maintaining that clean white exterior. Stick with a semi-gloss or high-gloss sheen, and simply wash your home regularly to keep up with the elements.
Recommended colors:
One of three colors gracing the American flag, blue has strong ties to both naval and American history and is prevalent in Colonial-era architecture. Whether used to paint shutters and trim or coated over the entire wooden facade, navy and other shades of medium to dark blue were not only popular during the Colonial period, but carried over into the architectural styles for centuries to come.
Recommended colors:
Much like the architectural era that succeeded it—the Queen Anne period of the 1860s through early 1900s—Colonial homes often were painted vibrant shades of peach or light pink. Whimsical and fun, these colors are quintessential representations of a time when high art and fashion ruled the world. Colonials may not feature quite the same whimsical color combinations as when you are painting your Victorian home, but you can successfully use some non-traditional color choices to enhance the look of your Colonial.
Recommended colors:
In the same vein as the peach palette, light pinks and dusty roses often were utilized by families that wanted to show their sophistication and class. These ageless shades speak to romance, nature, and seduction, as well as reflect the aristocracy.
Recommended colors:
Some people find inspiration in the landscaping and natural beauty around them when selecting Colonial paint colors for the exterior. Earthy green exterior paints generate a coziness that brighter colors may not be able to duplicate.
Although earthy tones often include browns, greens easily complement the landscaping around the home. These colors are a nice way to balance the look of your house with the overall property.
Recommended colors:
Using neutral shades on a Colonial home’s exterior brings warmth to the home. Many people pair neutrals with darker colors in the accents on the shutters and doors. You also could go with white shutters or trim to deliver an ideal contrast against the warm neutral tan or beige.
Because so many hues can complement these warm neutrals, you have your pick of accent colors. Another time to consider beige is when painting the exterior of a barndominium, where bold accent colors work nicely for trim and doors.
Recommended colors:
If you want to modernize the look of your Colonial house while also choosing a hue that will never go out of style, you can’t go wrong with a bold pop of black. A popular exterior paint color for shutters and doors, black is also being used more frequently to cover the entire house. If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain or humidity, a bonus of using black is that it hides mold well and will require far less frequent cleaning than a white home would.
Recommended colors:
For more ideas for exterior paint colors primed for Colonial homes, consult a local exterior painter or paint store near you, many of which offer historical palettes sorted by architectural era. If you have a deck, make sure to pick a deck color—whether that’s a wood stain or paint— that complements your beautiful Colonial.
Professionals can not only help you select the paint color, but they also can apply the Colonial paint colors on the exterior of the home for you. Because most Colonials are two or three stories tall, you might not feel comfortable painting at significant heights off the ground for most of the time while doing the job yourself. You need large ladders or plenty of scaffolding to do the work, which drives up the cost of a DIY painting project.
The average cost for a pro to paint the exterior of a home is around $3,100, but larger Colonial homes will carry a higher cost. If you have a detached garage, don’t forget to have the painter give you an estimate for the cost to paint the garage doors and detached structure, too.
Painting your home exterior costs between $1,810 and $4,505 on average, but that range depends on the size of your home and the siding type. Since the cost breaks down to about $1.50 to $4 per square foot, you should prepare to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 for the average 2,000-square-foot home. If your home is more than one story tall, that can also affect the price of the work.
The material your house is made of also dictates the amount of paint required to cover its porosity. For example, painting brick is more expensive than painting wood. If there are many smaller details to add on to the job itself, like window sashes, a garage, or a porch, these may affect the cost of the job.
If you’re interested in painting a colonial-style exterior on your home yourself, you can plan to spend around $500 to $1,000 on the paint and supplies. While you may save on labor costs, you’ll spend more time on the project than if you had hired a local painter, and the result may not be as smooth.
Sophie Yalkezian and Kristin Luna contributed to this article.
